Brockenhurst parkrun joins nationwide birthday fun
THIS weekend was the nationwide birthday of Parkrun, with the Brockenhurst event seeing its highest attendance since March.
The 20th birthday celebrations had a total of 218 participants running and jogging the Wilverley Inclosure course in sunny and cool conditions.
After the event, the organisers thanked everyone who provided cakes and goodies to help celebrate.
Run director Paul Pearse, or possibly his wife Camilla, came up with the idea to award a 20th prize to the 20th finisher in honour of the 20th celebrations. The prize went to M60 Andy Robinson, who has run 49 of his 63 parkruns in Oxford and has recently been a Brockenhurst regular recently.
The first finisher for the 22nd time was M20 Callum Olden of Southampton AC, who ran 17:10 on his 75th Brockenhurst run.
Olden’s clubmate and double course record holder, W40 Ellie Monks, was the second finisher and led the ladies home for the 45th time in 17:51, setting the day’s highest age grade score. She had already volunteered to run the event day course check, so she was well warmed up.
The day’s second-highest age grade score, one per cent of Monks, was set by W60 Camilla Pearse of New Forest Runners.
M15 Harry Brown was the first junior in 24:19, while W11 Amelia Doughty was the first girl in 26:21 on her 116th parkrun.
W80 Marian Oates of New Forest Runners found her 200th parkrun a little cooler after returning from running parkruns in sunny Australia
Representatives of 35 different clubs took part with visitors from Kent, Cheshire and Yorkshire.
The 17 volunteers made the event possible. They were Monks, Katy Hughes, Mick Anglim, Paul Pearse, Mike Jurd, Katrin Pritchard, Mike Smith, Peter Ellis, Mike and Hilary Bruce-Burgess, Bea Murphy, Alison Moores, Victoria Miller, Roy van Hal, Barbara Walton, Sharon Herman, and Craig Foggo.
Results: 1, Callum Olden, 17:10; 2, Ellie Monks, 17:51; 3, David Lawley, 18:00; 4, Ted Mockett, 18:28; 5, Allen Curtis, 18:53; 6, David Mallard, 19:19; 7, Kit Morris, 20:10; 8, Matt Roseveare, 20:30; 9, Paul Cockburn, 20:34; 10, Paul Herman, 20:36.