Happy Birthday Atholl parkrun
SANDTON– Atholl parkrun celebrated their 2nd birthday this weekend and we were there to celebrate!
It was a gloriously sunny morning for Atholl parkrun’s second birthday.
The event was celebrated with the help of 32 volunteers and event director Jean Baillie on 7 March.
“At our second birthday event, 426 participants ran, jogged and walked the course. Since it’s inception in 2018, Atholl parkrun has grown from an average of 200 participants per week to a regular attendance of approximately 350 in 2020,” she said.
With much growth, there were also celebrations and milestones reached for some of the runners who attended.
Watch:
Youngster Daniel Crane completed his 50th parkrun alongside his supportive family members and avid runner Neo Mosinyi waved his 100th parkrun flag high. A member of the Springs parkrun, Marius Jonker completed his 105th run.
At 59 years old, he said that he intended running his first Two Oceans Marathon and first Comrades Marathon this year.
“I started off with the parkrun in 2017 and I’ve reached a milestone today,” he added. “This will also be my 25th volunteer and my 20th venue that I am doing, so I will also be earning my orange tourist cap today.”
Another notable member was 91-year-old Hella Weiss who has been doing parkrun for about two years.
The event was especially memorable for the volunteers because they had their first baby take part in the run. Mom Rochelle Chetty is a dedicated park runner and was excited about this milestone. “Baby Meera is just seven weeks old and it was lovely doing the parkrun with her for the first time,” said Chetty’s husband, Jeemersan Govender who is a volunteer and loves the family time and community spirit Atholl parkrun creates.
The parkrun brand had grown tremendously in its eight years of existence. Speaking at the Vitality Running World Cup launch, parkrun South Africa CEO Bruce Fordyce said, “It has grown from one parkrun with 26 people to 230 park runs now. With 1.2 million members it’s still growing. Every Saturday, 40 000 to 65 000 people participate in the various parkruns which is fantastic.”
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