Bruce Fordyce to officially open parkrun in Vryheid

The legendary Comrades winner, Bruce Fordyce, will be in Vryheid on June 16, to open the long-awaited local parkrun.
A huge attendance is expected.
The event is free of charge, costing you nothing for a healthy outing on a Saturday. Parkruns are 5km running/walking events that take place every Saturday morning in fourteen countries across five continents. They are run by volunteers, and participation is free of charge. A South African, Paul Sinton-Hewitt, a friend of Bruce Fordyce, started the concept.
The idea of a parkrun ties in well with a healthy lifestyle program, which is a way of living that lowers the risk of being seriously ill or dying prematurely.
When a healthy lifestyle is adopted, a culture of a healthy lifestyle can make an improvement on our overall health.
The first parkrun took place in Johannesburg in 2011 and 26 people took part. Today there are 130 plus parkrun venues around South Africa with 60 000 participants on a Saturday. Membership has reached the 800 000 mark this year.
It’s much more about community bonding than it is about doing a 5km run. It’s a very friendly and warm feeling. People can’t wait to see each other on Saturday mornings, share conversation and go for a coffee or breakfast afterwards. When participating, times are taken with the aid of a barcode print, which can be obtained from the parkrun website. Go to parkrun South Africa and fill in the barcode page.
The rule is strictly ‘no barcode, no time’. Times are collated worldwide. Volunteers have put in a lot of extra hours and effort to get this wonderful event registered in Vryheid. So, Vryheid, arrive in your numbers. We thank Vryheid Country Club for making their facilities available for parkrun, which is open to the whole community.
People travel hundreds of kilometres to participate. For help and registration, please contact Smuts at 082 442 4986 or visit the Vryheid parkrun website.
Starting time is 8am on a Saturday morning. Please do arrive well in time.