ParkRun has become a fitness staple across the United Kingdom and has started taking over the world.
This past Saturday, Cheltenham commemorated its 591st ParkRun while the organisation celebrated their 21st anniversary.
It has become such a big part of the identity of Cheltenham that between 500 and 700 people show up every Saturday morning to run or walk a 5k.
Ruth Dinnis volunteered for the first time for the organisation this past Saturday and described it as something enjoyable that everyone should try.
“Seeing lots of people I knew run past that was really nice. They should come along to ParkRun because it doesn’t matter how long it takes you; everyone encourages you to just get round.” Said Dinnis.
On the contrary, Claire Hawling achieved her 102nd Saturday volunteering for ParkRun.
For Hawling, one of the best things about volunteering is “not to have to run!” but loves seeing people completing the course for different motives.
“It’s nice just to encourage people and, you know, people doing Parkrun for a variety of different reasons, for health, mental health, physical health, and also for chasing PBs and just general fitness, so it’s just nice to see people out in the fresh air instead of on Xboxes and PlayStations and things like that,” said Hawling.
As Hawling described, one of the best feelings of volunteering is seeing people achieve their goals and overcome barriers.
“Just seeing people, maybe who’ve experienced an illness and then they’ve come and done ParkRun and you can see them getting stronger and stronger and, you know, looking happier about their achievement, and whether their goal is to maybe lose weight or just get a bit fitter, or just to prove to themselves that they can do it.” Mentioned Hawling.
Even though she is not running, Hawling still looks forward to Saturday mornings.
“I like the camaraderie between the regular volunteers, that’s nice, but I also just like getting up early in the morning and then coming down and doing this, it’s really something to achieve something for today.” Said Hawling.
Little by little, ParkRun has taken over Cheltenham, so whether you go for fun or to break a PB, it’s a nice way to share your Saturday mornings with the community while getting active.
To keep up to date with news from the Gloucestershire area, follow our live blog below.
