Hundreds lace up their sneakers for the weekly parkrun
Many enjoy the parkrun and are always willing to improve their personal best.
Every Saturday is a milestone day for the Roodepoort parkrunners, and this week, George Rockas, one of the volunteers, celebrated his 50th milestone.
The Len Rutter Park in Florida was abuzz on Saturday morning as runners, joggers and walkers from the community gathered for the weekly parkrun event. Even though the weather was a bit cold, more than 400 participants were pushing themselves to finish the 5km run.
The run starts at 08:00 and volunteers like George make it all possible.
George’s inspiring story of volunteering at the park runs started five years ago, and his duties include photography, walking around the park, and ensuring the safety of the participants.
“I started by running but then got injured. That’s when I decided to volunteer, and this has become my second family. It has opened a lot of doors for me and has uplifted me in many ways. The respect I get from the participants doesn’t end here but on the outside as well,” he said.
There’s no entrance fee at the run, and the main objective is to keep fit and socialise with other fitness enthusiasts.
Kagiso Ngwenya celebrated his 161st run, and he is hoping for 200, Alphios Jirrivenga and his friends Tshiamiso Moncho, David Brown and Richard Parkins all celebrated their 200th run.
As parkrun came to a close, there was a sense of accomplishment and companionship in the air. The runners exchanged high fives and shared stories of their race experiences and hoped to see each other next weekend.
