PARKRUN Richards Bay has grown substantially since its start in May last year, which saw Comrades legend and parkrun CEO Bruce Fordyce and Dr Sibongiseni Dlomo (MEC of Health for KZN) participating on the day.
The event, which is held every Saturday morning at the Zululand Multi Sports Club (ZMSC), had 169 registered athletes at the first event, and has now grown to more than 400.
Athletes run or walk the same 5km route every Saturday.
The route takes athletes from the ZMSC down the gravel road past the Bay Hall into a single track forest trail, which loops back onto the gravel road heading back again past the Bay Hall.
Athletes then make their way over the bridge to Pelican Island, completing a loop, before returning to the ZMSC.
The parkrun is free, open to everyone and starts at 7am in summer and 8am in winter.
One must register online for their unique barcode, which allows the individual to see their times and their ranking in their age group within the country.
More than 25 000 people are enjoying 70 parkruns all around the country every Saturday morning, with 340 000 runners and walkers being registered to parkrun SA.
Paul Sinton Hewiit founded parkrun and was awarded a CBE by the queen of England for his contribution to health and fitness within the community.
The mission is to provide free, timed 5km runs to every community, therefore increasing participation within sports in SA and slowly promoting healthy lifestyles thoughout the country.
This event relies heavily on volunteers to help with various tasks on the day.
Anyone interested in helping out can email zmsc@telkomsa.net.
PHOTOS: Richard Springorum
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