Weekly newsletter – 27th November 2012

Posted on November 26, 2012 by admin

parkrun Australia newsletter 27th November 2012 Web Copy

Welcome to this week's newsletter

In this week’s newsletter we launch a new event in Sandgate, review our policy on children at parkrun events, analyse Professor Alan’s monthly stats review and prepare for some ‘Summer Fun’ at Main Beach.

As per usual, the stats are in for last Saturday, November 24:

Thanks to our amazing Event Directors, Run Directors, volunteers and sponsors for your continued support!

Were you a first timer last weekend, or did you run a personal best? We would love to hear about your experience on email, @parkrun_au or on Facebook

To kick things off this week I want to give a BIG but belated congratulations to Celia Sullohern who set a new parkrun Australia female record at Newy parkrun last week in a smoking hot time of 17:04. This was Celia’s 5th run at Newy and a PB of 40 seconds which is amazing at her level. Interestingly, the parkrun Global female record was lowered on Saturday just passed to an incredible 15:38 by Sandra Bowers at Newbury parkrun in the UK, so Celia and all of our other ladies have certainly got some work to do to chase that one down!!!

On Saturday we had our penultimate launch for 2012 at Sandgate on Brisbane’s northern bayside. I grew up only 10 minutes from Sandgate so this event has a real personal significance for me and I am absolutely delighted with how wonderfully well it all went on Saturday. For starters, in the days prior to launch Event Director Vanessa Gibson was on pages 1 and 5 of the local newspaper, the Northside Chronicle.

Off the back of this incredible coverage (thanks Aleisha Pidgeon) we had a huge surge in interest resulting in 146 registrations prior to 7am on Saturday. And when start time came around it was great to see 119 parkrunners present, including a massive 76 first timers. Well done to Vanessa & Dean Gibson, all of the volunteers, National Operations Manager Gareth Saunders and all others present for making it such a great first event. Also, special thanks must go to Victoria Newton, Councillor for Deagon Ward, who was instrumental in making this event happen and was present on Saturday.

This Saturday I am off to Adelaide for our last launch of the year at Torrens parkrun. This is our first event in South Australia so please make sure you spread the word to any of your friends and family who live in the ‘City of Churches’!

Happy Running!

Tim from parkrun Australia (get in touch)

By the numbers…

November was another record month for parkrun in Australia. With 3 new parkruns and a nice 7.37% increase in total parkrunners over the preceding 4 weeks! Here is how the growth looks week by week...

Next I thought I would have a look at Newy, New Farm and South Bank parkruns over the last two months. Whilst Newy now becomes the biggest Australian parkrun if you add figures from New Farm and South Bank in November they are almost identical to New Farm’s in October and a similar ratio to Newy, so the plan to relieve numbers at New Farm is working well...

Another interesting graph to look at for November is the number of PBs for each parkrun and each week. This is an indication of how much improvement is being made at each parkrun, and as you can see Newy is doing so much better than the rest of us! Well done Robbo and all the parkrunners in Newy...

I will leave you one other unusual fact from November - this week for the first time we had 3 parkruns with identical number of finishers: Claisebrook Cove, Balyang Sanctuary and Wynnum all had 90 parkrunners!

Happy parkrunning to you all in December, enjoy the longest parkrun if you are mad enough to do it (or the +1.44 inter-state version like me), and we wish you all a Happy Christmas and New Year,

Professor Alan & Róisín from Wynnum parkrun

Children @ parkrun

One of the things I love most about parkrun is that it is open to everyone, from babies in prams to seniors of any age and ability. We do however have some policies that go along with this that make our events fun and safe for everyone and one of these is that “children under 11 must be accompanied by an adult at all times while participating in a parkrun event”.

At one of our events on Saturday a very fast 6 year old got away from his mother and accidentally cut the course to cross the line in 7th position. While generally we don’t police this kind of thing, seeing as he came through so far up the finish positions the boy set an age graded course record of 92% with his finish time of 20:22. This would have put the age grade record for the event 5% higher than that of Marty Dent who holds the Australian parkrun record with a time of 14:42. As a result, we have had to remove the boy’s time from Saturday to be fair to everyone running at that event as clearly that age grade record would not have been able to be legitimately broken! In saying all of this, I definitely hope to see this boy at parkrun again soon as he is obviously a gifted runner and I look forward to watching his running develop.

International Day of Running Naked

Saturday 17th November was the inaugural 'International Day of Running Naked' (IDRN) - a day to experience running without gadgets, but with clothes on!

To make things interesting the Naked parkrun Challenge was suggested - a fun, optional, added dimension to the weekly 5K run involving runners predicting their time, running free of devices and then seeing how close they get to their prediction.

There was an overwhelming interest shown for the Naked Challenge at parkrun events around Australia and the World. The feedback from lots of runners was they really enjoyed trying a more stripped back approach and there were also plenty of PB's.

For many runners, parting ways with the Garmin proved especially challenging but it has been great to see so many people giving it a go for a bit of fun.

Not running with headphones on is something that is especially supported by parkrun, as it helps maintain the close community feel the events are famous for. Read more about it
here

If you're keen to find out more about the finer points of running 'naked' check out
their website
& tune in to the weekly Naked Runners Podcast

Here is a picture of Nick Fudge, winner of the Claisebrook Cove Naked parkrun Challenge, sporting his prized Naked Runners headband.

Aaron Pidgeon from St Peters parkrun also celebrated getting naked as seen below.

Feel free to share your naked running stories here.

Dave from Newy parkrun

Summer Fun @ Main Beach parkrun

Main Beach parkrun is holding a ‘Summer Fun’ day this Saturday, December 1st, to raise funds for the Black Dog Institute (BDI) and awareness of depression/bipolar disorder. The term ‘Black Dog’ comes from the metaphor most famously used by Winston Churchill to describe his own depression and his famous ‘V for Victory’ salute is referenced in the BDI logo as a symbol that depression can be overcome! So we would love to see parkrunners across the country give the ‘V for Victory’ salute as they cross the finish line this Saturday.

adidas Q&A – Lisa Weightman

adidas recently caught up with Olympic marathon runner Lisa Weightman to chat about her training, love for running and any tips she could share with parkrunners.

Name: Lisa Weightman
Date of Birth: 16/01/1979
Hometown: Melbourne
Discipline: Marathon
What age did you start participating in athletics and how did you get involved? 11 when I ran my first cross country race as a Bell Primary School student. I was born with a weak chest and Dad encouraged me to play a lot of sport and compete in running races to build up my cardio vascular system. Dad, my sister Jodi and I would do little runs together around the streets of our local area and when I could keep up without getting tired for longer and longer distances, it was obvious where my talents lied.
How many times a week will you train? When in full marathon training 170-190km per week which equates to a run every day and two a day on four of those days! My runs range from 10km through to 35km.
What does your race day routine look like? I eat toast, jam and have a black coffee about 3 hours before the race. I tape my feet, do something nice to my hair and check that my adidas adios flats are in my bag about 10 times before I leave for the event!! If I am prepared I am not usually nervous, just champing at the bit to get the race happening! Patience is not one of my strong points!

Do you have 4 tips that we can share with parkrunners – training, motivational, nutritional, injury management? If you have a niggle, rest is straight away. 3 days of rest with some anti-inflams can save you the heartbreak of 3 months off down the track. Keep eating, I am frightened by the amount of female runners we lose to eating disorders every generation and the trend is continuing.
Best piece of training advice you have been given? Don't try to overcomplicate things. Keep things simple and your mind and body will thank you!
What is your guilty pleasure? Cadbury Top Deck Dairy Milk Chocolate. We always have a few blocks in the pantry!
What is 1 thing we don’t know about you? I have difficulty saving No and hate to think I have let someone down!
What is your favourite sport? Athletics!

Top 10 Reasons To Do parkrun…

As listed on the UK based parkrunfan blog

1) parkrun is a challenge - For most people, 5km is not an easy challenge. And then there is the weekly challenge to improve your PB.

2) parkrun is free - No cost to join. No cost to do any parkrun.

3) parkrun is addictive - But far better for you than most addictions!

4) parkrun gets you out in the fresh air in a lovely park location on a Saturday morning.

5) parkrun helps you meet many new like-minded people.

6) parkrun gives you free T-shirts - Complete 50, 100 and 250 parkruns (and 10 for kids) and you get a very smart free technical t-shirt at each milestone.

7) parkrun stops you drinking (as much) on a Friday night.

8) parkrun will get you fit - Well it can certainly help.

9) parkrun is suitable for people of all ages and abilities - It can be for all the family, kids, adults, grandparents, everyone is welcome.

10) parkrun starts at 9am in England and by 10am you have done your exercise for the day and you can smugly get on with the rest of your weekend.

What are your reasons for doing parkrun?

International Volunteer Day

International Volunteer Day was established by the United Nations General Assembly in 1985 and is now celebrated worldwide on December 5 with thousands of volunteers involved in initiatives including clean-up campaigns, conferences, exhibitions, morning teas and other activities that highlight the role of volunteers in their communities. As we all know parkrun relies of the generosity of volunteers who make our events happen week in week out so we would like to recognise our volunteers on the Saturday nearest to International Volunteer Day – December 8. All we ask is that you do something small to show your local Event Director and volunteers that you appreciate them; I suggest a handshake or hug, but I’m sure chocolates and flowers will not be turned away.

Longest parkrun…………

The longest parkrun idea was started by some lunatics in the UK in the summer of 2010. The idea is simple – parkrunners meet on the Sunday closest to the longest day of the year, to visit 7 different parkruns. But while the potential total distance is quite large (35km), this isn't a heavy duty running event. It is first and foremost a social day - there's no official timing, runners can turn up at as many (or as few) of the runs as they want, and do as much of the courses as they want.

Australia’s inaugural ‘Longest parkrun’ will take place at 5am on Sunday 16th December with the route taking in North Lakes – Sandgate – New Farm – South Bank – Wynnum – Coomera – Main Beach. Click here for further information or to register your interest in attending.

Professor Alan from Wynnum parkrun has decided to run an extra 1.44 parkruns at Kirra and Kingscliff later that day to accumulate the equivalent of a full 42.2km marathon. If you wish to join him please click here

Feedback from the field

John Caulfield - I am a seasoned runner (with ageing knees that have slowed
me down somewhat in recent years, and come to think of it the rest of my body
is the same age but doing a bit better than the knees) and really enjoying
parkrun. It has made me really enthused to keep bringing my time down. I recently got back to training in a gym, working on strengthening my weaker left leg and the muscles around my knees to improve my stride length and also help my tennis. I was wrapped to take 26 seconds off my PB last Saturday and love the momentum of every Saturday morning nice and early and the whole atmosphere of parkrun. Thank you to all at parkrun.

Bill Bee - Thanks to the organisers and volunteers at Sandgate parkrun today for a great event, I will be back chasing a PB next time.

Heather Connan - Terrific turn out on Saturday at Claisebrook Cove parkrun. I had a great time talking to and encouraging lots of people I haven't previously spoken to. Had a great vibe I think.

Caroline van der Mey - Hi Jon, just wanted to say you do a great job of making Claisebrook Cove parkrun friendly, inviting and welcoming. I liked the family type atmosphere and really enjoyed today. We will be back.

Bianca from Suncorp Bank - Sascha and I checked out Claisebrook Cove parkrun when we were in Perth to host the Freo Fun Run and the location is just beautiful. It was great to meet Jon and Peter; they're great guys and gave us a very warm welcome!

Drop me an email if you have an interesting parkrun related
fact, happening or comment that you would like to share with all parkrunners.

parkrunner of the week

Name: Rhys Burnett
Club: Unattached
Age: 9
Home parkrun: South Bank parkrun
Occupation: Year 4 at St Columba's Wilston
Number of runs: 4
Number of times volunteered: None yet
What do you do at parkruns: First, I have to find someone to run with because my mum is too slow. I've made new running friends, like Anthony Taubman, Matt Martin, Logan Drain & Tania Potter. At the end of the run, I always sprint and see how many people I can overtake.
How has parkrun changed your running: It has made me push myself further to run 5km. At school cross country I only had to run 2km.
What do you like about parkrun: I like seeing how fast I've run every week and seeing what position and time I get.
Most memorable or funniest parkrun moment: I will always remember my first South Bank parkrun because there are things that are not in other parkruns like stairs and steep bridges.
How can we improve parkrun: By getting more boys my age that I can run with.

Reminders

Barcode reminder

barcode
Barcodes are used at all our events to record your result. Please collect and print your barcode here. No barcode, No result!

All questions answered

Do you have a question about parkrun? How do I collect my club T-shirt? How do I get my barcode? All your questions are answered on our brand new support site

Volunteering at parkrun

We ask every parkrunner to volunteer 3 times a year. When volunteering you receive the maximum number of points towards the yearly competition.

Children at parkrun All children under 11 must be supervised by a parent or guardian. Guardians must ensure that children place themselves appropriately so as to prevent a situation where they are being repeatedly overtaken at the start. This is to ensure the safety of your child.

the parkrun show

You can download your copy of the parkrun show here. (iTunes) The parkrun show is the audible roundup of the "goings on" of everything that caught the teams eye from the weekend in parkrunworld. Brought to you by Marathon Talk.

Our Sponsors

all out performance

adidas has been focused on athlete’s performance since the first running spikes were made in the 1920’s earning the first Olympic gold medal in adidas shoes.
Today, adidas is proud to be supporting parkrunners everywhere.
Explore adidas running adidas.com

Weekly newsletter – 20th November 2012

Posted on November 19, 2012 by admin

parkrun Australia newsletter 20th November 2012

Welcome to this week's newsletter

In this week’s newsletter we celebrate Albert Melbourne parkrun’s 1st birthday, hail a new Australian parkrun record and prepare for some ‘Summer Fun’ at main Beach.

As per usual, the stats are in for last Saturday, November 17:

Thanks to our amazing Event Directors, Run Directors, volunteers and sponsors for your continued support!

Were you a first timer last weekend, or did you run a personal best? We would love to hear about your experience on email, @parkrun_au or on Facebook.

Saturday was the 1st birthday of Albert Melbourne parkrun and what a grand occasion it was indeed. Event Director Carol Cunningham and her loyal crew of volunteers pulled out all the stops as you can read in her report below. We had been hoping that Olympian Craig Mottram was going to have a crack at setting a new Australian parkrun record time however he unfortunately hurt his ankle in training last week. I’m pleased to say however that the record was indeed broken but at Ginninderra parkrun by another Olympian, Marty Dent, who ran a sensational time of 14:42. AMAZING!

As many of you know last Saturday was also the inaugural International Day of Running Naked in which we urged you to leave your iPod, GPS and watch at home and try the ‘naked’ experience. Unfortunately however it seems one of you may have taken this all a bit too literally as I received the below email from one of our Event Directors on Sunday afternoon:

“Hi Tim. Unfortunately one of the male runners at parkrun today was running in very short shorts with no underwear and as a result his male anatomy was hanging out for all to see as he came into the finish line. The worst part was the parkrun photographer, who was oblivious to it took a photo which showed it all hanging out which was then posted on Facebook this morning. I was sent a text message from one of the volunteers informing me of the photo late this afternoon so I immediately removed the photos from the Facebook page. I have no idea who he was because he was a first time runner and I have no idea how many people saw the photo or him running like that today. I think it was unintentional and he finished near the top so not too many people were back yet.”

Just when I thought I had heard it all…

This Saturday sees the launch of yet another parkrun event in Queensland, this time in Sandgate, a coastal suburb located 16 km north of the Brisbane CBD. I am particularly excited about this launch as it is only 10 minutes drive from where I grew up and where my parents still live, thus I view it as my ‘spiritual home event’, even though technically Kirra parkrun is my actual home event. Click here for a look at the Sandgate course as seen through the eyes of Event Directors Vanessa & Dean Gibson and their gorgeous kids.

The following Saturday will be our final launch for the year, this time in Adelaide, with Torrens parkrun getting underway. That will make it 15 events for 2012, and I’m expecting 2013 to be at least twice as BIG! Did I just say that?

Happy Running!

Tim from parkrun Australia (get in touch)

Happy 1st birthday to Albert Melbourne parkrun!

Happy 1st Birthday Albert Melbourne parkrun and congratulations to everyone! You embraced the spirit of parkrun, turning out in numbers to shatter the Albert Melbourne parkrun attendance record by an incredible 63 (59% increase), a perfect illustration of the parkrun phenomenon in Australia. Woohoo!!!

Many made a huge effort to appear as a superhero or villain (Cruella de Ville, Dracula, Batman & Robin, Wonder Woman, Zoro, Lara Croft, The Hulk, Cat Woman, Flash, Maxwell Smart, Superman, Spiderman, Cakeman?! … and a brief appearance by Yoda mid-run!). It was a very impressive sight and it certainly generated some keen interest and bemused looks from other people out on the course.

Welcome to the 51 newbies – we hope you enjoyed your first parkrun experience and will be back again next week. Within our first timers we had 5 parkrun tourists who joined our party from various parts of the world: Gary Saunders from Ginninderra here in Australia, Alastair Willis from Lower Hutt (NZ), Michael Johnson from Heaton parkrun (UK), Graham Maitland from Medina (Isle of Wight, UK) and David Heppell from Glasgow (Scotland, UK). We also had a special appearance by Richard Branson… yep no joke, check result #60… not sure how he snuck it but we are guessing Virgin Active had something to do with it!

It wouldn’t be a birthday celebration without some special entertainment and we thank the following for providing those extra touches on our special day. To our main sponsor adidas who provided wear testing, the coffee cart, photographer and prizes. Virgin Active Health Club who handed out bananas, took us through the warm up and gave out prizes. Dom Cooley for providing comedy entertainment throughout the day… And I am sure you will all agree that the highlight of the day was welcoming the Superhero of Australian running and adidas ambassador to join our party, Mr Craig Mottram. Thank you!

On top of this we had a loyal band of volunteers who did a super job. Please put your hands together for the following: Greg, Aimee, Paul, Marie, Amy, Ruby, Carleen, Jules, Phil, Vin, Chris, Julia Nance (photos) and Jane (who created the wonderful birthday cake). And to our awesome pacers: Justin, Rosa, George, Dean, Kathryn, Andrew and Julie. You guys all rock.

Click here to read the full report.

Carol from Albert Melbourne parkrun

Facebook changes

Facebook has made a few changes lately - and if you have been missing some of our updates then there is a way to fix it - so you never miss any of the news/offers/motivation we share. Just go to the top of our page to the 'Liked' button, hover your cursor over that until you see the drop down menu, then make sure 'Get Notifications' and 'Show In Newsfeed' are ticked and you won't miss out.

Summer Fun @ Main Beach parkrun

Main Beach parkrun is holding a ‘Summer Fun’ day on December 1st to raise funds for the Black Dog Institute and awareness of depression/bipolar disorder. As such, we would like to know how parkrun has helped improve your lifestyle and assisted in ‘exercising your mood’?

International Volunteer Day

Longest parkrun…………

Feedback from the field

Ellie Meyer - Once again I started my weekend with a parkrun along the beautiful Wynnum esplanade. Although it was pretty soggy this morning it is still my favourite thing to do on a Saturday morning. The Wynnum launch was my 1st ever parkrun, just after I'd graduated from a 'couch to 5km' training app. I was nervous and not sure if I was 'serious enough' to fit in but I soon realised that there is a lovely welcoming atmosphere at parkrun and that parkrunners come with such a wide range of abilities and motivations that the only thing anyone needs is a positive attitude and a barcode!
Since then I've improved my time & more importantly my confidence and met some lovely people. I've learned a lot from the friends I've made & even tackled a 10km race, all thanks to Wynnum parkrun

Kathy Rae - I enjoyed being at Albert Melbourne parkrun on Saturday while I was down from Sydney to participate in my 2nd City to Sea. It was nice to meet some of you and to have coffee after. It was an enjoyable run and I was really pleased with my 2nd best parkrun time of 7 parkruns on a course new to me and when I wasn’t wearing a watch.

Kent Ormandy - Congrats Wynnum parkrun on your highest ever attendance of 101 people. Long may it continue to grow!!!

Jane Peel - Thanks for a great Wynnum parkrunrun. I might leave my little dog behind next time.

Shaun Thompson - Argh 20:01, close to my guess but I really wanted to crack 20min!

Heather Louise Johnstone – I had my first Wynnum parkrun yesterday. I enjoyed myself, thanks for being friendly and relaxed

Tracey Jackson - Was a weird experience running ‘nude’, but also relaxing not worrying about the time, just enjoying the experience

Dutch & Alex Holland - Thanks to the organisers, volunteers and the photographers for a great Calisebrook Cove parkrun this morning.

Tony Smith - Thanks again everyone for a top Calisebrook Cove parkrun.

Drop me an email if you have an interesting parkrun related
fact, happening or comment that you would like to share with all parkrunners.

parkrunner of the week

Name: Anna Lagozzino
Age: 33
Home parkrun: Balyang Sanctuary
Occupation: Bean Counter (aka CFO)
Number of runs: 7
Number of times volunteered: 1
What do you do at parkruns: I run my lil heart out and tweet all about it.
How has parkrun changed your running: I’m only new to running and in just a short time it’s totally fostered a passion and healthy addiction that I wasn’t expecting. With great tips and support from other Balyang Sanctuary parkrunners, I’ve already achieved a number of personal goals, including a PB under 30mins which was huge for me! I’ve since had the confidence to complete my first10K and have my sights set on a half marathon next year.
What do you like about parkrun: I love the friendly and encouraging atmosphere for all ages and fitness levels, which to my surprise is not just limited to our awesome parkrun at Balyang Sanctuary, but seems to be the parkrun culture around the world, as I’ve found speaking with other parkrunners on Twitter.
Most memorable or funniest parkrun moment: Most memorable would have to be when I got to volunteer as the photographer. I hung out with 11 year old Daniel who was also volunteering but as a marshal, and together we cheered on the parkrunners as they came by – it was so much fun.
How can we improve parkrun: It’s pretty awesome as it is, but I think being able to buy merchandise would be pretty cool (t-shirts, towels, drink bottles etc) and would also promote parkrun at the same time!