Comrades icon Fordyce opens city’s 1st Parkrun
Roughly 200 runners gathered for the first ever Polokwane Parkrun on Saturday.
POLOKWANE – Roughly 200 runners gathered for the first ever Polokwane Parkrun on Saturday.
The event was held in the park across Tom Naudé Technical High School. Parkrun is a concept that brings runners from all over the different fitness levels together in a local park in a city where a planned route had been set up.
The runners then register only once on the parkrun website at www.parkrun.co.za.
Here, runners will then be issued with a bar code which could be used at any parkrun event, anywhere in the world. The reason for the registration is that after every run the bar code for the runner will be scanned and his or her results will then be placed on the parkrun website for runners to follow their growth and times in future. First introduced to South Africa by nine-time Comrades Marathon champion Bruce Fordyce in November 2011, the sociable, hassle-free, open-to-all parkrun concept took off all around the country and the 53rd official runs opened in Polokwane.
(WATCH) Park Run: A few share their experience
The biggest attribute to making the run a success is the people volunteering during the runs to deal with the scanners and water points. Parkrun South Africa is a not for profit organisation designed to increase participation in running and other sports throughout the country. Since its inception in 2004, parkrun has grown to have hundreds of events held every Saturday morning in countries such as the UK, US, Australia, New Zealand and even the Camp Bastion British military base in Afghanistan. Funding for the project comes from different corporate sponsors.
“It’s not a race.
That’s probably the biggest single advantage. It’s difficult to describe. In the front, there are people who race each other or race against themselves, and there are some very, very quick runners. On the other hand, at the back you will get a woman pushing a pram, who might take over an hour. Parkrun is the only place where both these type of runners can take part with no holding back or being forced to run faster then you are able to,” Fordyce said during the opening of the first run in Polokwane.
The event culminated in a breakfast at one of the restaurants in the city where Fordyce was available for a question and answer session. Runners also enjoyed a photograph opportunity with the Comrades Marathon icon.
Parkruns takes place every Saturday morning and starts at 08:00.
If you’re interested, go to the parkrun website for more information on a parkrun close to you.
