WHEN Pomphrey Hill parkrun started in March 2014 the team weren’t sure how many people would turn up to take part.
Thankfully, 169 runners were supported by 17 volunteers and the parkrun event had officially started.
With a three-lap, hilly course, on a particularly muddy hill back then, would anyone return a second time?
Amazingly, they did – and here we are, 11 years and 500 events later, still going strong.
When parkrunners complete a number of events, certain milestones are celebrated with t-shirts. The colour t-shirt for 500 events is blue, so the team asked our participants to wear blue to celebrate this milestone – and the participants did not disappoint!
An absolute sea of blue running, jogging and walking the course. It was a great opportunity to capture a photo of everyone by our Pomphrey Hill sign and, as always, Gary Woodruff, our photographer did a fantastic job. The picture is now our ‘cover photo’ for our Facebook page as well.
The community that has built up around our event is second to none.
We have a number of running clubs and groups that call our event ‘home’, not least of which is Emersons Green Running Club, whose members provided the lion’s share of our volunteers at the milestone event.
Joining them were our Duke of Edinburgh student volunteers, meaning our runners were well supported.
There are plenty of opportunities for anyone signed up to parkrun to volunteer, as can be seen on our website at tinyurl.com/tp6ajrw9.
Please contact us at pomphreyhill@parkrun.com or comment on one of our Facebook posts if you’d like to get involved.
As a community event, parkrun celebrated its 20-year anniversary last year.
Originally starting in Bushy Park in the Richmond area of London in 2004, now you can find 1,330 parkruns, around the UK and also in 21 other countries around the world.
It is a free, community event where you can walk, jog, run, volunteer or spectate. Each parkrun is 5km, and takes place every Saturday morning.
Junior parkrun is 2km, dedicated to four to 14 year olds and their families, and takes place every Sunday morning – the nearest is at Page Park.
Each parkrun is positive, welcoming and inclusive: there is no time limit and no one finishes last. Everyone is welcome to come along. The Pomphrey Hill team looks forward to welcoming you.
Meryl Grimshaw