A runner the world over
The global club Parkrun has now spread to New Zealand, writes Geraldine Johns.
On a recent Saturday morning, Geoffrey Jackson got up early, had fruit and cereal for breakfast and then took a 20-minute walk in preparation for his 5-kilometre run.
He completed the course in 36 minutes and 45 seconds: a record for his age group (of which he is the only member). At course end he rewarded himself with a passionfruit fairy cake and a cappuccino. Then he turned round and walked 20 minutes back home again.
Jackson has just turned 86. His Saturday morning routine is the same wherever in the world he may be – in the truest of senses.
For the past two months, his presence has been noted and applauded at Auckland’s Cornwall Park, as a member of an international informal running movement, Parkrun. There, as in parks in other parts of the city, the country, and around the world, weekly Saturday sessions of Parkrun kick off at 8am sharp.
‘‘To be honest with you, I enjoy running. It just gives me a great feeling, and it’s relatively easy to do,’’ says Jackson. He is talking just after crossing the finish line. His barely-out-of-breath delivery is such that you’d think he’d just popped down to the letterbox.
Parkrun participants complete the 5km course at their own pace (which means some go like hell and some take a more leisurely approach). It’s free, it’s a wholly voluntary movement, and it’s organised by enthusiastic amateurs. Every age and ability is welcome; dogs (on a leash) too.
Jackson is Cornwall Park Parkrun’s poster boy. The British local has been in New Zealand visiting his daughter and her family. That explains why, on some weeks, his times have been a little slower – due to the fact he sometimes pushes his 21⁄2-year-old grandson Xavier around the course in a buggy. Weather doesn’t stop these events; nor do public holidays get in the way of them (Cornwall Park is adding an extra event on both Christmas Day and Boxing Day this year).
Here at Cornwall Park on this Saturday morning the Parkrunners gather for their pretake-off briefing (children under 11 must be accompanied by an adult, dogs – see above – and remember to hand in your registration tag at the end).
That’s all it takes to take part: participants register online and are issued with a barcode which they print out and take with them. At the finish line, they receive a token which has a digital recording of their time on it. That, together with their barcode is handed to a volunteer who scans both – thus recording contestants’ times. These are then posted online for comparison with participants the world over. No matter where they turn up, they only ever have to register once.
There is no starter’s gun, just a resoundingly enthusiastic ‘‘go!’’ from event director Jeff Parkinson. And they’re off: the long legs, the little legs, the four