Vryheid parkrun celebrates first anniversary

The Vryheid Herald popped in at the first birthday celebration of Vryheid parkrun on Saturday. Event director for Vryheid parkrun, Smuts Van Der Nest, extends his heartfelt gratitude to everybody who made the event possible, especially the Vryheid Country Club for making the land available.

June 19, 2019

Neil Doherty-Bigara 2 minutes read

The Lake family, Andrew (left), James (middle) and Simon (right), from Pietermaritzburg, making a dash for the finish line

Thick frost on the beautifully kept grass of Vryheid’s golf course set the scene for the parkrun on Saturday 15 June.

Adele Richter in good spirits at the end of the run

Approximately one hundred walkers and runners of all ages came together to celebrate the first anniversary of the event. Since it started, Vryheid Country Club has hosted 53 events and, every Saturday, an average of 105 competitors take part in the 5km course through the picturesque landscape of the golf course.

The average time for each weekly run is 44min45sec. A total amount of 173 days 3 hours and 51 minutes has been run in the last 12 months, by 5572 runners, covering a total distance of 27860km.

Also read: Bruce Fordyce to open Vryheid parkrun

Daan Kotze became the first Vryheider to complete 50 events, while Pamela Marlow, a visitor from Pinetown, set a new record in the MW70-74 group with a time of 38.02. Well done, indeed.

The winner of this week’s run was Lindokuhle Ngema from Mondlo, previously from Roodepoort, who has been taking part in parkrun for the last 7 years, who said that he had hoped to break the record time of 16m27s, but narrowly missed it with a time of 16m59s.

Lindokuhle Ngema coming in to take first place

“I wanted to get a record for the celebration,” stated Ngema, “I plan to win the Comrades in 2025 to commemorate the 100 year anniversary. Quality takes time” he added.

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Ambassador for parkrun Durban, Charli Wiggill, was enthusiastic to share the success story of parkrun.
Wiggill, who finished the run with a Charlie Chaplin heel-clicking jig, followed by a handstand, thanked all the volunteers and participants, and informed everybody of just how popular parkrun has become, including its origin and current status.

Also read: Take your first step in healthy living with parkrun

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Event director for Vryheid parkrun, Smuts Van Der Nest, extends heartfelt gratitude to everybody who has made this event possible, especially the Vryheid Country Club for making the land available.

“Parkrun has again this year won the best organised sport event in South Africa” he added.
Van Der Nest invites you to “become part of this very healthy activity and join us on Saturday mornings at 7:45am at the Vryheid Country Club.”

Parkrun’s basic principles have remained unchanged since its 2004 inception: weekly, free, 5km, for everyone, forever.

For more information go to: www.parkrun.co.za or www.parkrun.com

June 22 is Tutu Day for parkrunners and walkers. Will you be sporting a tutu to join the fun?

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