It’s a run, not a race! – Bramhall Event 269 Run Report When I took part in my first parkrun at Bramhall just over 2 years ago, there were only about 90 parkruns around the world, and a big week was one in which there were 12,000 runners taking part. Fast forward to August 2013 and on the 3rd of August, there were nearly 270 parkruns around the world and the 40,000 runner barrier was broken for the first time. More than 3,000,000 runs have been completed worldwide in the past 9 years. And in spite of new parkruns starting at nearby Marple, Burnage and Congelton in the past two years, Bramhall has gone from strength to strength. In the summer of 2011, Bramhall was averaging between 300-330 runners a week. Two years later that ‘average’ is about a 120 runners a week higher and we have broken the 500 barrier on a number of occasions. It is a rare week when we fail to welcome at least 25 new runners at Bramhall – this week alone we welcomed 33 first-timers. Since Bramhall parkrun started in April 2008, nearly 8,200 different runners have completed over 75,000 runs, covering a little more than 379,000 kilometres – about the average distance from the Earth to the Moon. Runners from approximately 250 different running clubs have completed at least one Bramhall parkrun, and runners from the top 5 clubs have completed almost 8,300 runs between them with over half of these from one club, Bramhall Runners. What is it that makes parkrun, and in particular Bramhall, so popular? I think first and foremost is that it is a run and not a race, with no barriers to entry. This doesn’t mean that nobody ‘races’ or strives to improve their time each week. We celebrate improved performances all the way from 16 to 46 minutes. Parkrun is whatever you want it to be. Bramhall parkrun is enjoyed by a number of entire family groups each week. It isn’t unusual to see 3 generations from the same family running, volunteering and cheering. But as much as anything else, Bramhall parkrun has become a true community event. There is a noticeable buzz in the air both before and after each parkrun as groups of runners who’ve become friends through parkrun greet each other and exchange stories about both the run and about their lives. We’ve celebrated the 200th parkruns of Gill Dickinson and Brian Platt, the 3-legged entry into the Guinness Book of Records by the Hall & Tomlinson duo, the remarkable improvements achieved by many junior runners, Rob Downs’ joyous Olympic torch-bearing as well as grieving together when Raymond Eagle perished in the Kathmandu air disaster. At least 150 (probably more) different parkrunners have volunteered one or more times in the past year to enable this event to take place – and some do so nearly every week of the year. And support for the Stockport Foodbank has become a tangible way in which parkrunners have cemented their relationship with the broader community. Putting the editorial comment to one side, let’s take a closer look at this week’s event. The weather was kind to Bramhall’s runners as a temperature of about 16 combined with overcast skies made for good late summer running conditions. While there was a small amount of mud and lying water on the lower trails, the volunteer trail crew’s hard work continued to benefit us all as the running surface was generally excellent. The conditions clearly suited Event Director Rob Downs who enjoyed his 81st ‘win’ in the Men’s event in his 121st appearance at Bramhall, in a time of 17.26. This time also gave him the day’s highest age grading of 84%. He clearly recharged his batteries during his Tuscan holiday! 2nd of the men to finish was Rob’s fellow Wilmslow RC member, Tom Peers, in a time of 18.02. 3rd was Gareth Griffiths, who has had some great results lately and his time of 18.11 was a new PB for him. For the women, the first to cross the line was Matilda Edwards, a Sale Harrier JW15-19 in a time of 21.52. Close behind her, in a time of 22.03, only 5 seconds behind her PB, was Jill Tavini of Stockport Harriers. And the 3rd female to finish, in just her 3rd parkrun, was Laura Murphy. Obviously influenced by Nick Bishop’s challenge to measure our performances against Mo Farah’s 5,000m World Championship time of 13.26, there were 59 new PBs this week. While it is not unusual to see runners achieve a handful of PBs in their first dozen races, it is noteworthy when runners who are taking part in their 25th, 50th or 100th event achieve a new PB. Here are some new PBs by ‘veteran’ parkrunners this week, which are worthy of note: Tessa Ratcliff (VW50) – achieved a new PB of 32.35 in her 44th parkrun Pauline White (VW50) achieved a new PB of 29.02 in her 27th parkrun Maria Royal (VW55) of Manchester Harriers, achieved a new PB of 25.46 in her 60th parkrun Brian Evans (VM65) achieved a new PB of 23.18 in his 33rd parkrun Simon Frogatt ((VM40) achieved a new PB of 21.16 in his 68th parkrun Joshua Lister (JM15-19) of Dash Athletics, achieved a new PB of 19.23 in his 55th parkrun Well done to all of these runners and to everyone else who achieved a new PB this week. The current leaders in the annual points competition are: Women: Janine Orton (3992 points) Men: Frank Podd (4049 points) Remember: 1. To bring your barcode every week. And plastic barcodes that won’t disintegrate in the rain are now available for a modest cost – see parkrun-barcode.org.uk/ 2. Not to cross the finish line if you have only done one lap 3. Bramhall parkrun is run entirely by volunteers – we ask everyone to do so at least 3 times a year. It’s easy, it’s fun and it is a chance to give back. You can email: Janine at bramhallhelpers@parkrun 4. Please remember to bring along a tin for the Stockport Foodbank collection, which is at the entry gate each Saturday. You can also take part in the next Bramhall Runners Foodbank 5k on Thursday 5 Sept at Happy Valley. It is a great evening and virtually all of the runners are from the Bramhall parkrun family - bramhallrunners.co.uk/ Steve S.
Posted on: Sun, 18 Aug 2013 18:38:25 +0000
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