In this week’s newsletter Tim sends another postcard from Cape Town, we celebrate a new Australian attendance record and preview some upcoming launch events.

As per usual, the stats are in for last Saturday, Australia Day, January 26:

Happy 1st birthday to St Peters parkrun and well done to Newy parkrun for setting a (another) new Australian attendance record of 464 parkrunners!!!

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.

I have had another trilling week of running and adventure here in Cape Town!

On Wednesday I joined over 1,000 runners in the Cape Summer Trail Series along the spectacular tracks and trails of the Constantia Greenbelts and Cecelia Forest. From all reports the organizers were expecting around 500 runners so it just gioes to show how popular trail running has become in this part of the world.

On Saturday I joined my brother-in-law Richard and his friends on a 10km mountain hike through the Silver Mine Nature Reserve, part of Table Mountain National Park, which provided sweeping views across the Muizenberg and Strandfontein coastline.

But the absolute highlight of the week was on Sunday when I undertook the annual Kloofnek Classic Half Marathon. The race started at Camps Bay High School and the course had a steep incline up Kloofnek through to the slopes of Table Mountain. From Table Mountain, the route climbed up to Signal Hill and then back to Camps Bay High School. As I expected it was a very tough course with steep inclines, rapid descending slopes and the strongest winds I have ever had to content with. It was however all worth it to be surrounded by such majestic views of Table Mountain, the Cape Town city bowl and the Atlantic Ocean.

For what it’s worth I finished in a time of 1 hour 47 min however I stopped many times to take photos and chat with other runners. For me it was like parkrun… a run, not a race!

The last couple of days have been somewhat bitter sweet as I have watched from afar as severe weather has brought pain and destruction to coastal Queensland and my thoughts are with all of you who have been caught up in this. As a result we may have to cancel some events this coming weekend so please keep an eye on your respective websites and Facebook pages for the latest information.

Stay safe, and happy running!

Tim from parkrun Australia (get in touch)

Records, Records, Records!

January 26 2013 will go down as a landmark day for parkrun here in Australia as we celebrated a course attendance record and the 1st birthday of St Peters; course attendance records at Balyang Sanctuary, Ginninderra and Torrens; and an Australian attendance record of 464 parkrunners at Newy!

In doing so St Peters saw their women's course record smashed by Britney McMullen in a time of 18:37. And Britney was actually a parkrun tourist from South Bank where she also holds the women’s course record! Well done Britney!

By The Numbers...

As 2013 starts we had another set of record parkrun figures! Despite the wind and rain affecting all the QLD parkruns on the last weekend in January, the Australian parkruns still notched over a 40% increase in attendance in January compared to the previous month. If you compare January 2013 to January 2012 you see a 490% increase!

Click the graph to enlarge

January also saw was another record - Newy grabbed the highest Australian attendance figure with 464. It will be interesting to watch how the second Newy parkrun effects the averages when it launches in February, it may give New Farm a chance to regain its crown?

Click the graph to enlarge

So as we enter February and the temperatures start to ease down a little don’t forget your New Year Resolutions and keep on parkrunning!

Professor Alan & Róisín from Wynnum parkrun.

Upcoming Launch Events

Our first launch for the year is coming up on February 9 at Lake Mac parkrun in the Hunter Region of NSW. Interestingly Lake Macquarie is Australia's largest coastal salt water lake, covering an area of 110 square kilometres which is actually twice as large as Sydney Harbour! Next up will be Tuggeranong parkrun (already known locally as Tuggers) in Canberra on February 23. And March will see a number of events including Parramatta in Sydney and Riverway in Townsville.

Did you know you can now buy adidas online?

Big news at adidas this week with the launch of their online store! New season running product is now available for parkrunners at a click of a button. It’s fast, convenient, has free delivery when you spend over $150, plus all returns are free.

Check it out

Also, in celebration of St Peters’ 1st birthday Sydney parkrunners can get 20% off all purchases in the Pitt St store until February 4...

Feedback from the field

parkrunner of the week

Name:  Sven Fuerst

Age:  Older than my son

Home parkrun:  St Peters parkrun

Occupation:  Project Architect

Number of runs:  46

Number of times volunteered:  6

What do you do at parkruns:  Chasing my dream to get a new PB, making sure my barcode doesn’t get wet and keeps readable so it will not mess-up the results, have wonderful discussions after the run, about all the excuses why we lost the milliseconds for a new PB and getting motivated for chasing a new PB next Saturday!!!!

How has parkrun changed your running:  Beside that I smashed my 10K, Half Marathon and Marathon PB’s, got new (running-) friends and getting more and more involved into the running community, not much!

What do you like about parkrun:  Weekly , Timed, 5km and FREE!!!! Best and cheapest way to get fit! What do you want more?

Most memorable or funniest parkrun moment:  Long story short! Was my first time volunteering and was responsible for course marking! Seeing how the front of the pack sometimes gets lost, I tried my best to have the course in perfect conditions! After one hour of marking and using all available chalk we were ready to start! But what was that???!!!!??? Just 30 meter after the start, at the first “mini” turn, the leader of the group took a wrong turn!!!!!!! Ohhhh Nooooooo, how embarrassing......

How can we improve parkrun:  Include a quick short summary / highlights of the last run into the pre-run briefing. There are so many great performances every week, which should be highlighted. E.g. female course record got broken, new age grade record, top volunteer, top 3 male or female runners, runner x was doped and got disqualified...

In this week’s newsletter Tim reports from Cape Town and Sandgate parkrun Event Director Vanessa sets a marathon challenge!

As per usual, the stats are in for last Saturday, January 19:

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.

I am in Cape Town at the moment so Saturday morning was a funny experience for me in that when I woke up all parkrun events in Australia were already finished and results and pictures were online! I was delighted to see that many events had attendance records again which I can only assume means many of our ‘new year’s resolution runners’ have now made parkrun a part of their Saturday morning routine, so well done to all old and new runners alike!

On Sunday morning I met up with a group called the Sunday Stars for a 16km run from Green Point Stadium, built for the 2010 Football World Cup, to Camps Bay and back. This route provides an amazing vista of the Atlantic Seaboard and is undoubtedly one of the most stunning runs I have ever taken part in.

The Sunday Stars is an offshoot of one of the local running clubs called VOB (Varsity Old Boys) and have been meeting for Sunday morning runs around Cape Town for almost 25 years. The run is free to take part in on the proviso that everyone brings a large bottle of Coke! I was sceptical about this as I’m not a fan of the ‘Red Ambulance’ however it made sense when I got to the meeting point to find everyone loading Coke and water into the boot of a support car that would meet the runners every 3km for a refreshment stop.

So after a few introductions about 80 of us set off in perfect conditions for what proved to be a thoroughly enjoyable, and unexpectedly quick, Sunday long run. Thanks to the Sunday Stars for having me and I definitely recommend this run to any of you who may be visiting Cape Town at some point.

Tomorrow night I am taking part in a 13km trail run through Constantia, one of the top wine producing areas, and I am toying with the idea of entering the Kloofnek Classic 21.1km this Sunday... if my wife lets me!

This Saturday is of course Australia Day and many of our events are thus having an Australia Day theme. Note that there are no events at Wynnum or Launceston and that St Peters in Sydney will be celebrating its 1st birthday!

Happy Running!

Tim from parkrun Australia (get in touch)

Mums in the Marathon

Sandgate parkrun Event Director Vanessa Gibson has decided to run her first marathon in 2013 and has started a blog called 'Mums in the Marathon', check it out...

South Bank parkrun Course Description

Below is a course description for South Bank parkrun by Darragh Murray which he recently added his to the parkrun fans blog.

It seems that parkrun has really hit its stride in Australia.

Since Tim Oberg, General Manager of parkrun Australia, set up Australia’s first parkrun at Main Beach in April 2011, the concept has spread like wildfire, and at the time of writing, Australia is home to eighteen parkrun events.

My home parkrun is usually New Farm in Brisbane, but I visited one of the more recent additions to the parkrun family, South Bank parkrun, last Saturday for a cruise around the course.

Like New Farm, the South Bank course is based around the banks of the Brisbane River. Unlike New Farm, it is one large loop lacking a turnaround, which is great for keeping congestion on the course to a minimum. There is little chance of running head on into a fellow parkrunner unless, perhaps, they had a few too many the night before!

Click here to read more.

adidas Test Run 28

A lot of New Year running resolutions have been set, and hopefully can be kept! adidas has an even greater range of running footwear in 2013, and is giving parkrunners every reason to try them out.

If during 28 days you’re not happy with your adidas running shoes you can return them for a full refund or try a new pair. No questions asked. Test Run 28 takes the guessing work out of the equation so you can focus on your next PB!

For more info click here

Attention Gold Coast parkrunners...

As many of you are probably aware, the annual Sports Super Centre Fun Run Series, the only official lead-up series to the Gold Coast Marathon, is now open for registrations. Organised by friend of parkrun Travis Ireland and the team from Corporate Challenge, this series caters to all abilities and is the perfect step up from parkrun to a more competitive form of fun running.

2013 race dates are:

Race 1 - Sunday February 17th
Race 2 - Sunday March 17th
Race 3 - Sunday April 21st
Race 4 - Sunday May 19th
Race 5 - Sunday June 23rd

Best of all, Corporate Challenge have generously offered to DONATE $3.00 from every entrant that comes from the parkrun family back to parkrun in order to help us keep our weekly events free for all of you well into the future! Simply type 'parkrun' into the space provided when entering online at www.corporatechallenge.com.au/fun-runs.

In addition, if we have more parkrunners sign up than any other club or organisation then we will win a FULLY CATERED MARQUEE at the 2013 Gold Coast Marathon. How good would that be?

So get involved and support this great series and of course parkrun!

Women's Running at Coles Supermarkets - Limited Time!

The latest issue of Women's Running magazine is currently available at Coles Supermarkets until January 28th! Jam-packed with informative and inspiring articles (and of course listings for every parkrun event in Australia), this issue will assist you in getting fit and healthy in 2013.

Feedback from the field

parkrunner of the week

Name:  Scott and Joanne Watkins

Age:  37

Home parkrun:  Albert Melbourne parkrun

Occupation:  Research Scientist & High School Head of Students

Number of runs:  26 & 21

Number of times volunteered:  3 & 4

What do you do at parkruns:  Scott got faster for a while but more recently found enjoyment in pacing people. Joanne always watches everyone run away from her at the start but each week overtakes more and more of them!

How has parkrun changed your running:  It helped Scott (who always joked that his marathon and 5K pace was the same) focus on running faster. It has helped Joanne become a runner, going from taking 40 min to run 5K to running a whole half marathon.

What do you like about parkrun:  Definitely the people and the new friends. We've lived in Melbourne for 8 years but have not previously been part of any sort of community group - possibly because we're work-a-holic D.I.N.K.s! Going to parkrun has definitely helped improve our work/life balance.

Most memorable or funniest parkrun moment:  Scott: either rescuing the lost footy from the lake with a giant broken branch that I'd remembered was lying nearby or organising the first parkrun to parkrun video link (Sydney to Melbourne) on Grand Final weekend. Joanne: running a lap with our friend, Christine, and being told to "sprint" the last 200m - Joanne's reply was "I'm already sprinting!"

How can we improve parkrun:  We love it as it is!

In this week’s newsletter we celebrate another record weekend for parkrun, continue our chat about prams, and hear from a UK parkrun tourist.

As per usual, the stats are in for last Saturday, January 12:

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 saw another record turnout for parkrun in Australia and globally, and we also had some record temperatures to deal with at some of our events as the east coast endured some scorching hot weather. Over 29,000 parkrunners took part at a parkrun on Saturday, beating last Saturday’s mark, including 2,227 here in Australia. Let’s hope the ‘New Year’s resolution runners’ find a home here at parkrun and continue to join us well into 2013!

We had some other big news in the parkrun world since the last newsletter… The term 'parkrun' is now a registered global trademark, so for those of you who are unsure, it is ALWAYS one word and ALWAYS has a lowercase 'p'.

parkrun, parkrun, parkrun, parkrun, parkrun..........

And for the record adidas, our major sponsor, also always has a lowercase ‘a’.

As you all know parkrun has become a truly global family over the last 18 months, with weekly events now in Australia, Denmark, Ireland, New Zealand, Poland, South Africa, UK and the USA. All of these countries receive some sort of sponsorship or assistance from the corporate world to operate except the USA so I have made it my mission to help them out by generating some buzz on social media. So please 'like' and 'share' the parkrun USA Facebook page to help our mates across the Pacific get moving!

I'm off to visit the in-laws in Cape Town on Thursday for 16 days and am a confirmed starter for Delta parkrun in Johannesburg on February 1. I'm also hoping to run a few of the proposed Cape Town event courses so stay tuned for some inspiring holiday snaps!

Happy Running!

Tim from parkrun Australia (get in touch)

Pram Runners – Your Feedback

Last week I discussed my first forays into the world of pram running at parkrun and asked for your thoughts and feedback. Since then I have been inundated with emails and Facebook messages so thought I would share some of these below…

Fiona Gilks - Thank you for your little bit about running with prams. It was timely as I was thinking about telling you our story a while back, and this just spurred me on. My husband and I have two children (4.5yrs and 1.5 yrs), and we enjoy doing the Balyang Sanctuary parkrun when we can. My husband and I are having a little competition (just friendly rivalry!). When I am running with the double pram, my husband's goal is to beat his PB. But when my husband is pushing the pram the stakes are higher. My husband starts at the back of the group, and I start in the middle. My goal is to not let him catch me with the pram and boys, and his goal is to catch me!!! My PB is 25.07 (while being chased!), and his PPB (that is Pram Personal Best) is 23.52. Not a bad effort!!! When I can’t make it to parkrun, my husband will run with just the boys. In this photo below it is him being VERY closely followed by another runner. Nothing like pressure at the end of a run!

Scott Northey - I am writing in regards to the Pram running section of last week’s newsletter. My wife and I joined the Newy parkrun a few months back after learning about it from our neighbours. Since then we have participated in runs both with and without my boys who are 3 and 18 months old. I began running with them in a stock double pram which was hard work but was well worth it as they both love when we go for a run and it increased my fitness more so than running solo. And what I did and do find is when I do get to run without them it seems is much easier and I am sure my times have improved vastly because of it. Since then we have just this week purchased a jogger pram which makes the world of difference and my wife has even said that she will give it a go pushing the boys we well. I have to say that the parkrun is such a great event and the encouragement you get from complete strangers to keep pushing and never give up really shows that community spirit and sense of wanting to be fit and healthy is really alive. Well done to the organisers and volunteers of the event and I encourage anyone with small kids to get out there and give pram running a go! And to everyone else on the course make sure you say hi to all the kids in the prams and spur on the mums and dads who are pushing.

Troy Green - I am a keen runner and also love to do parkruns with my young fella in the pram. Yesterday morning I set up a Facebook page called Pram Pushers and no more than 2 hours later the parkrun weekly newsletter pops up in my inbox and is filled with stories of Pram Pushing. I run at Newy and am good mates with Robbo down here. Hopefully this group can take off and encourage more parents to get their kids out and involved with running.

Kym Wilkinson - Both my husband and I push prams each week at New Farm parkrun. DH pushes the 3 and 5 year olds in the double while I take the lighter load with the 7 month old. I dream of getting a baby jogger performance.

Tom Williams (parkrun UK Country Manager) - I'm afraid you Aussies have a long way to go to set any pram running records. On the 29th of September 2012 James Smith ran 17:22 pushing a buggy at Roundhay parkrun, which has been officially declared our toughest course by the way! I have also interviewed Michael Wardian on Marathon Talk and I think he ran a 2:35 marathon with what the Yanks call a stroller. Catch up Aussies!

Dave Robbo - We had lots of prams on course at Newy parkrun again this week. How many can you see crossing the start line in this short video?

Vanessa Gibson - My husband & I are Event Directors at Sandgate parkrun - we take it in turns running with the pram and being ED. I only started running just under a year ago and did 3 half marathons last year. We only got the Croozer about 2 months ago, but it's opened the door for me to be able to train for my first marathon this year. My parkrun pram PB is 25:58 and hoping to one day beat hubby whose pp PB is 24:20

Alistair McLean – I saw the article regarding pram running and whilst we aren’t going to make any claims to be winning races, all the four parkruns which I have done at St Peters have all been with a stroller. My first two with my daughter in March/April this year, then a bit of a gap until my son was strong enough to go in the stroller, then two in December with both my daughter and my son. So far our best times are 22:34 for the single and 24:05 for the double. Since I started running with a pram in October 2010 so far we have clocked up around 1,200km. Both my kids enjoy their trip out, Dad gets a run and Mum gets some peace and quiet to herself. The course at St Peters is great for strollers but the hill is tough. The last km is strangely deceptive as you tend to use up all your energy on the hill and then fade on the uphill to the finish. However if you are going to run in Sydney you have to get used to hills (we normally train at Lane Cove National Park so we are used to it). We run with a Bob Duallie Stroller which is comfortable for both children and the big wheels and suspension make it a fantastic ride. The best thing about St Peters for the kids is the play park next to the café the cycle track and if that doesn’t work my daughter can be bribed with a babycino at the café. You can make much more of the morning than just running.

Janthea Andersen - I usually run around 21:40 with my pram and about one minute faster without my pram. I have a BeemaQ Pram. I've come first a few times as a female, but not always. It's not really about running with the pram or getting the fastest time for me. I like being able to do things with my family. I hope that it might also be a bit of a motivator for other people who don't want to be beaten by the lady and her bub in the pram and also people who might think if she can do it pushing a pram, I could run 5k too. My tips for pram users: You lose a bit of balance and momentum holding onto the pram, as your torso can go side to side rather than moving smoothly forward. I can somewhat combat the side to side torso movement by holding in my core. Also you can get fatigued faster because of pushing weight forward. Pram mechanics and ride can help, but I've also seen people take one arm off the pram and do a one sided arm movement. This can rest one arm at a time. I never do this in a timed race though only while jogging. A tip for die hards is to put extra weight in the pram and see how you go!

Roundshaw On Tour Down Under by Nikki Tarrant

This article was taken from the News section of the Roundshaw Downs parkrun website...

As many of you know I have been planning to visit my sister in Australia for a few months now and thought whilst I was there I would try to fit in a few parkruns. So for those of you interested in my Roundshaw on Tour down under here is a round up.

Well my adventures down under started at Kirra parkrun which is an out and back course with an extra lollipop on the end along the Gold Coast. When we arrived there was a small gathering of people and my sister really didn’t want to be there (she is not a runner). In Queensland they start their parkruns at 7am as it gets really hot so the early start wasn’t making her want to be there.

In the run briefing I got announced as the parkrunner on a world tour – how I wish I could be. Everyone was fascinated by my red 50 t-shirt as they haven’t made it to Australia yet so they are a rare sight. Everyone was so welcoming and cheered us on even though my sister was not going to run but instead choose to walk it. Whilst walking with my sister we started to chat to the parkrunner that always comes last at Kirra (I have totally forgotten her name and her name on the results is a VM so not sure if she got her barcode mixed up or what?!) She was celebrating her birthday, so we made her parkrun day as she wasn’t last – one of her favourite birthday pressies. It is a bit depressing when you pass the finishers at the finish line knowing you still have to get to the flag and come back. But the crowd did stop and cheer us on which was very nice. I must admit I was just thinking I can’t wait to jump in the sea for a cool down.

On the Sunday we moved up to Surfer’s Paradise where we joined them on the last parkrun of the Longest parkrun in Australia (three parkrunners braved it and went on to complete two other parkruns to make the total a marathon distance). It was so hot and I didn’t have my running gear with me so I wasn’t planning to take part but just cheer them on. But when they made it to Main Beach after a boiling hot parkrun at Coomera which had no shade, there was some people who were going to walk it so I thought why not join in as I had come all this way.

Main Beach parkrun is similar to Kirra but you break off from the sea to a park area. But in this park area there is no shade and no breeze from the sea – so even at 7am in the morning it was really hot. It was so nice to walk the course with three other massive parkrun fans and swopping stories made the 5km pass quickly although I must admit I was glad to see the sign taking us to the finish line. After doing the Longest parkrun I was not really looking forward to running it on parkrun day but knew it would be cooler as not at mid day plus have the buzz you get when at a parkrun. It was nice to chat to people and share stories along with getting to meet Tim, the parkrun Australia Country Manager. I think they have learnt a few lesson and by next year will have a few closer parkruns to make the logistics a bit easier. Although they may try and tie in with the UK longest parkrun which will be on their shortest day, but then this is close to the Gold Coast Marathon which is a very popular race.

On parkrun day at Main Beach it was a lot more popular and a parkrunner Eloise Meyer whom I had met on twitter had come down to meet me – very nice to meet you and nice to know there are real people on twitter and good luck with the Run Director role at Wynnum parkrun.

Whilst running it I wasn’t really with anyone as they were either behind or in front of me so it did feel very lonely in the heat. But a guy overtook me and cheered me on as I went so that kept me going. I caught up with a lady who was telling me all about parkrun and how it had changed her life. Then a guy who had finished and was cooling down saw my 50 t-shirt and asked where I had got it from as his still hadn’t arrived. The whole 50 t-shirt is not really happening out there as they have not received any so every time someone saw mine, it created a conversation.

I somehow missed the sign to go to the finish line so just carried along the path like with had done at the Longest parkrun and cut down to the finish line (this actually makes it longer as your meant to cut across the grass) and surprised the timer person who hadn’t seen me coming. I was very happy to see my drink at this point.

My sister had volunteered and was on barcode duty for those who had not got their barcodes and seemed to have enjoyed this a lot more than running.

After chatting with Paul Sinton-Hewitt at Upton Court parkrun he had recommended Newy parkrun in Newcastle. This was a parkrun I had always wanted to do after becoming a listener of the Naked Runner’s podcast but thought it was too far away from Sydney to do. But Paul had said you could catch a train albeit a 2.5 hour train journey. My sister was keen as she had not visited Newcastle so we booked a hostel and went up on the Friday. Yes the train journey was long but we got to go on a double decker train which had these funky seats you could change around.

Newy parkrun was a great experience and can see why Paul had recommended it. There was parkrunners there who were wanting to achieve sub 17 and there were parkrunners there who were wanting to break sub 60. From proper runners, to joggers, to dog walkers through to pram parkrunners. I loved it.

We were greeted straightaway by Dave the Event Director and met some of the Longest parkrunners. I completed my 90th parkrun there which was my 30th different event at their 30th event. The course is an out and back and very flat with a mixture of surfaces but mainly tarmac. You can see the whole pack the whole way round and on the way back you high 5 people. I loved the whole high 5 concept and it really made me have a burst of energy. At the halfway point it was filled with children who were all there waiting for a high 5 – just wonderful.

Coffee is strange as you get to the coffee house via what looks like someone’s back garden. But it serves great milkshakes and we shared our parkrun experiences and talked about the new parkruns coming up in Australia this year.

I actually still shock from saying goodbye to my Dad in Sydney with him saying he was off to check out the St Peter’s parkrun course so he knew where to go on Saturday. I never thought I would see the day that my Dad chose to do a parkrun in the UK but now he is choosing to do one the other side of the world. Towards the end of 2012 he has got really into parkrun and now completed his first international parkrun. He has confirmed that St Peter’s parkrun has a steep hill which is supposed to be the hardest hill in the world of parkrun and plans to do Albert Melbourne parkrun in a few weeks time – go Dad!!!

All in all Australian parkruns are the same as UK ones but they are run differently behind the scenes which makes them all different. I will miss the swim after parkrun in the sea but it was so nice to be back at Roundshaw in the cold and with the mud – there is no place like your home parkrun. Xxx

Daily Runner

Werna Botha, one of our Wynnum parkrunners, has started a new running coaching group that caters for all abilities called Daily Runner. Werna is a qualified trainer and accredited coach, and if you have seen him run at Wynnum he is very impressive! If you are interested please visit his webpage.

Attention Gold Coast parkrunners...

As many of you are probably aware, the annual Sports Super Centre Fun Run Series, the only official lead-up series to the Gold Coast Marathon, is now open for registrations. Organised by friend of parkrun Travis Ireland and the team from Corporate Challenge, this series caters to all abilities and is the perfect step up from parkrun to a more competitive form of fun running.

2013 race dates are:

Race 1 - Sunday February 17th
Race 2 - Sunday March 17th
Race 3 - Sunday April 21st
Race 4 - Sunday May 19th
Race 5 - Sunday June 23rd

Best of all, Corporate Challenge have generously offered to DONATE $3.00 from every entrant that comes from the parkrun family back to parkrun in order to help us keep our weekly events free for all of you well into the future! Simply type 'parkrun' into the space provided when entering online.

In addition, if we have more parkrunners sign up than any other club or organisation then we will win a FULLY CATERED MARQUEE at the 2013 Gold Coast Marathon. How good would that be?

So get involved and support this great series and of course parkrun!

R4YL Subscription offer

Run For Your Life (R4YL), the official magazine partner of parkrun Australia, would like to offer all parkrunners a massive 55% discount off a 12-month R4YL magazine subscription. That's right, a one-year subscription can be yours for only $20 (normally $45).

To sign up for your subscription, CLICK HERE and enter the relevant promotional code as shown.

Feedback from the field

parkrunner of the week

Name:  James Rees

Age:  39

Home parkrun:  South Bank parkrun

Occupation:  Accountant

Number of runs:  25 (19 at New Farm, 6 at South Bank)

Number of times volunteered:  7 (3 at New Farm, 4 at South Bank)

What do you do at parkruns:  Photographer

How has parkrun changed your running:  I now run! I never really had the motivation to run regularly before - running with a large group of people of all standards and having the run timed makes all the difference.

What do you like about parkrun:  A really friendly and supportive group of people, whether volunteering or running, makes it easy to put in that extra bit of effort. I also like seeing the great responses from friends and families to the photos I take of runners that get put up on the Facebook page.

Most memorable or funniest parkrun moment:  Hearing runners quietly cursing under their breath after running up the stairs to the second bridge on the South Bank course and then seeing the long upwards incline to the middle of the bridge... Also finding out that a friend from the UK is now a mad-keen parkrunner having completed 106 runs at 83 different courses - a big shout out to Louise Ayling for that tally!

How can we improve parkrun:  Keep doing what you're doing!