Have you ever made a new year’s resolution to improve your fitness and haven’t done so well? Or even know where to start?
Parkrun could be the answer!
Parkrun is a weekly timed 5 kilometre event where you can run or walk or jog or crawl (whatever it takes!) to the finish line. Best of all, it’s free! And you can even take your dogs along! It runs on Saturday mornings at 8am. Some might say this is a bit early but if you think about it, there’s still plenty of time afterwards to do what you need to. Study may be one of those options.
For Gippsland students living on res, Parkrun couldn’t be located much closer as it starts and finishes at the Churchill Hub on Phillip Parade. More information can be found on the Churchill Parkrun website here.
For Ballarat students the event is at Victoria Park on Sturt Street. More information can be found on the Ballarat Parkrun website here.
Both Parkrun events also have a Facebook page (Just search Churchill Parkrun or Ballarat Parkrun).
If you live away from these areas and want to see if there is a Parkrun event near you, you can follow this link and use the map to find your closest event.
For those of you not particularly interested in running, walking, etc., Parkrun can be a good opportunity for you to volunteer as it is run completely by volunteers. What a great way to clock up some volunteer hours for the volunteering awards!
So how does it work?
Alright, so after a quick run brief, participants make their way to the start line. When the run director says go, the timekeepers start the stopwatches, and off you go! Once you cross the finish line, you get handed a finish token. You then take the finish token and your barcode to the barcode scanner, and your position and time gets assigned to your name. That’s it! Shortly after the event, you will receive an email with your results and a link to everyone’s results for that event. That’s all there is to it. There are often photographers at the events who take photos for you to look at afterwards (if you don’t want your photo taken, this is also possible).
What’s the go with this barcode?
Your barcode is your passport to Parkrun. Once you register on the Parkrun website (which is free of course), you can print your barcode. This is unique to you and can be used at Parkrun events across the world. That’s great for when you go on holidays so you can still participate in the local parkrun and get your results!
Parkrun is a great way to keep fit and also socialise with other participants and volunteers so why not give it a go?
– Scott
Images sourced from WordPress – https://runningprincess78.wordpress.com/2016/01/09/the-pleasure-of-parkrun/