Farewell to a parkrun giant: Henno Fourie remembered by many

The Roodepoort parkrun community was rocked by the sudden passing of running legend Henno Fourie during his usual Saturday morning parkrun on June 21.

According to Roodepoort parkrun director, fellow runner, and years-long friend George Taylor, Henno collapsed just a short way into what would have been his 481st parkrun. He was attended to by paramedics who were unable to revive him.

It was later revealed that he had suffered a heart attack.

Henno was widely known and loved within the parkrun community as a jovial, warm, and friendly person who was always happy to lend a helping hand wherever it was needed.

“He was a wonderful person,” says George. “Everyone knew and loved him.

“His friendly and calm demeanour was always refreshing. He loved socialising with other parkrunners and I’m sure most regular parkrunners have very fond memories of conversations and laughs shared with Henno over the years.”

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George describes Henno as a gentle giant, adding that his humility always rubbed off on others, and his calmness was refreshing.

But Henno was not just a giant figure among the parkrun community.

“He was quite literally a giant figure with those long legs of his,” he remembers. “Those long legs often had his co-parkrunners groaning to keep up with him.

“He loved the parkrun and never wanted to miss one as he said it kept him fit and healthy.”

Henno would often venture away from the Roodepoort parkrun to attend runs at different venues.

“He would gather a group of friends and visit different parkruns. He managed to complete parkruns at 77 different venues, and he loved advising people on the conditions of the different courses.

He had a close-knit group of parkrun friends who would join him on runs.

“He seemed to thrive on the route when it was a rainy, muddy parkrun day,” says George. “One friend, Cavey Parker, enjoyed walking with him on these days so he could follow in his big footsteps without slipping.

“One memorable day was when South African Comrades legend, Bruce Fordyce, teased after a race that he could not possibly be a parkrunner, since he more closely resembled a rugby player.”

Henno joined the Roodepoort parkrun in 2013, and during his running career, managed to rack up several milestones.

“He also volunteered as a parkrun official in 37 events at five different venues.

“He held a personal best time of 40:06, which he set in May 2018.

“Cavey and Henno did their first 310 parkruns together, and Henno and I were fortunate enough to celebrate our 450th parkruns together. He will be sorely missed,” he concludes.