Jog along to Russell Park
Parkrun finding its feet after difficult first couple of years
What started as a way to provide a running group for Waipukurau has become a popular event for walkers and runners of all ages. Two years ago, Tony Valentine started parkrun at Russell Park and it’s had a steady membership of about 40 people a week.
Parkrun is a weekly community event where walkers and runners complete a 5km course. It started in the United Kingdom in
2004 and is now in 23 countries, including New Zealand.
Valentine says he found there was no real running group in Waipukurau, but there were groups in Hastings and Napier, or in the Manawatū.
He’d done parkrun a few times in Flaxmere.
“I used to go to a running group in Havelock [North] after work,” he said.
“When I moved to Waipukurau I needed something a bit closer to home.”
Starting a parkrun event seemed to be the ticket, and there were others keen to get it started who invited him along to do a course recce, but it still took some time to get it up and running.
“Covid happened. It all got parked up. After about a year, we looked at it again.” Valentine says they started to get a bit of traction with other people, even going so far as to measure out the course, but lockdown happened again, and it wasn’t until 2022 that they were able to hold the first event.
He says so many people have helped to encourage it along, including Central Hawke’s Bay District Council which bought a defibrillator at the start.
“They were really supportive
about using the facilities.”
He’s grateful for the support from the wider community. “It wouldn’t exist without the community.”
The event brings in a range of people from different areas, including some from Tararua district.
But more importantly, it has people mixing, he says.
“You start talking to other runners in town [who] you didn’t realise existed.”
He says it’s also created a little community, especially for runners who don’t necessarily feel safe running at night.
What he also likes is how supportive participants are, giving the example of one person who had been volunteering but hadn’t been able to complete the course.
He says in her first time completing the course, “we had over half the field waiting for her to come back in.
Everyone was stoked”.
While parkrun isn’t meant to be competitive, events use what is known as age-grading to help parkrunners compare results by taking the time and producing a score based on gender and age group which allows people to compare their personal performance against others.
Valentine says parkrun is a “great leveller”.
“No one cares what you do for a job. It’s about running and getting moving. Being outdoors, doing something together.”
It’s also a chance to meet people from different backgrounds as anyone can join.
Anyone interested in Parkrun Russell Park can visit the Facebook page: facebook.com/profile.php? id=100075918728486 or the website: parkrun.co.nz/russellpark