POLOKWANE – Polokwane residents can now choose where to complete their Saturday Parkrun, as a new venue has been added in the city.

The new venue is at the 534 Home of Padel, 157 Orpen Road, on the corner of Orpen Road and Trevor Road, Ivydale.

According to park director, Jaco Mostert, this new setup will give tourism a boost.

“There are a variety of challenges that parkrunners all over the world take part in. One of these is the Alphabet challenge where parkrunners take part in a parkrun starting with a letter of the alphabet. In South Africa only two park runs are starting with an I, Innibos in Bloemfontein and now Ivydale. This means more parkrunners will visit Polokwane, making use of our sleepover facilities and stores.”

The original Parkrun at the Tom Naudé Park, will still occur as usual, starting at 07:00 in the summer months.

The run is free and participants should only register to get a barcode.

You only register once and then take a scannable copy of your barcode to your run. If you forget, you will not get a time. You can walk or run the course.

The Ivydale Parkrun is 5km long and the course is a mixture of grass, gravel and permanent paths. There might be mud, leaves and puddles after rain.

Unfortunately, dogs are not allowed at the Ivypark parkrun.

Other facilities include a restaurant where coffee can be enjoyed after the run.

“We are excited to see all parkrunners, new and established, join us on January 4, at 07:00, with their barcodes.”

For more information, visit https://www.parkrun.co.za/ivydale/ or call Jaco on  071 493 3467.