My name is Karen Weir and I am the Event Director for Richmond parkrun. I have been a club runner for around 8 years now, originally joining Ranelagh Harriers to help me achieve a long held goal of running the London Marathon and at the same time I wanted to get fit and loose some weight. I achieved that goal in 4 hours and 44 mins, no great time, but it set me on the road to becoming a real runner; training reguarly, racing year round and trying to improve on those pesky PBs! I have now completed my 4th marathon in 3 hours 36 mins. I have also branched out into triathlon (also member of Thames Turbo) and this year I completed my first Half Ironman and am planning my first full Ironman for 2010!!

Personally, I have got so much out of running, (cycling and swimming too) and being fit and active that I want to encourage as many people as possible to give it a go. It will transform your life and there is no better way to start than joining your weekly 5km run at a local park. That is why when Paul asked me to get involved and launch the Richmond Park time trial. I couldn't say no. It is a great feeling to see people enjoying the event, getting fitter and faster and achieveing their own goals. That is all the motivation I need to get me out of bed on a cold, damp Saturday morning. Happy running all and see you in the Park soon.

My name is Nigel Rothwell and I am the main photographer at Richmond parkun as well as maintaining the photo part of the website. I started running seriously in 1986 after being invited to join the Stragglers after a pub charity fun run. I soon got hooked and had run my 1st Marathon at Harrow 6 months after joining. I run road, cross country and in the last couple of years also track for St.Mary's Richmond A.C. competing mainly in the Steeplechase. When not running I can often be found behind a camera photographing local races and on occasions I have been known to do them both at the same time.

Why do I run? I love the competition and the comraderie that comes with running and being in a running club.  One of my many unrealised goals in running is a sub 3 hr marathon, I am hoping to redress this soon. My involvement with the Richmond parkun started right from the first official race. I had resisted the call to go to the Bushy Park event, giving the excuse that it was too early on a Saturday and to a certain extent there was a bit of not following the crowd. But when the richmond run started right on my door step I had no excuse. I like the richmond run because of the small, friendly,cosy feel of it, it feels more like a club rather than just another race.

 
Chris

My name is Chris Read and I am a regular volunteer at Richmond parkrun.  My first experience of “organised” running was Hash runs in Africa.  I have been a member of Ranelagh Harriers since 1996.  I cannot remember why I started running.  There is certainly a feeling of achievement from doing a relatively fast time and I have got to meet some very interesting people.  My focus now is on maintaining my current speed and waiting until I get old enough for it to constitute a good time.

Hi, I'm Hils and am a regular Richmond parkrun volunteer (often seen helping with the timing).  I started running in Cardiff around 12 years ago as a few friends I trained with talked me into entering a 10K. Running soon became my main sport and I now enjoy races of all distances.  My favourite race to date is the Two Oceans Ultra Marathon in Cape Town which I ran in 2006.  Best UK race is the Welsh Castles Relay a relay of 20 separate races from North to South Wales, which I compete in annually for The Stragglers since moving to Kingston.

I enjoy helping out on Saturdays - it gives me a reason to get out of bed and run to the start. (I'm the one who arrives looking like they just finished the 5K!).  It's great to see other runners improving and the stunning scenery and good banter makes getting up on a Saturday a pleasure not a chore. See you soon. Hils

 
Christian

My name is Christian Dahoui and I have been running since November 2007. I have started running to encourage fitness amongst my colleagues in the International Maritime Organization, a specialized agency of the United Nations based in London. My reasoning was that if I can run, anybody else can do it too. I must admit that from that perspective, my objective has not been entirely met, for only my colleague Alfonso Roca has joined me as a regular in the Richmond parkrun. However, from a

personal perspective, participating in the Richmond parkrun and taking up running as an activity has been a milestone in my life. For the first couple of races I was running reliably in last place in the Richmond parkrun, but rather than feeling embarrassed I felt great pride in completing the race, as I was not sure I could run the whole 5 k at all given my sedentary lifestyle.  Although I am far from being first in the race, I now run regularly and every time I establish a new PB, I have a great feeling of achievement.

Volunteering in the race has also been a great source of joy for me. I have volunteered in a number of functions in the past such as marshal, as tail runner and I have also helped in distributing tokens and in timing the race. Running is a contagious experience and one can quickly get addicted to it, but so is volunteering.  The feeling of helping others and the feeling of belonging to an organization such as the Richmond parkrun is a unique experience.

I'm Franz and I've been running since 1983 and my very first race was a 13k race in Soweto. And my last marathon in South Africa, coincidentally, was the Soweto Marathon in 1995.  I've been in Britain since 1999, and with Stragglers since 2000. I've only run one marathon over here, the Amsterdam marathon in 2005. Easier to get a place than the London marathon.

I've been doing run-in-the-park for two years now, and started off in Bushy Park. Once Richmond park started as a venue, I moved there because it was closer. I really like everything about it, the casual efficiency, the friendly, almost party atmosphere, and getting the weekend off with a brrracing run. I certainly want to help keep it going so I'm happy to volunteer. I find volunteering fun anyway, and not a chore at all.

 
Franz

My name is Andy Woodhouse and I’m a regular runner and volunteer at Richmond Parkrun. I have only been a ‘proper’ runner for a couple of years now, after moving to Richmond and wanting something to keep me fit and sociable in the local area. I love the sport, as it is sport at its most fundamental; it doesn’t need lots of kit in order to do it, or improve at it.  

I’m a Ranelagh Harrier and loving competitive cross-country events that Ranelagh participates in. I prefer ‘shorter’ distance running (at the moment anyway) so am drawn to the 5km races. Paul’s idea of free 5km runs around the country is inspiring and when the Richmond one started up, I just had to get involved, with or without the fine efforts of Karen to drum up interest in the event.  

It’s a lovely local event; I love helping there; Richmond Park is beautiful; it’s great to get out early on a Saturday morning; volunteer more!