1. AS the weather blows and
burst-bank rivers wash us into
February, perhaps the promise
of a new start that new year
traditionally offers each of us
is already broken.
January is a long month, long
enough to break the whimsical
wishes that many make in a
panic on New Year’s Eve.
Finally, it’s now safe to re-
turn to the gym, knowing that
the annual January migration
of those who use the squat rack
for bicep curls, so as not to
break their stare with the mir-
ror is over.
Eleven blissful months of
running lie ahead without hav-
ing to perform emergency first
aid on the runner who sprinted
past a minute previously, and
now lies unconscious in their
box fresh gear.
Many people wake up on New
Year’s Day, resolute that a
change is needed in their life
and determined that they will
make that change happen.
Just a month later, annual
gym membership cards gather
dust, swimming goggles lay idle
in drawers and yoga mats have
spent so long rolled up, that
they will no longer lay flat.
For those not quite ready to
call it quits for another year,
there is a hidden gem which
runs weekly in Swindon.
Each Saturday through the
trails of Lydiard Park, a fluo-
rescent yellow conga line, often
400 bodies long, snakes through
the dog walkers and other park
users who don’t see the merit
of a Saturday lie-in.
At 9am an air horn breaks
the muttering and a five kilo-
metre run begins.
There’s a mixed bag of com-
petitors who make their way
away from the house over the
startline, and, flanked by trees
on either side, head at varying
speeds west down the gravel
track.
This isn’t a race, as run di-
rector Emma Sperring, 36 from
Redhouse, points out: “You can
do what you want with Parkrun
really, whether runners want
to compete with themselves or
others, or just come round and
have a chat and a stroll, there’s
something for everyone.”
Swindon Parkrun, the local
branch of an international
movement, is a free, timed five-
kilometre run which is held at
Lydiard Park every Saturday
morning.
The competitors attire indi-
cates that this isn’t a run like
any other. At the front are sea-
soned runners, clad in athletics
club vests and event finisher
shirts to prove it. Among them,
there are fathers pushing their
children in special pushchairs
while they run, a modern two-
horse chariot race.
Another runner has a strap
around her waist attached to a
dog, who drags her ahead like a
meat-fuelled canine pace
booster. Parkrun veterans wear
numbered T-shirts which
proudly announce that they
have completed 10, 50 or 100
Parkruns respectively.
Some are middle-aged and
attempting to halt the expanse
of their waistline, others are
youths aiming to avoid that
predicament two decades ago.
One of the chariot racers,
TimHowe,40,of Oakhurstsays:
“I’ve always been a runner and
always enjoyed it, I was intro-
duced to Parkrun about three
years ago.”
His two-and-a-half year old
son, Joshua, is the buggy’s pas-
senger: “I’ve been running with
him since he was six months,”
says Tim. “It’s harder now, be-
cause he’s heavier, and he
wants to get out sooner. When I
started running with him he
slept through.
“Now because he’s seen me
running, he’s active himself
and he always wants to run.
“Whenwegotothepark,nine
times out of 10, he’s running
around rather than playing on
the swings or slide.
“He says to me ‘look, I’m run-
ning, daddy!’. He gets out at the
end of the Parkrun and has a
run around.”
Once the downhill, small
bridge and inevitable uphill
have been negotiated, runners
aredirectedrightandthenright
again onto the lower part of the
course by volunteer marshals.
“Parkrun is entirely run by
volunteers so if there are no
volunteers there is no
Parkrun,” says Sperring.
“We’ve had occasions where
we don’t have enough volun-
teers and we’ve had to say ‘we
can’t run today unless more
come forward.’
“Therearecertainvolunteers
we need in place, including
marshals who ensure health
and safety along the course.
“We need people at the finish
line to hand out the numbered
tokens that help with sorting
times and results. We also need
people at the registration
point.”
Once the runners reach the
lowest point of the course, it’s a
short but steep uphill back to-
wards the start. At the top of
the hill, instead of mercifully
crossing the finish line, a sharp
U-turn awaits and the second
lap begins.
In the distance from the high-
est point of the course, I can
see the serious runners jostling
for position on the track ahead.
Among them are the con-
tenders for the annual running
championship, which is in its
dying weeks.
“I think it’s great that there’s
that element to it too,” says
Sperring. “It’s very important
to quicker runners. It’s very
competitive and I see it every
week. I can see in their faces
how much they want to win.”
The championship is split be-
tween the genders and each
week, the first man and woman
over the line receive 100 points
each. Whoever follows claims
99, third place gets 98 and so on
to the 100th finisher who earns
a point. Each finisher outside
the first 100 gains a single point.
Towards the end of the sec-
ond lap, the group I’ve man-
aged to hold onto catches some
runners at the back of the run.
Here, mothers and young
daughters are steadily climb-
ing the seemingly alpine peak
for the first time, but they don’t
appear disheartened to be
passed.
For they, like those only me-
tres from the finish line, will
have a level of accomplishment
when they cross it equal to that
of Andrew Ind, today’s winner.
“There’s every ability. We all
have this one thing in com-
mon,” says Howe. “Everyone’s
on a level playing field.
“Everyone cheers everyone
else on. You can see afterwards
that everyone has their spirits
high, it sets you up for the week-
end. There’s a sense of achieve-
ment. Even on a day like this,
where it’s really windy and I
arrive thinking ‘what the hell
am I doing?’ afterwards every-
one can think ‘I’ve done it.’”
“Everyone is cheered along
the way,” says Sperring.
“Whether running in 15 min-
utes or 50 minutes. There’s a
huge encouragement towards
the back, lots of the quicker
runners will run the course
and then clap and support the
other runners coming, which is
a huge encouragement to
them.”
After crossing the line, each
runner is handed a numbered
chip with a barcode and a num-
ber corresponding to their final
position. The finisher’s chip is
scanned along with the run-
ner’s individual identity bar-
code, which is printed from the
website on registration, and
the results are posted online,
usually within the day.
“It’sameasuredcourse,”says
Sperring. “It’s timed and free
that’s unheard of apart from
Parkrun, which you can now
do all over the UK. It’s growing
and growing.”
One man who had no run-
ning and hardly any exercise
experience before starting
Parkrun, is 67-year-old Steve
Luscombe from Warminster,
who now regularly travels to
take part.
“Throughout most of my life,
whenever I was tempted to take
exercise,” he laughs, while
stretching, “I sat down until
the temptation wore off.
“I decided when I retired, that
I ought to do something about
my obesity. So I started going
to the gym, but didn’t have any
direction.
“Then I asked myself ‘what
is the last thing that I ever ex-
pected myself to do?’ and the
answer was ‘to run’. So I started
running very short distances
and worked my way up until I
could run half a mile, and then
started to do competitive run-
ning at the back of Parkrun.
“Now, I do between 25 and 30
running events per year of
which about 20 are Parkruns.
“They’re so well-organised
and great events that it’s very
difficult for other running
events to compare with them.”
In the three years he’s been
running, Luscombe has taken
more than 10 minutes off his
personal best and is competi-
tive in the over 65’s age group
championship.
“I like the course in
Swindon,” he says. “The people
are very, very friendly and it’s
such a big field that there’s al-
ways somebody to compete
against. There’s also a good
handful of us running in the
over 65s’ class. The setting’s
lovely and the facilities are
good.”
Sperring says the reasons for
Swindon Parkrun’s success are
clear: “Basically, people are
coming because they can moni-
tor their progress and their
times, but it’s a community
event, it’s free to enter and it
accommodates anyone of any
ability and any age.
“Children can come, older
people can come, anyone can
come. People enjoy having a
chat at the end and motivating
each other.
“For serious runners, it’s a
measured course, it’s timed and
to get that for free, was unheard
of apart until Parkrun formed.
“For beginners, the course
can be walked. It’s a two-lap
course, so we encourage begin-
ners to come along and just
walk one lap and though you
won’t get a time for that, you
can see what Parkrun is about,
experience the community,
meet the people and then we
can encourage them to build
up to the two laps, run the
course and go through the fin-
ish. It’s a great place to be on a
Saturday morning. It’s Lydiard
Park, which is just one of the
best parks in the area.”
Swindon Parkrun celebrates
its fourth anniversary on
March 8 and runners are in-
vited to dress in costumes re-
lated to their favourite decade.
For more information visit
www.parkrun.org.uk/Swindon.
GGRRAASSSSRROOOOTTSS GGRRAASSSSRROOOOTTSS4 5Tuesday, February 11, 2014 Tuesday, February 11, 2014www.swindonadvertiser.co.uk
PARKRUN
FACTFILE
PARKRUN IN NUMBERS
Parkrun events worldwide: 359
UK-based Parkrun events: 240
Registered runners: 522,286
Total distance covered by
Parkrunners: 21,085,165km
SWINDON PARKRUN IN NUMBERS
Biggest attendance: 415
Average attendance: 202
Total distance covered by Swindon
Parkrunners: 193,930km
Events: 193
Different winners: 146
Average run time: 27:57
Christopher Panks
RUNNING
sport@swindonadvertiser.co.uk
@AdverSport
Lydiard Park event is run by volunteers
and appeals for all ages and abilities
IT’SGOTSOMETHINGFOREVERYONE
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‘ ’ Runners, left
and above, in
action at Parkrun
at Lydiard Park
and right, the
volunteers who
help make it all
possible
Pictures:
DAVE COX