Runners will be celebrating with cake and a brass band at a special first birthday party at Newby Bridge in the Lake District next Saturday (Oct 17).
They will mark 12 months since the first parkrun at Fell Foot Park at the south end of Windermere, a 5k weekly event which is part of a world-wide series. And Dalton Town Band will be there to provide a fanfare.
Set up by a group of volunteers with the help of the National Trust, the parkrun now attracts an average of 137 runners a week, from top class athletes to beginners, super-veterans and families.
A new course record was established last week by Alasdair Russell of Kendal in 16.04. Sarah McCormack holds the female record of 17.17 minutes. But there are regular personal achievements from John Nettleton and Conrad Slater who are both over 80.
During the past year some 2,500 runners, representing 370 athletics clubs as well as individuals, have taken part.
One of the race directors, Cecilia Flint, said: “The event has really taken off. We have a great parkrun which is growing in popularity and success, and it would not have happened without our volunteers and the help of the National Trust.”
The free event starts at 9am every Saturday. Runners need to register online and print a barcode ticket which they must bring with them, and which can be used at any parkrun in Britain. At Fell Foot they gather after the race in the lakeside café or, in the winter months, by the mobile café serving drinks and bacon sandwiches.
“This time there will be cake,” promised Cecilia. “We are going to have a great celebration and we are thrilled that Dalton Town Band will be coming along. We would love to see anyone who has been involved in setting up the event, and helping out over the past year. And we always welcome new volunteers.”
She added: “We owe special thanks to those who helped start the event, to Matt Leigh, to Victoria Dodds from the National Trust, and to our ambassador from Barrow, Stuart Wallace.”
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