Parkrun comes to Toti
The inaugural parkrun in Toti is scheduled for Saturday, 2 August at 8am.
Parkrun, which offers free, weekly, 5km, timed runs that are open to all ages and abilities, has hit Toti.
Parkrun started in 2004 as the UK’s only regular, weekly, 5km timed running event.
Since then it has become a well-established worldwide event; open to everyone who happens to be near a parkrun venue on a Saturday morning in nine different countries.
Every event is growing and there is strong demand for more. There are currently 34 events held in South Africa with seven in KZN and many more scheduled to be opened in the next few months.
Wherever possible, the events are run every Saturday of the year and some even boast a special event on both Christmas and New Year’s Day.
This is a free event held purely for the benefit of the local community to promote sport, health and well-being among all members of the community, regardless of race, financial means, gender or creed.
Runners sign up on the website once, then just turn up and run at any event in the world.
Results are emailed the same day and posted on the website with historical results and stats, including age group records and age-graded performances.
There are clubs to encourage participation – a 50 Club for runners who’ve reached 50 runs, a 100 Club, a 250 Club, and a Junior U19 10 Club.
“We offer an annual points competition at each event to encourage attendance and we keep in touch with runners through an emailed weekly newsletter, the website and social media,” said event director, Claudine Farr. There is even a weekly Parkrun Show podcast.
I’ve plotted a route starting and finishing in front of the restaurants and water theme park on the promenade on Toti’s main beach,” said Claudine. “The course heads south towards the lagoon and loops back, from the furthest point of the promenade, passing the starting point and continuing north. At the 3km point, the course veers onto the beach, affording participants the opportunity to enjoy sea, sky and sand dunes for the remaining 2km.”
The proposed inaugural parkrun in Amanzimtoti is scheduled for Saturday, 2 August at 8am. We are privileged to have nine times Comrades Marathon champion, Bruce Fordyce attending and the man that brought parkrun to South Africa in November 2011.
For more information or to register, visit the Amanzimtoti parkrun website https://www.parkrun.co.za/amanzimtoti, join the Facebook group Amanzimtoti-Parkrun, follow on Twitter @totiparkrun or email [email protected].
