On the distinctly autumnal morning of Saturday 3rd October morning as members of the weekly Bushy parkrun gathered for the 270th run, rows of balloons hinted at the special occasion and there was a spark of excitement and anticipation in the air. From the humble beginnings of 13 runners at the first ever meet, the weekly run has grown exponentially ever since is now a regular feature of many local runners calendar. This was certainly a milestone to commemorate.
An extra large contingent over 900 strong turned up to show their appreciation for the club which celebrated the occasion with some 160 red, white and black balloons (to match the days colour dress-theme), a specially created mosaic picture from the first ever run using thousands of smaller separate Bushy parkrun photos from over the years (presented to organiser Paul Sinton-Hewitt), goodie bags filled by sponsors Lucozade and Spikes Magazine, finally some lovingly created ’5′ anniversary cup-cakes that happily disappeared shortly after the run. Celebrations also followed at the now-usual winding down congregation at the newly opened Pheasantry Welcome Centre cafe.
The weekly 5k run is free to join but make sure you register in advance. The run welcomes all abilities and ages – you can take it as seriously as you want as part of a training plan or just to meet other like-minded folks who enjoy a relaxing jog in the park. Your times are automatically recorded for you by volunteers and sponsors so you can see how each time compares to your personal best (or not!).
Photo: Gaurav Patel
The course for anyone who is considering joining (or just turning up for support) is as follows (from the parkrun website):
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Brilliant review of the day and great website!
By: Danny Norman on October 9, 2009
at 2:22 pm