2nd October 2021

It was a damp day and forecast to be damper, but 101 people still ran, jogged and walked Aberystwyth parkrun this morning. 19 of these were first timers and 18 recorded new Personal Bests. Representatives of 16 different clubs took part.

We welcomed several new and returning students this week, including one who chose to spend their first Parkrun in a new town volunteering. Well done Ben!

The event was made possible by 16 volunteers:

Helen WILLIAMS • Anita WORTHING • Jane THOROGOOD • Elinor THOROGOOD • Clare DONNISON • Sarah PURDON • David DOWSETT • Maggie COLLINGBORN • Moss INNS • Elinor JONES • Hannah DEE • Karen WILLIAMS • Ben SMITH • Gemma ATHERTON • Ann PRICE • Christine ZARGES

 

Today's full results and a complete event history can be found on the Aberystwyth parkrun Results Page.

The female record is held by Lauren JESKA who recorded a time of 17:38 on 22nd September 2012 (event number 4).
The male record is held by Adam BITCHELL who recorded a time of 15:12 on 19th September 2015 (event number 161).
The Age Grade course record is held by Anita WORTHING who recorded 88.72% (21:52) on 10th December 2016 (event number 225).

Aberystwyth parkrun started on 1st September 2012. Since then 4,811 participants have completed 31,776 parkruns covering a total distance of 158,880 km, including 5,355 new Personal Bests. A total of 443 individuals have volunteered 4,416 times.

Aberystwyth parkrun: Event number 401

21st August 2021

This morning, for the first time since March 14th 2020, Aberystwyth Parkrun happened!

152 people ran, jogged and walked the course, of whom 40 were first timers and 13 recorded new Personal Bests. Representatives of 30 different clubs took part, and 18 volunteers got very, very, very wet indeed.

The run director, Nick, welcomed everyone to Plascrug park and highlighted a few changes to the Parkrun procedures as a result of the COVID shutdown (please try to stay 2m distant, please carry your barcode, please don't throw your jumpers at the volunteers, no hi-5s or spitting...). He also pointed out the weather and explained it was probably "not a good day for a personal best", given the conditions.

It turns out that our first finisher Ollie Thorogood wasn't paying attention to that thing about "not a good day for a PB" as he crossed the line in 16:10 - his fastest Parkrun time. Well done Ollie!  Our first woman across the line was Maggie Collingborn running her 199th Parkrun in a very respectable 22:55.

Well done too to the other PBs this morning: Rhys Jeremiah, Daniel Clemson, Karen Kemish, Trystan Roberts, Dave Humphreys, Wendy James, Anthony Scarth, Joseph Jones, Richard William Kirk, Brian Garrod, Vikki Foale, and Jennie Thomas.

A very special mention has to go to Aber AC's own Danny Thorogood, who completed this morning's Parkrun in 24:33 just over 3 months into recovery from a stroke. It was great to see Danny not only well enough to join the start line of our first Parkrun after lockdown, but also well enough to run the whole way pretty fast!

After the tail walkers (Lionel, Nicky and Sue) crossed the line the event was packed up and people reconvened in the Rugby Club for breakfast, and also to thank our outgoing Event Director Anita Worthing. Anita was instrumental in getting Aberystwyth Parkrun set up in the first place and has been our Event Director for years; she decided to hand over the reins to Em Foot with support from Nick Thompson. Here's Anita with some flowers this morning, to say thanks for all the work she's put in (she's still a run director though so you'll see her around).

On the volunteer side, it is safe to say that the conditions proved challenging for a volunteer team who were somewhat out of practice and also dealing with new procedures and technology.

Part of the post-COVID routine involves volunteers using their own phones for timekeeping and scanning, and one thing that is hard to use in a torrential downpour is a smartphone (even if it is in a waterproof case). One of the scanners had a problem with the app, and the timekeepers between them managed to record everyone but no one timekeeper got it 100% right. This meant we needed to drop back to that other not-particularly-waterproof technology: pen and paper!

So some of the times might be a little adrift from where they should have been, and our run directors had a job on their hands and had to do some spreadsheet wrangling to turn paper records and partial timings into a bunch of results.

The run directors also have the additional job of trying to ensure the kit's dry for next week... here's hoping that Wales gives us a little sunshine between now and then so the hi-viz can dry out.

These are the 18 volunteers who tested the limits of their waterproofing:

Helen Sarah STRETCH • Anita WORTHING • Peter HINXMAN • Nick THOMPSON • Ollie THOROGOOD • Lionel CURTIS • Sue LEWIS • Phillip LOWTHER • Sarah PURDON • Emily FOOT • Alison GARROD • Lucy KEMISH • Amanda EVANS • Hannah DEE • Megan WILLIAMS • Nicky HERRIOT • Ann PRICE • Christine ZARGES

Today's full results and a complete event history can be found on the Aberystwyth parkrun Results Page.

The female record is held by Lauren JESKA who recorded a time of 17:38 on 22nd September 2012 (event number 4).
The male record is held by Adam BITCHELL who recorded a time of 15:12 on 19th September 2015 (event number 161).
The Age Grade course record is held by Anita WORTHING who recorded 88.72% (21:52) on 10th December 2016 (event number 225).

Aberystwyth parkrun started on 1st September 2012. Since then 4,684 participants have completed 31,109 parkruns covering a total distance of 155,545 km, including 5,261 new Personal Bests. A total of 435 individuals have volunteered 4,314 times.

Aberystwyth parkrun
Event number 400
14th March 2020

What a wonderfully sunny morning it was to celebrate the 400th parkrun event at Aberystwyth!

Thank you this morning for coming out and celebrating with us, and thank you for all the wonderful donations of food for the Jubilee Storehouse foodbank
( https://www.facebook.com/JubileeStorehouse/ ).

Unfortunately, in all the excitement I forgot to take a photo of the boxes and bags full of tins, packets and all sorts of food that will be needed within our local community, but there was lots, and looked great piled up on and around the bench at the end of this morning's event.

Unfortunately, one of the scans didn't read the owner's barcode, and so we do not know who was in position 71. If you know this was you (in a time of between 28m21 and 28m39s, please would you let me know your full name and barcode, so I can add you into the results table?

Here are a couple of the photos I did take of our fantastic finishing area volunteers!

There was also a very nice blue Sistema water bottle left on the bench. If this is yours, please let us know; it is in safe storage in the trolley with the other parkrun equipment!

This week 141 people ran, jogged and walked the course, of whom 11 were first timers and 20 recorded new Personal Bests. Representatives of 10 different clubs took part.

The event was made possible by 15 volunteers:

Helen Sarah STRETCH • Peter HINXMAN • Martin TRANTER • Lionel CURTIS • Carys TRANTER • Sarah PURDON • Louise AMERY • Richard MUNN • Andrew GARROD • Bethan EVANS • Nicky CASHMAN • Alun EDWARDS • Marion THOMSON • Ann PRICE • Derrick ADAMS

Today's full results and a complete event history can be found on the Aberystwyth parkrun Results Page.

The female record is held by Lauren JESKA who recorded a time of 17:38 on 22nd September 2012 (event number 4).
The male record is held by Adam BITCHELL who recorded a time of 15:12 on 19th September 2015 (event number 161).
The Age Grade course record is held by Anita WORTHING who recorded 88.72% (21:52) on 10th December 2016 (event number 225).

Aberystwyth parkrun started on 1st September 2012. Since then 4,645 participants have completed 30,957 parkruns covering a total distance of 154,785 km, including 5,248 new Personal Bests. A total of 435 individuals have volunteered 4,296 times.