East of Pretoria gets its own Parkrun
More than 500 runners took part in the first Hazeldean Parkrun on a dairy farm east of Pretoria this past Saturday.
After hard work and thorough planning by the organizers, the east of Pretoria’s first Parkrun kicked off this past Saturday morning.
The Parkrun organization is a global institution that organizes free races, which are safe and easy to take part in.
These events always cover a distance of five kilometers and take place in pleasant parkland surroundings and the Parkrun organization encourage people of every ability to take part; from walkers or those taking their first steps in running to Olympians; from juniors to those with more experience.
Although the organizers of the new Hazeldean Farm Parkrun were hoping to set up a new record by getting more than a thousand participants at the first event, it unfortunately didn’t realize.
In total 530 people ran, jogged and walked the course in this first Hazeldean Farm Parkrun. The greatest majority (505) were first timers to the Parkrun concept, although representatives of 34 different running clubs took part.
The event was made possible by 36 volunteers, including the national CEO of Parkrun SA, the Comrades legend Bruce Fordyce.
The man who can be seen as the driving force of this Parkrun in Pretoria east, Peter Wilgenbus, and his wife Gina, also worked hard behind the scenes to make this first Hazeldean Farm Parkrun event possible. Wilgenbus is the Event Director of Voortrekker Monument Parkrun and the Co-Event Director of the new Hazeldean Farm Parkrun.
The Hazeldean Farm Parkrun is Pretoria’s ninth Parkrun and the 205th across South Africa and it will now take place every Saturday at 08:00 at the Hazeldean Farm, extension of Ridge Road, Hazeldean.
Interested prospective participants who wish to register can visit the Parkrun website at www.parkrun.co.za or view any Parkrun facebook page for any further information.
Wilgenbus can also be contact at 071-884-4233.
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