Crewe parkrun
Event number 108
22nd February 2020

This week 383 people ran, jogged and walked the course, of whom 39 were first timers and 57 recorded new Personal Bests. Representatives of 19 different clubs took part.

Well done to everyone who took part this week, both runners and volunteers.  It was a blustery day - we just hope the wind was blowing in the right direction (especially up those hills!!).  Huge kudos to our first timers and to anyone reaching milestones this week - you're all awesome!

One of the things I personally love so much is the kindness and positivity that exudes from Crewe Parkrun each week.  Everyone is friendly, kind, supportive,helpful and upbeat.  There really is no place I'd rather be at 9am on a Saturday morning!!  In light of recent events in the press this week, it really has made me reflect on the importance of being kind to one another and I think Crewe Parkrun is a perfect example of exactly that.  Let's be proud of what we all bring to one another and our community as we come together each Saturday morning and let us always continue to be kind xxx

This week, we asked one of our regular volunteers, Joe Scott if he'd be willing to write a few words about his feelings on Parkrun and how he got involved.  So in Joe's words, not ours.... thank you Joe, you're awsome xx

'Hi All,

I have been asked to give my feelings on the Crewe Parkrun.

I'm Joe, one of a team of volunteers who marshal.  I'm the one at the end of the lake in the valley just before the hill.

I was somehow coerced into it by my Son, Greg, who runs every week, but I have to say, I'm completely hooked on it now.  I get so much pleasure out of seeing you all and having lots of banter with you, not to mention the high-fives I get!!  I hope my encouragement to you helps a little - and some of you now recognise me in town, which is great!

I'm so glad my son got me involved, as I feel I've made quite a few more friends and to be involved with something this good, I have to say, I think you are all brill for taking part and it must be a wonderful feeling when you get to the finishing line.

I would like to thank everyone for making me feel so welcome, it makes an old man very happy and long may it continue.  Thanks again to all, see you soon.

Joe

PS - I would recommend anyone to come and join us, you won't find a more friendly group of people anywhere'

It's wonderful to see the impact Parkrun has on not just the runners who take part but also on those who volunteer.  So next time you pass Joe down in the valley, be sure to give him a high-five!

See you all same time next week?

Have a great week and stay safe.

Crewe Parkrun Team xx

The event was made possible by 22 volunteers:

Jack HARRISON • Megan HARRISON • Peter RATHBONE • Simon COOTE • Ian ROYLE • Harry WARDLE • Karen RATHBONE • Roy WILLIAMSON • Maurice FITZGERALD • Cathy LEWIN • Dennis MARTIN • Pam SAUNDERS • Nicola MARSHALL • Ray SWEENEY • Matthew MARSHALL • Angela SHENTON • Chloe WILD • Karen WILD • Andy WILD • Karen WHITEHEAD • Nicole BRANDRETH • Joe SCOTT

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

The female record is held by Chloe LEATHER who recorded a time of 18:25 on 28th December 2019 (event number 100).
The male record is held by Raif SERIF who recorded a time of 15:58 on 8th February 2020 (event number 106).
The Age Grade course record is held by Pam DAVIES who recorded 88.96% (23:51) on 5th October 2019 (event number 88).

Crewe parkrun started on 17th February 2018. Since then 5,639 participants have completed 32,460 parkruns covering a total distance of 162,300 km, including 7,142 new Personal Bests. A total of 448 individuals have volunteered 2,797 times.

On Saturday we celebrated our 2nd birthday with over 300 runners, walkers and volunteers surrounded by cake and during the first whispers of Storm Dennis! Dennis was no match for Crewe parkrun, our army of volunteers and….. The Sweeney!
Ray Sweeney has never missed a Saturday parkrun in the two years we have been running (excuse the pun)! This in itself is an achievement but it’s the rationale behind it that demonstrates Ray’s commitment to the running community. Ray along with ‘partner in crime’ Roy Williamson was an avid runner in his youth (and even has a marathon PB of 2:36!!) and likes to show his appreciation to previous race marshals by paying back the running community through parkrun.
I am sure we are all familiar with Ray (and Roy) and their enthusiastic high fiving at the war memorial – and who could forget Ray’s debut in the inflatable Santa costume last Christmas!?
Crewe parkrun would be nothing without its loyal army of volunteers and the fact that, no matter rain or shine, we are always bombarded with offers to help is real testament to the community that we have built around the parkrun and the enjoyment that it brings.
A huge well done to everyone who braved the rain to finish the undulating 3 lap course and we look forward to celebrating many more birthdays with you all!!
This week 300 people ran, jogged and walked the course, of whom 35 were first timers and 45 recorded new Personal Bests. Representatives of 24 different clubs took part.
The event was made possible by 30 volunteers:

Ruth BEACH • Natalie HOLMES • Lana DAVIDSON • Harry WARDLE • Claire HARRISON • Danielle KENNY • Suzanne BUCKLEY • Steve HARRISON • Megan HARRISON • Karolina AYERS • Rebecca COOTE • Benjamin AYERS • Liz PRESTON • Di COOKE • David HOLMES • Sadie PRINCE • Rosemary COOKE • Roy WILLIAMSON • Joshua AYERS • Maurice FITZGERALD • Dennis MARTIN • Nicola MARSHALL • Peter ROBINSON • Ray SWEENEY • Juliet CARTER • Chloe WILD • Karen WILD • Lorraine COWAN • Paul YOUNG • Joe SCOTT
Today's full results and a complete event history can be found on the Crewe parkrun Results Page.
The female record is held by Chloe LEATHER who recorded a time of 18:25 on 28th December 2019 (event number 100).
The male record is held by Raif SERIF who recorded a time of 15:58 on 8th February 2020 (event number 106).
The Age Grade course record is held by Pam DAVIES who recorded 88.96% (23:51) on 5th October 2019 (event number 88).
Crewe parkrun started on 17th February 2018. Since then 5,600 participants have completed 32,077 parkruns covering a total distance of 160,385 km, including 7,085 new Personal Bests. A total of 448 individuals have volunteered 2,775 times.

Crewe Parkrun
Event number 106 - 8th February 2020

This week 438 people ran, jogged and walked the course, of whom 58 were first timers and 95 recorded new Personal Bests. Representatives of 27 different clubs took part.

And.... the BIG news of the day - Crewe Parkrun has a new course record holder - Raif Serif who broke the current record with an incredible time of 15:58 - Huge Congratulations Raif!!!

We had visitors from various parts of the UK today and a visitor from New Zealand, Nigel Milius.  Not only did Nigel help with post-run close down but he's also written the content for this week's run report.  A really informative and interesting report.  Enjoy....

'' Living in New Zealand, February is not a time of year I would generally come to visit the UK, but sometimes things crop up and you do what you feel you need to (think elderly parents over here and you’ll get the idea). A plus about this impromptu trip has been the chance to sample a couple of new (to me) parkruns, and yesterday I visited Crewe. I had been planning to run in Invercargill (southern NZ) with my wife and some friends, and by a remarkable coincidence that parkrun is also in Queens Park and they were celebrating their 2^nd birthday which Crewe does next week. “Parkrun twinning” anyone?

Given that the town was built on the railways and for the railways, it was perhaps fitting to arrive by train, though having flown half way around the world, I’m not going to claim my visit was exactly environmentally friendly! Walking from the station to the park as it was getting light didn’t leave me with high expectations for the park so I was very happy to be pleasantly surprised. Queens Park is described as Crewe and Nantwich Boroughs “Jewel in the Crown”, which seemed to me apt for a very attractive and well cared for park which made for an extremely enjoyable parkrun.

The history of the park itself goes back to 1887 when Sir Richard Moon dedicated the site on behalf of the London and North Western Railway Company to mark the Golden Jubillee’s of both Queen Victoria accession and the opening of the Grand Junction Railway (basically, the reason for the towns existence!). The 45 acre park was opened a year later on 9^th June 1888 by HRH The Duke of Cambridge KG, and to this day more or less retains the original Victorian layout as designed by Edward Kemp and Francis William Webb at a cost to the LNWR of ₤10,000.

The course is 3-and-a-bit laps taking in most of the main features of the park, and it’s well worth taking an hour or two after the run to explore it in a bit more detail. The start is by the war memorial, the long list of those fallen being sadly all too familiar a sight in parks as well as other sites all around the country. From there, it heads up to the clock tower, donated by railway employees in 1888 and unveiled by James Middleton, who, 50 years earlier, had driven the first train into Crewe. Just beyond that are two stone and timber lodges dating to the same period, the red sandstone used in their construction providing a further link with the railways as it came from cuttings that were dug on the line to Liverpool.

Turning left again, at a corner where it was nice to see yellow and purple crocuses flowering in the early February sunshine you head down Coronation Walk. This was developed in 1937 to mark the coronation King George VI and this wooded valley leads you to the 4.5 acre boating lake. Home to Canada Geese, Mallards and Black-headed Gulls, a feature with a varied history. Originally 5 feet deep, for a while the western end had been extended to ten feet, with swimming permitted and a diving board erected, though this was removed in 1936. In 1913 the railway works provided something called a wormscrew which helps with controlling the water levels and is still in use today over a century later, whilst during World War 2 it was drained andcovered in greenery as it was thought the Germans may use it as a landmark to direct air raids at the railway installations in the town.

After circumnavigating the lake you’re soon back at the start and it was here on my first lap I was passed by Raif Serif on his second and on his way to a new course record of 15.58. Well done to Raif, one of an incredible 95 people to set new PB’s today, all of whom also deserve congratulations. February must be the month for running fast at Crewe, the old record, 10 seconds slower, was set in February last year. Let’s give a shout out also to all 437 people who followed our speedy teenager home which included 57 taking part here for first time (and visiting from several parts of the UK including Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Warwick, Northwich and doubtless several other places, apologies to those not mentioned). Of those 57, 19 were at their first ever parkrun anywhere, welcome to the family, may it be a long and happy association.. Tony Barnett (1^st time at Crewe) reached the 100 milestone, while David Tanswell and Dave Lowe both celebrated 50. Well done to you three.

As always though, the biggest THANKYOU AND WELL DONE goes to Run Director on the day Nicola and her team of hi-vis heroes. Remember folks, without volunteers parkrun doesn’t happen. It’s easy to sign up, there’s a variety of jobs with full training given, skills learned are transferrable to 2,000 venues worldwide and after just 25 appearances you get a free T shirt. Best of all, you can feel even more a part of the amazing community which is parkrun, both globally and locally. It seems there is an amazing team of regulars at Crewe, but remember that many of them like to run too, so by volunteering once in a while you can help facilitate that. Put your name forward now!

Personally I would like to thank all at Crewe parkrun who made me very welcome, the team in the café where I enjoyed a delicious breakfast (even if it took a while to arrive, though it would be fair to say they were very busy!) and I wish you all a very Happy 2^nd Birthday for next week''.

Nigel Milius

The event was made possible by 26 volunteers:

Ruth BEACH • John PUTT • Selina HOOK • Nigel MILIUS • Rebecca COOTE • Evie COOTE • Simon COOTE • Andy TWISS • Harry WARDLE • Sadie PRINCE • Stephen SECRETAN • Norman HINDLE • Roy WILLIAMSON • Gail PRINCE • Anthony PRINCE • Maurice FITZGERALD • Dennis MARTIN • Pam SAUNDERS • Nicola MARSHALL • Ray SWEENEY • Chloe WILD • Karen WILD • Robert JOHNSON • Nicole BRANDRETH • Joe SCOTT • Sam SWEENEY

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

The female record is held by Chloe LEATHER who recorded a time of 18:25 on 28th December 2019 (event number 100).
The male record is held by Raif SERIF who recorded a time of 15:58 on 8th February 2020 (event number 106).
The Age Grade course record is held by Pam DAVIES who recorded 88.96% (23:51) on 5th October 2019 (event number 88).

Crewe parkrun started on 17th February 2018. Since then 5,565 participants have completed 31,777 parkruns covering a total distance of 158,885 km, including 7,040 new Personal Bests. A total of 446 individuals have volunteered 2,745 times.

Saturday 1st February 2020 saw a number of parkrunners acheive some amazing milestones.  Steve Petitt completed his 50th, Paul Nichols completed his 100th, Steve Harrison completed his 200th parkun.  Finally the fabulous Ben Duncalf at just 6 years old completed his 50th parkrun.  What fantastic acheivements. Huge congratulations to you all!

This week 418 people ran, jogged and walked the course, of whom 42 were first timers and 67 recorded new Personal Bests. Representatives of 23 different clubs took part.

Huge thanks to our high vis heroes and heroines this week, who were;

Susan POOLE • Harry WARDLE • Claire HARRISON • Jack HARRISON • Danielle KENNY • Peter RATHBONE • Simon COOTE • Liz PRESTON • Sadie PRINCE • Barry HOUGH • Roy WILLIAMSON • Maurice FITZGERALD • Pam SAUNDERS • Karen KENNY • Nicola MARSHALL • Kimberly SMART • Ray SWEENEY • Matthew YEOMANS • Mandy YEOMANS • Chloe WILD • Karen WILD • Neil COE • Caroline MORGAN-PETERS • Paul YOUNG • Nicole BRANDRETH • Joe SCOTT

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

The male record is held by Matthew MCCORMACK who recorded a time of 16:08 on 16th February 2019 (event number 55).
The female record is held by Chloe LEATHER who recorded a time of 18:25 on 28th December 2019 (event number 100).
The Age Grade course record is held by Pam DAVIES who recorded 88.96% (23:51) on 5th October 2019 (event number 88).

Crewe parkrun started on 17th February 2018. Since then 5,507 participants have completed 31,339 parkruns covering a total distance of 156,695 km, including 6,945 new Personal Bests. A total of 442 individuals have volunteered 2,719 times.

On Saturday, Crewe Parkrun was proud to host our biggest event yet with 465 people taking part; running, jogging and walking the event powered by pacers, pushchairs and puppies, with around 15% of these being first-timers! This not only takes some organisation behind the scenes (especially when we experience a hiccup with the results :') ) but it takes a lot out of our dedicated cohort of volunteers each and every week too.

Here's a little insight as to how volunteering has changed the mindset of one of our stalwarts, Gail Prince:

I have this wonderful family who support me ‘no-matter-what’, despite that, I had come to the realisation that I’m not the person that I was or that I could be. Over many years I had gradually put on weight and in May last year I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. So the time had come for me to shake myself off and do something about it.