parkrun registrations this week...22nd March 2013

There is still a little time for new registrations this week, but at the time of writing and compared to the figures in my post this time last week....

Totalling up new registrations across parkrun globally, shows that parkrun has attracted a further 4,692 registrations in a week.

This takes the total number of global parkrun registrations (according to my official source page on the parkrun website) up to 470,690 (up from 465,998). That is a growth in total registrations of over 1% in a week.

As far as I am aware, there are 2 new parkruns starting this weekend:
Cross Flatts parkrun in Leeds and Llyn Llech Owain parkrun near Gorslas, Wales

For the fifth week running Marlay parkrun is at the top of the charts with the most new registrations this week.

Just 5 different parkrun events have added 50 or more new registrants this week and they are:

Event	Total	This week
Marlay parkrun	1150	149
Malahide parkrun	3621	118
Newy parkrun	3134	115
Nahoon Point parkrun	2970	68
New Farm parkrun	4935	57

No great surprises in the "largest parkrun in the world" (by total registrations) category this week, where it is still the same top 5:

Event	Total
Bushy parkrun	21815
Glasgow parkrun	13053
Leeds parkrun	11848
Brighton & Hove parkrun	10639
Wimbledon Common parkrun	10240

Richmond parkrun is now less than 100 away from being the 6th member of the 10,000 registered runners club.

And at the other end of the spectrum (with the lowest number of registered parkrunrunners), but just as worthy of a mention (as these are new or future parkrun events) we have:

Event	Total
Enniskillen parkrun	1
Peter Pan parkrun	1
Big Bay parkrun	2
Forest Rec parkrun	4
Fingal Bay parkrun	7

These are 5 new parkruns appearing in the list with registered runners for the first time. It's always great to see new/future parkrun events appaearing in this list.

parkrun status of the week...16th March 2013

The parkrun statistics of note for this week are:

215 parkrun events run (up 2 on last week). This is yet another new record number of events on a single parkrunday - we are breaking the record every week at the moment!
24,682 runners, down 3,238 on last week.
The average number of runners per parkrun event run was: 114.8 (down 16.2 on last week).

Just 7 events recorded new record attendances, as follows:

Event		Record Attendance
Amager Strandpark		39
Eglinton		118
Launceston		124
Mulbarton		80
Sandgate		182
Wallace		99
Wynnum		162

The longest standing parkrun attendance record is:
Amager Faelled  146 28/08/2010

And in the UK it's:

Waterworks

215

23/04/2011

The highest attendance this week was 536 at Bushy Park, far lower than their usual turnout these days.

The lowest attendance this week was just 4 Vejen parkrun.

6 new male course records set this week:

Event	Athlete	Time
Cheltenham	David ROPER	16:20
Dewsbury	Jack HALLAS	15:55
Eglinton	William (Jamie) FINDLAY	17:30
Marple	Michael COOKE	16:32
Modderfontein Reserve	Gustav ROOS	19:20
Mulbarton	Adam C CRASKE	19:39

9 new female course records set this week:

Event		Athlete	Time
Cheltenham		Catherine TAYLOR	19:45
Eglinton		Karen CONNAL	23:12
Mulbarton		Rowena LEARY	24:01
Claisebrook Cove		Melissa LLOYD	18:47
Hackworth		Elizabeth WOOD	21:59
Marlay		Clare SULLIVAN	18:42
Wallace		Julie MURPHY	20:04
Camp Bastion		Lucy ANDERSON	20:38
Havant		Jessica CHEN	19:09

60 runners ran times under 17 minutes this week. 5 of these runners ran under 16 minutes.
The fastest parkrunner in the World this Week was Rob Bugden, running 15:25 at Cardiff parkrun.

The fastest 5 were as follows:

Event		Athlete	Time
Cardiff		Rob BUGDEN	15:25
Newy		Scott WESTCOTT	15:40
Dewsbury		Jack HALLAS	15:55
Princes		Douglas ROBERTS	15:57
Norwich		Piers ARNOLD	15:58

242 new category records were set across all parkrun events this weekend.

The top age grade performance this week was:

Event		Athlete	Time	Age Group	Age Grade
Southampton		Lucy ELLIOTT	18:05	VW45-49	89.59%

The fastest freedom run on the "most recent 100" list at the moment is:

Runner	Date	Location	Run Time
Phil ABBOTT	17/03/2013	Colwick	00:19:12

Core team, diggers and an alternate route

Coventry parkrun has been very lucky to have been run from concept until now (over 3 years later), by our amazing Event Director, Jason Douglas.

The dedication required for one person to start up and then to keep a parkrun event going should not be unbderestimated. Recently the core team principle, used by many other parkrun events (to share the administrative load), was proposed to the volunteer group at Coventry parkrun.

As a result I believe that we now have two full core teams in place. In case you don't know how this concept works, the idea is that a core team consists of 4 people and these people take responsibility for one parkrun every few weeks and take on four of the main volunteer roles. Those being, Run Director (plus results upload), Timer, Numbers and Registration.

I was brave/foolish/drunk enough at the time of reading that first email request, to gather a few friends and put our names forward as a core team. Last weekend saw our first outing and the first of any core team outing at Coventry parkrun, with me as Run Director for my second time. And what a weekend to pick!

It turned out that Coventry City Council had planned to start some major path resurfacing works in the park, on a section of the parkrun route normally used in both directions twice per parkrun. Oh and they started it just the day before parkrun, on Friday.

Now this is great news long term as it means we will have some fantastic, smooth, flat tarmac surfaces to run on in a few weeks time, but for a core team on their first outing, and with me as Run Director for only the 2nd time, this was an extra challenge that I would not have wished for. But so be it!

So where there were supposed to be parkrunners there were now diggers! An alternative route was required and with a little help from our amazing Event Director a new route was concieved on parkrun eve.

Funnilly enough, parkrun eve also saw 4 of us, our Event Director and 3 of the core team, each take our own separate look at the works and a tour of the park to ensure that the proposed route was clear and long enough. Now that's parkrun dedication for you.

My Run Director introduction speech was a little longer (and ever so slightly more confusing) than usual, with many exclaiming that they were mentally "lost" by the time I had explained turns 6 and 7 (of about 13), but all in all everyone adapted well to the new course and it all seemed to go very smoothly. Thanks of course to all the volunteers out on the course on the day.

I have to say that Saturday was the first time when I have volunteered at parkrun and haven't had the slightest thought of wishing I had been running. I enjoyed Run Directing so much that the thought never entered my mind. I would never have expected that to happen.

Next week the pathway disruption will move to the next section of the park and the headache baton is passed back to our usual Event and Run Director who will no doubt make it all look far more easy than I did.

Even with all the added difficulties I am still very glad that I put our names forward as a new core team. I would encourage every other parkrunner to put their name forward to be a Run Director, part of a core team or take on any other parkrun volunteer position for that matter. All the positions are all far easier and a lot more fun than you might think. Go on, give it a go!