THIS WEEK, 97 motivated people started the year well as they ran, jogged and walked the 5km waterfront course.
Twenty-two participants were first timers to Airlie Beach parkrun (including five that completed their first ever parkrun).
Five people recorded new Personal Bests (PBs) – well done to Jack, Robert, Debbie, Grant and Holly. There were no milestones celebrated this week.
The event was made possible by 16 dedicated volunteers: Tim, Nick, Nathalie (photographer), Heather (run director), Christopher, Susanne, Kara, Ronald, Shane, Laura, Jarrod, Lynne, Dennis, Laurie, Margaret and John.
Airlie Beach parkrun started on December 5, 2015.
Since then, 4,500 participants have completed 23,340 parkruns covering a total distance of 116,700 kms, including 2,696 new PBs. A total of 375 individuals have volunteered 3,360 times.
Every Saturday, Airlie Beach parkrun meets at 6.50am for a briefing at area D, Coral Sea Marina (adjacent to the top carpark), Airlie Beach.
Parking is free in the council carpark (the lowest carpark) until 9.30am if a parkrun barcode is placed on the dashboard. Post parkrun coffee and chat is held at My Rainbow Bakery, Shingley Beach.
The best-kept secret about parkrun is that it’s not about running – it’s about bringing people together in public parks and open spaces across the world to have some fun in a friendly, social and supportive environment.
You can walk or run the 5km course (pushing a pram or with one dog on a short lead if you want to!), lend a helping hand as a volunteer in a wide range of super-easy roles, or simply spectate and socialise on the sidelines.
There are no winners at parkrun and nobody comes last – the tail walkers do.
Regular participation is rewarded rather than performance, with ‘parkrun milestone shirts’ available to people to recognise their achievements in coming along.
The full results and a complete event history can be found at https://www.parkrun.com.au/airliebeach/results/latestresults/
Further photos and details about registering can be found on the Airlie Beach parkrun Facebook page. Everyone is welcome.
