The atmosphere at Trichardtspruit Dam was electric on March 28, as the Secunda parkrun celebrated its landmark 500th event. The occasion drew high praise from South African running icon Bruce Fordyce, founder of parkrun South Africa. He sent a special video message to the local organisers.

“Secunda sounds like some kind of European word for second place, but there is nothing second about Secunda parkrun. It has always been one of our first venues and is one of my favourite destinations,” said Fordyce.

The journey began in October 2014, when pioneers Dean and Cecile Moore, along with the teams of Paul and Adele Enslin and Tony and Bruna dos Santos, mapped out the 5km route. What began as a quest for a place to run evolved into a pillar of the community.

“We are not just volunteers, we are friends and parkrun family,” said former director Dean Moore.

“The sense of community at Secunda parkrun is something I had never expected when we first started. I was searching for a common place to enjoy running, but found so much more. The friends, good laughs, and years of memories overruled whatever statistics I had collected along the way, and I’m proud to say I played a small part in it. Thank you, Secunda parkrun.”

While the event itself hit 500, several individuals celebrated personal milestones. They are Maxie Visagie (250th green milestone), Thiemo Pösch (100th), and Anton Heyns (50th). The Secunda Green Milestone Club 250 is now 44 members strong.

At the front of the pack for the anniversary run, the men’s top three featured Reuel Jefferies (18:44) in the top spot, followed by Pierru Meyer (18:57) and Francois van Tonder (20:44), who clocked a personal best.

The first three women to finish were Salomé Jefferies, who led the field at 23:12, followed by Emma Du Plessis (24:54) and Anushka Wardeck (25:12), who also finished with a personal best.

Secunda parkrun remains a free, volunteer-led event open to walkers, joggers, and runners of all ages. The event kicks off every Saturday at 08:00 at Trichardspruit Dam (PDP Kruger Street).

Participants simply need to register online to get their barcode and join the global parkrun family.