Just over five years ago, Parkrun SA was launched as 26 runners ran the very first Parkrun at Johannesburg’s Delta Park. I’m not sure what those pioneers thought the future of Parkrun would be, but
I am sure none of them could have envisaged the explosive growth that Parkrun would undergo in the following months.
50 Weeks ago, Witbank Parkrun opened its doors.
180 Participants started the event on a frisky Easter Saturday morning.
The participants, which included family members visiting eMalahleni over the long weekend, were welcomed by run director Arthur Smith.
The event is supported by volunteers who freely give their time to an event they regard as family-time with strangers.
Witbank Parkrun started on April 30, 2016.
Since then 1 557 participants have completed 7 057 Parkrun’s covering a total distance of 35 285km, including 1 679 new Personal Bests.
On April Fool’s Day 2017, Parkrun SA launched the 100th Parkrun at Bronberrik Parkrun (Pretoria) and almost 1 000 runners arrived to celebrate this milestone. The thousand runners present were just a fraction of the 600 000 Parkrunners now registered in South Africa.
A week later, perhaps an even more significant milestone for Parkrun SA was reached when the 101st Parkrun was launched in the Namibian town of Swakopmund. Swakopmund is the first venture across South African borders and into Southern Africa. Other countries in the SADEC region are set to follow soon. Mbabane, Swaziland, will stage its first Parkrun next month.
The Swakopmund Parkrun launch was an unqualified success with 178 locals and visitors running and walking the flat paved route alongside the Atlantic Ocean.
Amazingly, seasoned Parkrun tourist, Peter Fordham went out of his way to travel from the UK to ‘tick’ the first Namibian Parkrun. Peter’s home run is Bushy Park in London and he has run 169 different Parkruns around the world.
On April 29 Witbank Parkrun will celebrate its first anniversary. Imagine what it would feel like if all 1 557 participants were to join the Parkrun family.
Let’s book this date as ‘A family gathering’.
