Whangarei parkrun #285

Posted on June 19, 2022 by whangareioffice

Whangarei parkrun
Event number 285

18 June 2022

It's (Nearly) All About Colin!

The big story this week at Whangarei parkrun was clearly all about our legendary Colin in his 98th year completing his 98th parkrun. Who would have believed he could add to his story by calmly walking in and collecting finish token number 98?His An absolutely magcal moment to witness! Fortunately it was all closely followed by local radio dj , and fellow parkrunner, John Markby, who interviewed our man immediately after he crossed the finish line. That interview will be broadcast at some point on John, Flash and Toast's Breakfast programme on Monday morning, but we will also try to get a copy so that parkrunners who miss it will still get a chance to hear it later. Clearly no promises can be given however!

Let's not forget a couple of other things.. Mandy Edge completed her 50th parkrun here , thus earning her red milestone shirt. Mandy is a very familiar figure, having been with us since the start-indeed she was first lady home in Event #5. Important to ensure this achievement is recognised, so congratulations Mandy!

Secondly , just after Colin finished in walked another amazing , if somewhat younger, man. Of course that was Tyler Watson accompanied as ever by mum Emma.He was finishing his 49th parkrun which means next week will be a big milestone one for him, another claimant for a red shirt. Please Whangarei parkrunners, make a big fuss of this young man next week, even more than usual. Emma says it's the suppport he gets that brings him back each week, which is wonderful to hear. so let's show him lots more on his special day..

Finally, just want to wish Jim Kettlewell well-a brave effort to walk with colin , sadly curtailed due to his injury. Wish you well Jim, and hoping you will be able to get back to walking round the parkrun you kicked off..

The weather didn't really play ball with the occasion, but spirits weren't dampened! 104 walkers, joggers and runners were there at the brief to hear Run Director Dennis set the scene and congratulate Colin on 98 @ 98. What a roar that got from everyone present! Our leader for the day acknowledged the support of all of his fellow volunteers:Joshua CALLAN, Lea CALLAN, Ron CROWHURST, Janet DALE, Maria EASTERBROOK, Corrine LANGFORD, Dennis LANGFORD, Mark LEWRY, Michelle LEWRY, Inthia LINDBERG, Annmaree MACGREGOR, Grant MACGREGOR, Andy MEARS, Peter MINSON, Darren NISBET, Max SMITH, Alesha WALL, and Ricardo ZUCCHETTO .,

Thanks one and all! Special note to Michelle who stepped in to cover photographer duties for Jan who was away for the day. Great work Michelle!

Maria Easterbrook briefed the First Timers. There were 3 of them, but none were running their very first parkrun! Adam Sigley running number 111 is a Porirua based tourist! this was his 19th NZ venue. Matt Doherty was runnng number 129 and is a serious tourist! He has 9 NZ venues, around 60runs in the London area and many visits elsewhere! He was 5th home at Whangarei..well run! Sophie Dean became an International parkrunner here! She celebrated by taking 4minutes off of her previous best, possibly because Whangarei is a little flatter than Hampstead Heath where she has previously run in London! Sophie was second lady home too-congratulations!

Speedsters:

Ladies:

1. Denika Clooney

2. Sophie Dean

3. Anna Gray

Incredible to note that Denika and Sophie have just 7 parkruns between them! Denika finished in fourth place overall and is running as a junior-outstanding running! Congrats to all three ladies, Sophie mentioned above, and Anna a second consecutive 'podium 'finish..

Men:

1: Ben Watkins

2. Pat Kalin

3. Nigel Gilmour

The guys determined to outdo the girls-the first two home have just 5 parkruns between them, and Ben like Denika , runs as a junior! Maybe it's fitting that in the week a 98 year old is at the forefront, a couple of juniors are stating their case too! You know Colin would be totally happy with that too!!!

Age Grade Performance:

1. Colin Thorne 101.36%

2. Judith Bradshaw 88.7%

3. Denika Clooney 85.00%

Just extraordinary! What can you say about the man? But also, that third place number, for a junior is amazing too, huge credit to Denika. (Judith, you are not being ignored, well run!)

Personal Bests:

It seems Colin's achievement inspired a whole lot of people, which is just as he would like it. 22 new personal bests were achieved and surely Colin's favourite will be grandson Cameron Dinsdale. Going it alone without her walking buddy Sheryl and despite the rain , well done to Jane Winton for a PB all of her own making! Birthday girl today is Dianne Zucchetto who celebrated early-well run you! Where's Wally's alter ego Maria Easterbrook wasn't hanging around hiding, she ran faster than she has before..!

But how about this..9 of the first 10 home earned PBs! The one who didn't? He couldn't! He was Matt Doherty, a first timer. Call me lazy, but if you want to check out the first 10 home , look at the results list -congrats all of you on achieving PB's..

Then there is: Hamish Land; Bart Van Derr Meer; Cecilia Vorster; Brighton Mutepfe; James Macken; Poppy Smillie; Ava Van Den Broek (that's 4 in 9 runs!) ; Kathy Bennett; and Donna Zappelli.

Congrats to everyone who notched a new personal best at event #285.

'The Milestone'

98@98 is not a real milestone as defined by parkrun. But is anyone really arguing? The full formal parkrun tributes will come in a couple of weeks when (all being well) Colin completes his 100th parkrun to finally gain that well deserved black milestone shirt. But that doesn't mean a few informal words can't be posted now...does it??

Jim Kettlewell hit the nail on the head in a conversation on Friday.' He's an absolute pleasure to walk with' he said, and of course he was talking about Colin. Post an article about him on our Facebook page, with a photo, and watch 'likes' fly over 100 in no time! you never hear a negative word!

Jim's words echoed as we walked the course yesterday. Time doesn't drag when you are in his company. The biggest challenge to any conversation is that people are constantly yelling greetings at him. Everyone says hi! Or waves, or something-and gets that wonderful smile in return! There is such an aura about this modest man. He is so determined to keep going too. To walk with him is inspiring, indeed it's a privilege and as Jim says 'An absolute pleasure' Congrats on 98@98 Colin. Here's to your well earned black milestone 100 shirt my friend. I will miss #99, but aim to be right there walking #100 alongside what I imagine will be a large number of others!

#Loveparkrun

Thanks to all the rainbow shirt people!

Whangarei parkrun report #284

Posted on June 12, 2022 by whangareioffice

Whangarei parkrun
Event number 284

11 June 2022

'It was the best of times,

It was the worst of times..'

Though not necessarily in that order, and in hindsight Whangarei did not get the worst at all, although at 6:30am you could be forgiven for expecting the worst! A swift review of Run Reports from elsewhere in the country provides some perspective. Starting with the party people at Queenstown ..Their 4th anniversary celebrations (congrats to all involved!) were greeted by...snow!! A little further North at Lower Hutt things were clearly challenging: no PB's were reported, and writer Brent Foster calls it a 'roller coaster morning"...'The finish chute had one last surprise, more surface water, just finishing the job to completely soak the shoes and socks' Reading the report you get the impression of a tough morning..and yet his positive enthusiasm for parkrun shines! 'Once we had all finished it didn't seem that bad after all. What was all the fuss about eh.' Love it Brent! Nearby Porirua got cancelled due to fallen trees! Trentham had issues with some serious puddle obstacles around Barton's Bush section of their course. So from the deluge that was threatening early morning, to the bright sunshine that developed Whangarei had probably the best of times!!

Was it Fancy Dress Day at The Loop? Dennis The Menace was there..He was masquerading as Run Director for the day! (Does a grand job to be fair!) Jennie Wellbrook had threatened to come as the Michelin Man , but actually all she had done was to wrap up warm in several layers to keep warm while volunteering as a barcode scanner...and even then she didn't look nearly as rotund as that tyre man-thanks for volunteering Jennie!! Was there a pieman somewhere too?

Then of course there was the absolute star of the show! Typecast? There couldn't possibly be any comment, but Maria does slip very easily and naturally into playing the part of Wally! She dressed up as the cartoon character 'Where's Wally' following a midweek discussion.. The joy she showed in distributing bars of chocolate to volunteers and anyone else who correctly claimed them was wonderful to see. It all formed part of an initiative which will help Matarau School where Maria teaches-they should be very proud of her! (Thanks M!..or is it W??) She volunteered for that role, as well as being a tail walker on the day and in another challenge on Sunday she along with several of our parkrunners will be heading North to run in the Sport Northland event at Paihia-go well everyone, and enjoy the day!

The High Viz Heroes

On a day like this the volunteers need extra thanks-one look at poor, cold Jackie, as she returned from her Marshall post on the far side of the river, said it all really!

So Run Director Dennis was leading the team that included: Darren Nisbet; Max Smith; Sean Kemball; Corrine Langford; Jim Kettrlewell; Jennie Wellwood; Jacke Grant; Kathy Morgan; Shannon Morgan; Maria Wally-Easterbrook; Jan Sherley; Ricardo Zucchetto; Ron Crowhurst; Tony Hill and Andy Mears.

Thank you everyone!

First Timers and Visitors:

James Kettlewell carried out the First Timers Briefing this week, and there were 3 people taking their first paces at a parkrun event..anywhere! So welcome along Michael-James Leseur; Samantha Jones ; and Joan Lascuna. Hopefully you caught the parkrun bug and will be back for more!

Also visiting Whangarei for the first time, but not first time parkrunners were:

Graeme Olliver from Palmerston North completing his 7th different NZ parkrun.

Valentina Missen from Millwater, completing her 4th different NZ parkrun

Pauline Fitzsimmons also from Millwater, this is Pauline's first 'away' run!

Among other runners , David Everest was visiting from Barry Curtis and ran in to finish in second place overall on what was his second visit to Whangarei-well run David!

Whangarei parkrun welcomes all visitors, and would love to see you again...and again!

Personal Bests:

The not so secret seven! Congratulations to: David Everest; Corbett Rumney; Nikki Van Den Broek; Brighton Muteppe; Ellen Maindonald; Joel Garces; and Kathy Bennett who all achieved new personal bests on a day when there were not many around-well done you seven!!

Speedy Girls

1. Anna Gray

2. Dianne Zucchetto

3. Nikki Van Den Broek

Groundhog day for Anna! Although her placing was 12th this week, compared with 24th last time out her time of 23.43 was exactly the same! Even more bizarre, the week before was 23.34!!

Speedy Guys

1. Sam Rout...

2. David Everest

3. Tim Goodwin

Age Graded Performance

1. Judith Stewart 88.92%

2. Clasina Van Der Veeken 80.98%

3. Tim Goodwin 74.53%

So good to see the return of Judith following an achilles injury which has kept her away for so long.. This is Judith's first run here since July 2021, so a big welcome back!!

Milestones

No formal milestones this week.

Mandy Edge will be running her 50th parkrun next time out..

There is also a need to issue a belated acknowledgement of a volunteer having achieved the 50 mark. The fact that he has now reached 58 and this has only just come to light is not good, but the hope is that on the premise that 'better late than never' if the right thing is done now, he may forgive us!

When the person in question is our very talented and innovative photographer Ricardo, readers will understand the embarrassment felt. Sorry sir, and congratulations on a hard earned and thoroughly well deserved red v50 milestone shirt!

Next week will see the return of Colin Thorne as he nears his milestone 100th run. He runs his age next week.. Run 98 at 98 years!! So we may have to start some celebrations a little early! It's a unique achievement by any measures.. If we have an attendance of 158 or more next week it will take Whangarei through the 25,000 total to date . A great way to celebrate! Let's hope for good weather next weekend...

Finally on milestones , I wonder how many saw the note about NZ parkrun volunteers who have reached 250 and earned the green milestone shirt? At the moment only 5 have achieved it. Our own Jan Sherley is not far off though! Jan currently has an amazing 236 volunteer credits, so watch this space.(I'm making no predictions , fearing jinxes like Covid etc..)

That's enough for this week. Thanks everyone for a wonderful parkrunday . It was pretty

special for me to walk/run a fastest time since those modifications in March. Enough said!

#Loveparkrun

Andy M

A2225176

Whangarei parkrun #280

Posted on May 14, 2022 by whangareioffice

Whangarei parkrun
Event number 280

14 May 2022

The Whangarei Rally..All getting airborne! And A New Age Grade Record for Colin!!

It all kicked off on Friday evening on Pohe Island amidst much excitement..but not many seemed to have been told about the early morning event in the Whangarei Rally this morning which also started at Te Matau a Pohe Bridge. After investigation, the stewards inquiry concluded that the maintenance work done was satisfactory and therefore it was safe to return to the normal route , thus avoiding all those horrible undulations that caused so much vexation to some last week.(No names mentioned MMM)

Before the starting grid could come into operation a new Run Director needed to be introduced. Kim Cairns was making her debut today, although not as a volunteer-in fact she earned her milestone shirt for having volunteered on 25 parkrun occasions today, so congratulations on that achievement, as well as becoming our latest RD Kim.

Of course she is no stranger. Her flamboyant outfits on any opportune occasion are well known, as befits a lady with strong theatrical and musical connections-indeed she has worked as a volunteer at Forum North for some 25 years! Kim has been with us since 2016 with 66 runs here, and 72 in total. She has also run at Palmerston North, Gisborne, East End and Wanaka-where she enjoyed the beautiful scenery until the hill at the end of the run! Good luck in the new role Kim.

Helping Kim with everything around the starting grid, marshalling, equipment, finishing area aspects, results, photography etc were a well drilled team of high-viz heroes we also call volunteers. We thank you: Chris Bates; Ange Brearley; Joshua Callan; Simon Charles; Ron Crowhurst; Maria Easterbrook; Bevan Hand; Helen Jagger; Jim Kettlewell; Charlie Land; Nik Nisbeki Land; Michelle Lewry; Darren Nisbet; Max Smith and finally of course our two superb photographers Jan Sherley and (welcome back!) Ricardo Zucchetto. Run Reporter is Andy Mears, handing over next week to the older and wiser Martin Harrap.

With a flurry of late pitstops, and a very clear briefing from the debutante RD 114 starters were on the grid ready to go. Conditions were excellent, visibility was good, although we did have assistance for Steve Bradley ( a visually impaired runner) with his guide dog, provided by Ron Crowhurst. There was no need for a safety car, and even Uncle Colin , so effective last week did not have to get on his bike again!

Environmentalists will be delighted to know that noise levels were kept to a minimum..Well, there may have been some huffing and puffing here and there but..least said about that the better I feel. Moving swiftly on.. Fuel consumption?

Again this seemed very efficient! All models came readily fuelled and took advantage of the opportunity to take on board extras immediately after they completed their 5k circuit at Christies Pitstop. Varied amounts of supplies were involved.. all were very conscious of tidiness and recycling.

No crashes or accidents were reported on the circuit

Among the teams represented, we welcomed back Team Zucchetto: Dianne running, Ricardo snapping with his camera. Among the missing were Team Smith-Greenwood.Helen and Paul were continuing their NZ tour exploits, today they were in Otaki completing their 30th of 37 NZ parkruns! That was great timing too, because it meaant they were there for Event director Mark O'Sullivan's 400'th (yes!, 400th!) parkrun. Congrats all round seem in order..! Team Earl were also missed today

First Timers

Welcome to Meltern Lang ; Al Aldabbagh; Ben Watkins;Matthew Watkins; Malcolm Wade who all took the brave step of running their very first parkrun and collecting their first finish token here at Whangarei ..now what happens? Hopefully we, or one of our sister parkruns see you again because you enjoyed your morning! It can be habit forming..

Welcome also to Blair Tupp who was running his 136th parkrun, but his first here. Normally he runs at Hamilton Lake, we are the 4th NZ venue he has visited.Hope it was worth the journey North Blair.

Milestones

Ange Brearley and Maria Easterbrook completed their 50th parkruns this week.

Ange first ran with us in 2020 and has 19 parkruns at Whangarei, having previously run in Queensland , Australia.Sorry about the picture Ange-only one on the day I could find!!

Maria just recently earned her 25th volunteer shirt and is thrilled to earn her red milestone for 50 parkruns, especially having done so with a PB today!

Congratulations ladies, now for that black shirt!!

Personal Bests

13 speedsters achieved new PBs today.Maria has already been mentioned, and the Brearley name too-but not Shane! He ran a best today while Ange was tail walking..

Already also mentioned Steve Bradley, but happily going to mention him again as this was his first outing for a few weeks, but he now has 3 successive personal bests. Great work!

Good to see Cindy Scholtz achieving a new best too, although it's only 5 weeks since the last one!

Denika Clooney led the ladies home in only her second run here, and did so with a best time, well run!

Jen Mills also on her second run here improved her time., congrats Jen.

Congratulations also to Alex Lang; James Macken; Kayden Kim; Marcel Versfield; Mark Callan; Rhys Angelo Jones; and Sean Parker who all improved their previous bests.

The Models Made For Speed

The Rally makes no distinction, it's open to all. We always stress that it's not a race, but inevitably there is always interest in who got home first. To satisfy curiosity then, the details are as follows:

The Ladies Models:

1. Denika Clooney: Running as a junior, in just her second parkrun but first lady home!

2. Debbie Monaghan: Welcome back! First run here for a year, and second lady home!

3. Shannon-Leigh Walker: Running just her 5th time at Whangarei, another podium!

Very impressive performances from all three ladies.

The Male Models:

1. Allan Staite: 3 runs here, 2nd then two first places- 18 seconds ahead!

2. Ben Winder: Back after a 44 week gap, straight into second place..

3. Ben Watkins: Another impressive junior-first time out, third home!!

Not to be outdone, the men produced some impressive performances too!

Age Graded Performance:

1. Colin Thorne 95.45% (85.73%)

2. Judith Bradshaw 84.88%

3. Clasina Van Der Veeken 84.53% (76.52%)

The two 90plus runners refuse to yield! Colin set a new age grade record for Whangarei!! Both improved on last week too! Let's not forget to congratulate the ever consistent Judith too..

'Re-Conditioned' Models

Out there in our rally whether participating or volunteering, there were a number of parkrunners who are at various stages of comebacks from lets call it 'repairs and maintenance' of some sort. Apologies if you get missed out, but ones I know of who I'd like to give a shout to include : Teresa Dunn; Maureen Kettlewell; Jim Kettlewell; and Emma Watson. Also a mention for Jennie Wellwood who was around today and has volunteered for next week and is also in the process of recovery. Best wishes to all those mentioned ! Jennie is pictured with daughter Dianne.

The End Of The Rally

Co-Driver Martin Harrap resumes control of the wheel for the next three weeks, although he has kept his hand in-he wrote the Run Report for Millwater parkrun yesterday-blind! Well done M for volunteering and helping out a fellow parkrun in need. Their message yesterday showed it was clearly much appreciated.You can find him in the photo below..somewhere.. I leave you in his good hands-no curved balls from me!

#Love parkrun

Whangarei parkrun #279

Posted on May 8, 2022 by whangareioffice

Whangarei parkrun
Event number 279

7 May 2022

NZ parkrun's Tenth Anniversary

Little Miss parkrun had had such an exciting day, despite everything they did to try and spoil it, the meanies! The thing was, it was her big cousin's 10th birthday in Lower Hutt today, but it was imposssible for all the whanau to go there, so it was agreed that we would stay home and celebrate at our own places-all 37 of them!! Party across the nation..

Little Miss was so excited about having all her friends to dress up in bright colours and come and run riot round the loop.. Then Uncle Martin got sick! Sadly he would not be able to come. Little Miss was very sad to hear that because she knew her Uncle really wanted to be hear for a big 100th celebration as well as the 10th one!

Then came news that maintenance men were causing a nuisance on the little bridge that was usually on the first part of where Little Miss's friends run! They had fences that were like chicanes! only one runner at a time could get through the gap! Oh no! What now? But Uncle Ron wasn't going to have Little Miss's day ruined! He spotted the problem , and made some calls and he had 'plan B': 'The Alternate Course'. He called Uncle Colin, the younger Colin, and told him to get on his bike! He needed him to lead the runners round the route, using his electronic bike- he should be able to stay in front..Colin agreed to take up the challenge.Uncle Ron got up with the sparrows and , armed with coloured chalk, he marked the route for the riotous runners to follow..

By the time Simon Charles RD called 'Lets get this party started' (or words to that effect) the course was marked out, marshalls were in place , timekeepers were ready, token givers, barcode scanners, they were all ready to party...even Colin was on his bike! Jan was under bigger pressure than usual because Ricardo had disappeared off to Blenheim wine tasting...no, sorry, watching Dianne run in the St Clair event. By coincidence Helen and Paul Smith were also in Blenheim, but they were at the local parkrun.

Simon's party army of volunteers consisted of:Kim Cairns;Joshua Callan;Lea Callan; Ron Crowhurst; Pauline Dinsdale; Bevan Hand; Jim Kettlewell; Andy Mears; Peter Minson; Nadia Morgan; Shannon Morgan; Darren Nisbet; Jan Sherley; Colin Smith; Max Smith and Colin Thorne. Thank you to each and every one of you.

Little Miss did notice one gap in the volunteer roster, maybe because of what she's noticed on her travels. There were no cakes for the anniversary!! At Sherwood Reserve, she has her Aunty Helen who always bakes amazing cakes. At Queenstown there's Aunty Wendy who is so amazing she's been on Bake-off on Tv!! Anyone else agree that Whangarei needs a cake volunteer plan..?

So with no first time visitors this week, 117people Little Miss' and friends set out when Simon RD said we could! 62 men and 55 ladies.

Personal Bests

These suffered today, probably .because of those maintenance men! Sneaky Uncle Ron sent all the riotous runners round the alternate course with all those undulations and it seems to have taken its' toll!! Interestingly none of those who achieved a PB have run more than 7 times here at Whangarei before! Anyway congratulations to the 13 who did, they were:

-Allan Staite, running for the fourth time here scored a PB and was first home! Well run! The remaining 12 split as follows

-Second run:Barry Mills;;Alex Lang;Johannes Van den Broek;;Juanito Bergado

Third run:Shaun O'Shea ; Corbett Rumney; Jessica Rooney

Fourth run:Joel Garces; Elizabeth Cullen

Fifth run: Dion McCracken; Sherie Pullman

Seventh run: Marcel Versfield

Well done to all of you who conquered what Maria thought was a hilly course..(Don't worry M hopefully the maintenance men will be finished during the coming week and we'll be back to the normal course for your milestone run. Speaking of which..

Milestones

On a big birthday for New Zealand parkrun, one of our 'real characters' was celebrating a big one too: Mark Lewry reached 100 this week and celebrated by running with his friend Maria Easterbrook who will be celebrating her 50th next week. She nearly paced him under 29 minutes, but maybe he's saving that for next week? So they will be claiming black and red milestone shirts respectively. Congratulations Mark on lots of hard running...literally!!

Age Graded-Guests of Honour!

Little Miss would like to thank a couple of special guests who came to her party. The top lady in Age Grade Performance was Clasina Van Der Veeken, scoring 76.52 %..running in age group 90-94!! That's her first outing since April 2021 and we're delighted to welcome her back! Here's to many more!!

Top male was the evergreen Colin Thorne (85.73%) who was tail-walking this week on his 93rd parkrun with daughter Pauline.He's now just 7 away from his much sought after black milestone. Go Colin!

Has any other parkrun got two amazing athletes to match Clasina and Colin? 2 very special guests at our celebration.

John Kent (81.07%) and Allan Staite were second and third in age grade listings.

Little Miss parkrun's Fast and Furious friends...

The Girls:

1. Bella Earl..who else, 4th overall.

2. Kim Westbrook

3. Shannon-Leigh Walker

The Boys:

1. Allan Staite: 4th run her, first home, and a PB-awesome!

2. Francois Joubert

3. Patrick Dravitzki .only his second run here, but finished third overall

Little Miss noticed some of her younger friends doing some amazing things and wanted to mention them..In the youngest age group, both Benjamin Oxford and Ava Van Den Broek whizzed round-congratulations both of you! She was also impressed at the number of people who took up the invitation to dress up in colours for the occasion, and has selected some of her favourite pictures from the day of some personalities who made her day!

Congratulations to Lower Hutt parkrun, several of whose runners we know, right back from the inaugural run here. congratulations on your 10th anniversary and on being the place where it all started here in NZ..

We missed co- Event Director Martin who was very sad to miss the 10 year parkrun anniversary, as well as his good friend Mark's 100th run due to health reasons. Get well soon Martin, wee hope to see you back very soon, fully restored to good health!

Footnote: Little Miss may have been a little confused: For the avoidance of any doubt, please be clear that the 100th and 50th referred to in respect of Mr Lewry and Ms Easterbrook refer to the number of parkruns completed, not birthdays. sorry for any confusion...

The Respectful Martin will be back run Reporting VERY soon. Do not fret.

#Loveparkrun

Whangarei parkrun #278

Posted on May 1, 2022 by whangareioffice

Whangarei parkrun
Event number 278

30 April 2022

Father McKenzie
Writing the words of a sermon that no one will hear
No one comes near….

Actually he wasn’t really even writing a sermon! That was the least of his worries. The truth is he was a volunteer and he’d promised to write the Run Report for the week. He was nervous about producing within the required timescale. He had only volunteered to do the job because the usual prominent writer , Brother Martin, was going away to spread the word in another parkrun parish called Owairaka who were apparently celebrating their 50^th event. That meant Whangarei needed to send someone important to say congratulations in person. He excelled himself, gave them his best, and achieved a personal best for himself-congratulations bro! Brother Martin sets a high standard of writing and timeliness..Consequently the poor volunteer substitute's nerves were frayed already. Don’t forget there was also Cardinal Ron to contend with…!!

The pay wasn’t good for being a volunteer..in fact you do the role for love, for pure enthusiasm. In fairness he did know that beforehand and he wasn’t alone! Oh no, others took on far greater responsibility as volunteers too. Take the Revered Simon Charles for example: he had overall responsibility for all things Whangarei parkrun on the day! He was supported by: Ian Birch; Damian Mills; Mark Anderson; Katrina Holder; Samara Holder; Helen Smith; Lea Callan; Joshua Callan; Michelle Lewry; Janet Dale; Maria Easterbrook; Dennis Langford and Andy Mears; photographers Jan Sherley and Ricardo Zucchetto; and of course Cardinal Ron. Blessed are the high viz orange crew...we are eternally grateful..

In addition at this time each month it is felt that the flock will benefit from guidance given by pacers, for blessed are the pink (and apricot!) clad, provided this month by Dianne Zucchetto; Shannon Leigh-Walker and Dennis Langford. The pink group are official pacers, but he apricot Cardinal makes up his own rules and if he chooses to help pace the flock, he is free to do so, and often does because he's helpful and caring.. like Cardinals are!

We are of course very appreciative of our volunteers-no volunteers, no service! The list is full for next Saturday which is wonderful . Please do consider putting your name down on the roster for future weeks.

Rev. Simon’s responsibility cannot be underestimated! With 12 non-running volunteers and 126 runners/Joggers Walkers he was carrying pastoral responsibility for a flock of 138 yesterday .The job is not without challenges..

How could he solve a problem like Maria? Well, start by giving her a job to do! Sister Maria Easterbrook volunteered to do the First Timers Briefing (thanks!) We had 5 new ‘parishioners’ arriving for their very first visit as well as 4 visitors from other parkrun parishes. Those who were completely new were:Barry Mills Duncan Innes, Jace Griffin, Lydia Aydon, and Pat Kalin. Hopefully you enjoyed the morning, because we would love to see you come back and join us again on another Saturday in the future.

Four visitors from other parishes were:

Rosamund Britton and Raymond Lucas from Hobsonville; Allan Staite who has attended both Hagley and Pegasus; and Sue Pothecary from Gisborne. Again, welcome to Whangarei, the Northernmost parkrun in NZ with a unique bridge that behaved itself for you this week! We hope you enjoyed your visit..

The Revered Simon called for silence from the congregation and delivered a few notices , which included certificates for milestone achievers.Carolyn Smith running her 50th and earning her red milestone shirt. Janet Dale was completing both her 50th parkrun and her 25th volunteering stint thus two shirts, red and purple, in one swoop.Finally Ruby Peterson was completing her 10th parkrun meaning she earns her white milestone shirt. Congratulations ladies!

It should also be noted in passing here that Cardinal Ron and Brother Martin organized a trial run of an alternate route for our parkrun last Monday afternoon which attracted several interested runners and walkers. That was appreciated by the parishioners, thank you!. Feedback has been generally positive.

Ultimately at around 8am Revered Simon said ‘Vamos’ (or words to that effect) and the weekly procession began. Please be sure to note it would be most unseemly to call it a race..

It is always good to provide encouragement to parishioners, so when they achieve new personal bests it is important to recognize and give praise! Congratulations then this week to the 12 men and 6 lady achievers…

Personal bests (PBs):

20:29 - m - Ben Jagger

22:50 - f - Caroline Baddock

24:28 - m - Casper Kandori

25:30 - m - Christopher Delos Santos

28:49 - m - Corbett Rumney

27:40 - m - Eden Fifeland

32:17 - f - Elizabeth Cullen

40:23 - f - Inhee Kim

22:42 - m - Jacob Mills

40:36 - m - Joel Garces

21:52 - m - John Benson

20:13 - m - Joseph Oxford

17:45 - m - Joshua Thorburn

21:59 - f - Kay Lengyel

26:45 - f - Maria Easterbrook

35:46 - f - Ruby Peterson

28:06 - m - Shannon Morgan

34:35 - m - Shaun O'shea

Congratulations to all! Cardinal Ron (The secret apricot pacer) successfully coached and coaxed Sister Maria (Easterbrook) to another PB. He was also the fastest of 4 men running in his age group, while Sis Maria was fastest of 8 ladies in her age bracket Praise be!! 4 out of the 5 Earl family members were fastest in their respective age groups..

Young Eden Fifeland made great use of 28min pacer Dianne Zucchetto, tracking her round the course then with a late burst grabbed his PB. Well run Eden, and good pace work Dianne!

For Parish Record purposes, the processions were led home by:

Ladies:

1. Bella Earl

2. Kaylee Earl

3. Kay Lengyel

Men:

1. Joshua Thorburn

2. Alan Staite

3. Francois Joubert

Age Graded Performance

1. Judith Bradshaw 86.14%

2. Bella Earl 85.79%

3. John Kent 80.95%

Other Parkrun News

-Sherwood Reserve parkrun, one of the nearest parkrun parishes to us restarted this week, meaning all 37 New Zealand parkruns are now back fully operational. Welcome back to our friends at Sherwood, which is of course home to Scott Arrol who is responsible for introducing Scottairplanes to parkrun.

-At Lower Hutt, Martin O’Sullivan completed his 450^th parkrun. One year or so away from earning his blue 500 milestone shirt. Congratulations Martin!

And there endeth what was mistaken for the sermon.. Its the first one written for a while, so probably a bit rusty. Sadly the collection plate went missing at the end of the procession, so if anyone saw it please let Cardinal Ron know..

It isn't until you are away from parkrun that you fully appreciate it's magic, its people, its pure happiness..Thanks!

Fret not readers, for Brother Martin will be back writing soon and salvation from this waffle will be swift ..well, after two more episodes.

If anyone is scratching their heads about those opening lines, they are of course from The Beatles’ Eleanor Rigby.

See you next week..

#Loveparkrun

Whangarei parkrun Covid-19 week 25

Posted on September 5, 2021 by whangareioffice

Whangarei parkrun

Event: Covid-19 Week Twenty Five

4th September 2021

Kia ora parkrunners! Probably one of the strangest Reports ever given the circumstances, and that is why it is being published so late. Martin Harrap hit the nail on the head, when he likened Sunday night to a General Election...That was exactly how it felt as we watched as results of the (not) parkrun changed over the afternoon and evening. It shows how interested some of us are in the results nationally...and the local challenge! By now many of you may well know what happened as an announcement was issued early this morning, but the report shall carry on regardless..

First and foremost a couple of routine matters.

To all the dads out there, normally there would have been a timely wish but because of the delay it can only be a belated 'hope you enjoyed Fathers Day' in suitable style.

Second , a dynamic duo who both had birthdays on what should have been parkrunday last Saturday. It would have been great to give them a shout at the pre-run briefing but it wasn't to be, and this will have to do! Happy Birthday to both Pauline Dinsdale and Dori Gillming , Whangarei parkrunners since day one!

The good new this week was that at least we started the move out of lockdown! That first step from level 4 to level 3 is a start. We may get to level 2 later today with any luck.. We know that parkrun cannot restart until level 1, that is crystal clear. But (not) parkrun has generated a lot of interest, enthusiasm and yes , rivalry!

It's amazing to look back on a week in which the weather was not really 'run friendly' in the early days , and yet so many of you managed to get out there! To give that some perspective, our average numbers over the last 12 weeks were 130. At the time of writing this, 53 of you have 'logged' at least one 'not' parkrun- many have several, despite those torrential downpours! That means in simple terms that about 40% of our usual group have joined in a (not) parkrun this last week, which is a great success. There are all sorts of reasons behind that..

According to David Bowie 'We can be heroes...just for one day' Well I suggest he might be wrong! Some can be heroes far more regularly, just by getting on with their day to day business with no fuss, no drama. Take for example Emma and Tyler Watson who you will all know from Saturday mornings. This was the first time either had done a (not) parkrun, but yet they have managed to get out twice this week which is so impressive. Well done you two-total determination there, for all to note! Maybe not a hero, but abandoning his camera and doing his first (not) parkrun was Ricardo, so kudos there too! And a shout to Jim Kettlewell who notched up a couple of runs for the boys!

As many will know a bit of rivalry was stirred locally. Last Monday morning Maria Easterbrook and Martin Harrap kicked off a boys v girls competition which has continued to be 'fuelled' throughout the week. Fair to say that both are competitive by nature. A benefit to Whangarei parkrun of course is that this has encouraged an overall number which is pushing us to the fore in the National count.

(not) parkruns can be logged throughout Sunday so a final result could not be declared until Monday morning.

Nationally: Parkrunners (not) parkruns

Whangarei 57 160

Hamilton Lake 81 148

Invercargill 44 114

So whilst Hamilton had more parkrunners, we at Whangarei topped the National total for (not) parkruns logged. That is a great result , no doubt caused by the competition generated by the girls v boys challenge

Locally

The Girls The Boys

Runners (not) parkruns Runners (not) parkruns

31 85 26 75

Not only did more individual girls log (not) parkruns, but in total they amassed a greater number too. This despite the fact that of 6 runners who recorded the maximum 7 runs for the week, only captain Maria was from the girls team!

23 of you took on this challenge for the first time , and this surprised me: 14 were for the boys, and 9 for the girls.

8 PBs were achieved: congratulations to Paul Greenwood and Helen Smith ( remarkably exactly the same time!): Maisey and Kate Easterbrook ( on different days) ; Rachel Miller; Mark Lewry; Kylie Gutterson; and Cecilia Vorster.

Obviously we have no way of knowing how comparable your 5k courses are..but for the sake of interest, the fastest times were:

Ladies: Dianne Zucchetto 26m18secs

Men: Roydon Hawks 20min32secs

Captain's Comments

To be fair, these were sought before the full, final outcome was known. first then, some edited comment from Martin ..

For some reason I seem to have been given Captain status of a group of males who have benefited from a hard week of running, jogging and walking. Maria Easterbrook, has well motivated the girls to again nearly run away with the notparkrun challenge again this week. With her rallying around of the troops all I can say is Whangarei parkrunners give yourselves a pat on the back.

Overall as “Team Captain” I believe that we have done very well what with getting over fifty percent more males adding in their notparkruns. As a “TEAM” we are at this point well ahead of last week by

To my fellow runners the weather forecast for today is good and the rest of the week is going to be great. Get out there and run, jog or walk but remember register a 5km every day.

Well, done to one and all. Hoping to see you soon, me I am off for a run!

Then, the victorious Maria..

'I must say the women have done us proud. They have left their housework/husbands and sometimes even the children and put on their running shoes and got outside for their "nation" The males on the other hand have basically stayed on the couch. Where was their commitment to our local parkrun?

Teehee Everyone loves a bit of competition and jest especially while we are in lockdown.

I didn't realise I was crowned captain of the girls team, but I would like to say I'm very proud of the females that got out there in all elements that were thrown at us this week, to do our bit for the overall team. We as a small city have succeeded at achieving a wonderful goal'

At about 8:30pm on Sunday night thee she was on FaceBook..

'Great work team. Are you ready for round two next week?'

Quick as you like Darlene is back with 'Absolutely 100%'

Captain Harrap: What say you? 'Of course'

So it's on again! Can we reach a total of 200 (not) parkruns? There are lots of strava runs which are not being recorded as (not) parkruns. Don't forget, you don't have to run exactly 5k:if you run further, you can include a 5k time from your total run. Just log the 5k...please!

Whether your motivation is girls v boys, or to stay at the top of the list for NZ, or simply to get out and enjoy your 5k (not) parkrun while we wait for the return of the real thing...does it matter? Do it, for whatever reason makes you happy!

Watch the banter on Facebook..it can be lively and amusing.

It may not be much to many, but to see little Whangarei sitting at the top of the list of the National ratings for the week reflects well on our parkrun, and is something to be proud of. Well run Whangarei!!

#Loveparkrun

Whangarei parkrun Covid-19 week 24

Posted on August 29, 2021 by whangareioffice

Whangarei parkrun

Event: Covid-19 Week Twenty Four

28th August 2021

Kia ora parkrunners!

A second week without parkrun proper, but we have news of a fair number of you who have taken up the (not) parkrun option and used it to great effect-especially one competitive young lady, but more about Maria shortly..!

Some comments on Facebook make it clear that you are missing the Saturday morning outing already, with a number of reasons being mentioned. Wayne Watson ,for example, says that Emma was on 49 parkruns when lockdown happened.Emma of course is well known to many of us, walking regularly with young Tyler who himself is now on 42 parkruns. Sadly Emma is now temporarily marooned, waiting for the next opportunity to complete her 50th and claim that well earned red milestone shirt! She is not alone however: Kaylee Earl and Justin Hill are both hanging on , on 99-one short of their black tshirt! Another example came from Kim Balcombe who is missing Saturday parkrun, 'missing the people because they are a fab bunch' . So true, many will be nodding their heads in agreement !

As for motivation...well arguably a competitive streak within is always helpful there. It would appear that our Maria Easterbook loves a competition! She has been following the Whangarei (not) parkrun stats studiously. Rumour has it that she has had no small influence on the results being reported. She has turned it into a Girls v Boys competition, and proved highly successful at doing so too. If tales are to be believed, she has been communicating with her (female) parkrun friends, encouraging them to log their midweek 5k runs in order to ensure a win for the girls. This and making the occasional comment on FaceBook too! She has backed it up with action in fairness, having notched 5 herself and I'm sure encouraging Maisey and Kate (2 each!)

At the time of writing Whangarei in total has 73 (not) parkruns from 32 runners. 22 ladies recorded ,as a group, 46 runs showing how successful 'Captain' Maria has been.The 10 boys have achieved a total of 27 with their one crumb of comfort being that the top individual score was by a mere male..

Arguably more important (Sorry Maria!) is what overall position does all this put Whangarei in across NZ? The answer in total terms ,at present, is 3rd- behind Invercargill (124) and Hamilton Lake (95). Measured on number of participants, we would finish joint 4th with Balclutha. Hamilton Lake (64) ,Invercargill (47) and Millwater (36) finish ahead of our 32.

That's a big move on last week. We know that lockdown will continue for a while yet, so why not target this? Log your 5k run throughout the week and maybe we can climb higher on the National Table.Perhaps Maria should be our motivator!! Listen to Chris Hipkins: get outside and stretch your legs! (That was what he meant wasn't it?)

Remember we were linking with Wycombe Rye in England, and following their entertaining (not) Run Reports? It's good to report that they are fully returned now, with 458 finishers this week...and all done in under 1 hour! That needed a team of 26 volunteers..Welcome back guys!

Having mentioned a Welsh connection last week, a sad tale has to be told. Imagine turning up after around 70 weeks with no parkrun, running it, and discovering you have done the unthinkable...no barcode!! You know who you are, and I'm so, so sorry for you...

Hopefully everyone saw the note about milestone tshirts and what changes are happening from 1 September? If not, here is the link:

https://blog.parkrun.com/.../changes-to-milestone-t-shirts/

And now..we wait. Realistically, a return is not going to happen for a while so why not adapt to the next best alternative, and get into (not) parkrun? The link you need is here:https://blog.parkrun.com/.../changes-to-milestone-t-shirts/

Until next week then, stay safe!

#Loveparkrun #Love(not)parkruntoo

Whangarei parkrun Covid-19 week 23

Posted on August 22, 2021 by whangareioffice

Whangarei parkrun

Event: Covid-19 Week Twenty Three

21st August 2021

Deja Vu?

So here we are back into Non-Run Reporting again! I think we were all hoping those days had been put behind us, but here we are! At least we had a brief taste of normality, and let's hope it won't be too long before our PM is able to lift restrictions again so that we can enjoy Restart 2: The Sequel!

That is not a new opening paragraph- it's a straight lift from the report we published one year ago! So this is not uncharted territory, and in the absence of normal parkrun, 'Non Run Reports' will again be produced until normal service can be resumed. Obviously we have no idea as to when that might be, but hopefully you won't be waiting too long before the usual Saturday morning routine is restored.

It's so much easier now to slot back into the routines that were established in previous lockdowns too. You can still walk/jog/run your 5k and record it as a 'not' parkrun. Why not (not)parkrun set a course close to your house of residence and log your run here. https://www.parkrun.co.nz/whangarei/results/notparkrun/

You can check all results here https://www.parkrun.co.nz/whan.../results/notparkrunhistory/

Look forward seeing you all log (not)parkruns. Several of you already have done so! At the time of writing 11 parkrunners have logged a total of 20 results this week. Some locations around the country are taking this quite seriously- at Hamilton Lake, 41 runners have logged 42 (not) parkruns, whilst Invercargill have managed a total of 41 between just 25 of them! Our near neighbours at Millwater have 36 in total via the efforts of 20 runners..

If you're lucky enough to live with The Loop in your neighbourhood of course you can still legitimately exercise there. So an early Saturday morning walk just had to be done, around the time that parkrun would normally be coming to an end, and the coffees would be in full flow. It was a beautiful morning, but it felt so strange. The light was stunning, and I just kept wondering what creations Jan and Ricardo would have produced-as well as thinking 'Where's Wally?'

Looking back around year ago, it seems hard to believe that the run reports were highlighting the near completion of the concrete path alongside the .... This meant life would be easier for the buggy pushers , no more tiptoeing across that grass stretch just after the bridge, and of course the end of those little markers that showed the way ! One less task to do each Saturday...that all seems like something from a long lost era!

Another news item at the time was the departure of David and Janet Fellows back to the UK. to return They left early in September to return home to North West England. Ironically we have just heard from David, and he tells us that Janet has not been at all well. We know she watches our Facebook page closely, and comments regularly, so Janet best wishes from all your friends here, take care and get well very soon!

While on matters UK related, following the return of parkruns in Scotland last week, this week it was the turn of those in Wales to resume. No bias from a writer who spent 3 years at University in Cardiff, or has had the good fortune to run at Conwy (3 pictures below) and Penrhyn -Welsh parkruns with Castles as a background... but welcome back Wales parkrun!!

This week was National Photograph Day, and some pictures caught the eye..

That last one says it all-we all miss it! Hopefully not for long. We've got Colin Thorne on 88 parkruns and we want to get him to that black milestone shirt apart from anything else!!

Stay safe in your bubble. Try to keep running/ jogging/ walking but above all healthy and smiling. Watch Facebook for updates.

#Loveparkrun

Whangarei parkrun #269

Posted on August 1, 2021 by whangareioffice

Whangarei parkrun
Event number 269
31st July 2021

If you’re ‘over’ The Olympics then sadly this may well be a Run Report for you to avoid! This writer has caught the fever and has been comparing and contrasting the International Event with our local weekly parkrun. Crazy? Let’s face it, you all already knew that but read on and keep an open mind..

Volunteers

As always let’s start with the volunteers because without them it just doesn’t happen- here or in Japan! So thanks Simon , RD for the day, supported by the high viz heroes: Janet DALE • Maureen KETTLEWELL • Ron CROWHURST • Jan SHERLEY • Kim CAIRNS • Dianne ZUCCHETTO • Ines NEUBERT • Jennie WELLWOOD • Cindy SCHOLTZ • Dwayne COLLECUTT • Pauline CROWHURST • Richard COLLECUTT • Scott MOYSE • Ricardo ZUCCHETTO • Darren NISBET • Cherie HEMARA.

Of course major events such as The Olympics, Rugby World Cup, FIFA World Cup etc are all dependant to a significant extent on the efforts of volunteers. Anyone remember volunteering at 2011 Rugby World Cup here in Whangarei, or anywhere else in New Zealand? Those uniforms?

The rain held off and, although it was a little breezy, 122 people ran, jogged and walked the course. We of course are used to running without huge crowds -unlike the top Olympians! No problem for us in Whangarei. Among the 122 , was William Dawson running his 5^th parkrun. Finishing 55^th. In 29min 55 seconds. Lots of 5s in there! Another claim to fame for William however, is that he became finisher number 23,000 at Whangarei yesterday-congratulations William!

Of course we parkrunners are lucky- we don’t have to achieve any demanding qualifying standards! No, we can just turn up with our barcode every week and take part. For us, fortunately, there is no pressure involved and thus no danger of that mental strain that affects the top athletes so badly. And if we have a bad day and are disappointed with our result? Well, none of this waiting four years to have another go! Oh no! Roll up same time next week with a clean slate and go again! And best of all it’s free!

Whangarei parkrun goes beyond the Olympics too, in providing shall we say encouragement? Assistance? On the last Saturday of each month we try to provide pacers at given levels to help at least some of you to chase that elusive target. Obviously it is dependant on volunteers coming forward who are willing to run at a given pace and also you, parkrunners, letting us know what pace you would like runners at.

This week there were two: Dianne Zucchetto set a 28 minute pace, while Dwayne Collecutt ran at 25 minutes. Particular thanks to them, pacing is a special challenge. You really appreciate it when it works for you!

Visitors

Olympic Athletes get to travel the world don’t they? Well, parkrunners can go and run at any of 34 venues in New Zealand any week. So for example we had two visitors from the Auckland area who were both completing their 7^th NZ venue- Anton Garnyk has mainly run at Owairaka, and Hayley Shuttleworth at Cornwall Park and Millwater. Welcome both! Speaking of travel, many of you will have heard of Alison King through her recently published Unofficial parkrun Guide book. Yesterday she ran at Dunedin , her 33^rd NZ venue and that completes her set for the South Island. Her one remaining run to complete is the newly opened Sherwood Reserve -congratulations Alison!

As life gets back to normal post Covid-19 there are many International options open too. Only last week England’s parkruns reopened for example, with 97,000 walkers, joggers and runners taking part in a 5k event ,supported by more than 13,000 volunteers!

First Timers

Did the Olympics inspire newcomers to come out and try parkrun for the very first time? We may never know, but we welcomed Damian Mills; Kate Biddlecombe; Kim Wall; and Amy-Lee Macken for their first outing. Chris Goodison ran his first Whangarei parkrun, having only run one previously at Hobsonville. We’d love to see you all come back for more, hopefully you enjoyed the morning.

Personal Bests

Every week there is a chance to record a Personal Best-and we love to talk about it when you do! Whether you walk it, jog it or run it, it doesn’t matter a jot. Nor does your age… Having said that, among this week’s 9 achievers, you would have to start with the fastest, the youngest, and the smallest of them: congratulations to Elijah Nielsen who clocked 24:35 still running very much as a junior: amazing! Steve Staunton, Rob Peterson, Kermona Fitzpatrick, Jason Moore; Cath Lawson; Karen Peterson; Cushla Habershon and lastly the inspired Kim Balcombe (great running!!)

Podium Positions

I know, ….parkrun is not a race!! But just bear with the Olympic theme for the week, just once!

Ladies Men

Gold Angelika Berweger Tim Goodwin

Silver Jade Marris Dennis Langford

Bronze Judith Stewart Stuart Blake

No medals you may say, unlike the Olympics? But… there is reward in parkrun, and the good news is, there are about to be more! The milestone t-shirts for volunteers will be extended beyond just 25 . and new shirts will reward achieving 25 parkruns! You don’t have to race, you don’t have to finish in the first three..you just have to turn up and enjoy whatever parkrun(s) you choose, over whatever time period you choose! Just costs you the postage for the shirt..

Milestones

Congratulations to Run Director Colin Smith who certainly didn’t ‘Labour’ to his 150^th parkrun this week.

Mike Gillming and Murray Jagger will soon be wearing their red milestone shirts having completed 50 parkruns this week. Congratulations gentlemen!

Age Graded

Judith Stewart 88.75%
Colin Thorne 87.05%
Judith Bradshaw 85.15%

Results only reported where percentages are available.

Sundry ’Stuff’

Birthday congratulations to Bella Earl who turned 16 this week. Hard to believe, given that she already has more than 50 first places in the Ladies Division here at Whangarei, as well as ranking 20^th in our Fastest 500. Belated Greetings Bella!

Did anyone watch that Olympic Triathlon Mixed Relay on Saturday morning after parkrun? A note of sadness there because South Africa had to withdraw their team due to injury, meaning that our course Record Holder, Simone Ackermann, didn’t get to run in a second Olympic event.Our sympathies with Simone for that, but what an awesome achievement to have competed in an Olympic Games. Earlier in the week she had finished 17^th in the Ladies Triathlon event. If you were watching that event you may be interested to know that Alex Yee, who completed the anchor leg for the gold medal winning GB team, is a sometime parkrunner!

Don’t forget next week is a ‘W’ theme! In case you had forgotten, here are the thoughts of ED Harrap on the day...

'A WALK IN THE PARK?

W the 23rd letter of the Alphabet and special to us as it the start of our official parkrun name………………. Whangarei parkrun.

We celebrate our birthday in February and with August coming up soon it time to celebrate the mid year.

The first parkrun Saturday in August is on the 7th August, on this day we wish to celebrate “W”

Celebrate with anything that begins with a “W” some suggestions, Wheelbarrow, Wristbands, Wellington boots, Waistcoat, Watch and Whitecoat. Even bring a friend for a WALK. Those of you with imagination can create some Wearable running art!

Dress up and make the first Saturday a Special “W” day.

If your name begins with “W” we can offer you free entry!'

Today's full results and a complete event history can be found on the Whangarei parkrun Results Page.

And so ends the latest Run Report. There is no doubt that the photography work around the course is of a standard that would challenge many in Japan..certainly on an innovative basis! As for the 'journalist'? Well,... there will be a new one next week...!!

#Loveparkrun

Whangarei Parkrun #253

Posted on April 10, 2021 by whangareioffice

Whangarei parkrun
Event number #253
10th April 2021

With the early-morning wintry bluster, some at parkrun went fishing. Others went flying.

There were 11 parkrun flyers today achieving PBs among the 108 finishers.

: Early morning bluster

: The calm aftermath

Congrautlations to Asher Johnston, Cecilia Vorster, Christopher Mainland, Duncan Bayne, Greg Waite, Jacob Oxford, James Bannister, Kaye Logan, Nathan Barnes, Sharon Walsh, and Steve Staunton.

Three completed their first-ever parkruns today, including Ester McGrath placing 2nd among the women with 21m30s. Welcome also to Petra Currie, and Nathan Johnston, and see you again soon.