I ENJOYED reading your piece about Chichester ‘ParkRun’ published this week. I have been a regular attendee of Chichester parkrun, both running and volunteering, and it was so nice to see the regular weekly event being promoted in the local paper.
Since I started going on August 2 last year, parkrun (please note the spelling and the case) has had a real impact on my life.
I was a fairweather runner before. My running occurred on the sunnier days of months with no ‘r’ in them. They were slow, lonely affairs really.
Going along to Oaklands Park each Saturday for 9am, I met very inspirational people, I felt moved to join Chichester Runners & AC and have competed in some 40 other competitive races since then, including three half marathons.
This is in addition to the 27 parkruns I have run in and the 33 I volunteered at (I joined the core team last year as a run director myself).
I learned a lot about treating injuries, pacing a distance race, wasp behaviour, gardening and dragons as well as some great cake recipes. Importantly, I have made some friends for life.
I think it is very important to get across this point: parkrun (note again, the spelling, it’s a branding point) is a RUN: not a race or a competition. There is no winner, no ‘victories’: there is a first finisher.
No one comes last: the volunteer tail runner does that and everyone gets clapped and cheered over the finish line. No one is ‘disappointed’ about finishing second place. Nor are they ‘crushed’, ‘gutted’ or ‘heartbroken’ at crossing into the finish funnel in 240th place, because they have run 5,000 metres with friends.
The point of parkrun is widening participation and getting people from all walks of life, all ages, all abilities to run together. You can run as fast as you like for the 5k distance or you can take it easy if you have a race the next day, or run with a friend to get them a new PB.
It’s not about being ‘lapped’ by the fast, whippet-like folks who run it in under 20 minutes, nor about turning your back and going home before the people who need three-quarters of an hour to complete the run because of health, injury, confidence or whatever good reason they have.
It’s an international thing that has been going for well over 10 years now and yes, can be a good step up to a career in athletics for some. But for most of us it’s about getting together and running/jogging/striding against our personal best time and with friends for the sheer joy of the great outdoors and a sense of community.
I was concerned that the tone of your article may put prospective parkrunners off who were thinking of coming along having completed the NHS couch25k plan, or those who used to run lots but haven’t for years, those who are at the more senior end of the age scale, those with families, the very young, the novice runners/joggers, the self-styled ‘galumphers’, those who want to build confidence... basically many people. It is *not* a race. There’s no point writing a race report because that is not the ethos.
I encourage anyone who is interested in coming along each Saturday morning to arrive a little earlier, say 8.45, to have a chat with the team and stay for a watch. Visit the parkrun website (it’s all one word, all lower case: http://www.parkrun.org.uk/chichester) too and find out about volunteering as well as running.
I hope you’re not put off and we look forward to welcoming you at what people from all over the country regularly tell me is one of the friendliest parkruns they have ever been to.
And please, Observer, do come along again. We always enjoy having your reporters and photographers to see us and are more than happy to give you any information you need about parkrun.
Following the popularity of the recent Win a Kids Cabin Bed Competition, Childrens Bed Centres have launched a Win a Children’s Storage Bed Competition via their branded facebook page.
The competition will run until the end of March and will be publicised via their website (www.childrens-bed-centre.co.uk), facebook (www.facebook.com/childrensbedcentres), Twitter, (www.twitter.com/CBC_KidsBeds), Pinterest (www.pinterest.com/cbckidsbeds) and others.
Following the popularity of their recent Win a Kids Cabin Bed Competition, Childrens Bed Centres have launched a Win a Children's Storage Bed Competition where fans of their page can be entered in to a competition to win this practical & beautiful bed simply by entering their name and e-mail address. More entries can be gained by sharing the competition with your friends via facebook & twitter.
As you can see from the image above the competition page is eye-catching, fun and extremely simple to enter.
All entrants have to do is like the Childrens Bed Centres facebook page, enter their name and e-mail address and confirm their entry by clicking the link on the automated e-mail sent to their e-mail address. Extra chances to win are generated by sharing the competition with your friends via facebook, twitter and linked in, or by using the unique link provided.
This month’s prize is a Children’s Storage Bed measuring 100cm X 198cm in white, designed to fit a standard single mattress. The Children’s Storage Bed is one of the most popular beds in the Childrens Bed Centres range and features two storage cupboards and two drawers set on easy glide runners. All Childrens Bed Centres kids beds are practical, robust and attractive to suit any room. Beds are also suitable for adults to sleep on and would be ideal for a spare room. (Mattress, and any other optional extras pictured such as bedding, furniture, bedroom furnishings, ladder etc. not included)
The competition will end at 12pm on 31st March 2013. The randomly selected winner will be notified via e-mail within 24 hours of the close.
The competition is open to all Mainland UK residents aged 18 or over. Please view the full list of competition terms before entering which are accessed via the competition page.
If you would like to be kept informed of future competitions, events, promotions and special offers: