Didcot parkrun, event #235, 26th October 2019 - By Suzie Walker

Wet and windy weather overnight made the field part of the course soft going underfoot but the rain held off until the tail walk had finished and as I was the tail walker - hooray!

Some of the participants seemed to have just rolled out of bed and were still in their pyjamas, fingers crossed that they all took the pictures they needed to to have a chance at winning a prize for #parkruninpjs

As it was the last Saturday of the month, 5K Your Way, Move Against Cancer were in attendance with some particularly good looking (and tasting) cakes at the the football club after. We will be back next month, if you know anyone that could join us do tell them that we're here.

One of the things that I love so much about parkrun is that even if the weather is a bit blurgh or I've dragged myself out but I'm not really "feeling it", by the time I have been and completed or volunteered at parkrun it all feels a bit better. It must be in part to the activity but also to the AMAZING people. The volunteers, keeping warm and giving encouragement and smiles to everyone but also everyone participating who thanked me and the other marshals for helping - thank YOU- it makes such a difference to my morning, my day and my week!

It was so positive to see a massive group for the first timers and tourists briefing and this week 252 people ran, jogged and walked the course, of whom 39 were first timers and 18 recorded new Personal Bests. Representatives of 21 different clubs took part.

The event was made possible by 21 volunteers:

Helen BRIND • Michael JOHNSON • Alan WOOD • Hayleigh GASCOIGNE • Miranda HABERMEL • Gavin WARRINGTON • Gordon JACKSON • Bolaji JEGEDE • Charlotte WARRINGTON • Selina STILES • Martin WOOD • Diane WOOD • Tammi WILLIAMS • Suzie WALKER • Faye HARDIMAN • Aileen SPANKIE • Patrick HARDIMAN • Joe BATES • Malcolm PEEL • Carol MILES • John PORTER

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

Didcot parkrun, event #228, 31st August 2019 - By Jacquii John

My 3rd parkrun, my 3rd time volunteering at parkrun and coincidently I am on week 3 of couch to 5K. I wake up with excitement and put on my 5K Your Way, Move Against Cancer t-shirt with pride and wonder if 7am is too early to drive the 8 miles to Didcot parkrun.

I remember with a smile that Clint and his slimming World team are taking over the volunteer roles today ….. it’s now 7:30am and I wonder if it still too early?

I remember the first time I came to parkrun, nervous and embarrassed as I am over weight and I can’t run. I had registered for parkrun long ago and regularly checked the results to see the slowest finishing time and made a deal with myself that as soon as I could run 5k in 45 minutes I would attend. Then I became an ambassador for 5K Your Way, Move Against Cancer and that gave me the push I needed to attend.

Saturday 25 May I completed my first ever parkrun. My nervousness and embarrassment were short lived! The support and encouragement from the other Park runners and the volunteers were amazing! Practically all the way round runners were cheering me on, congratulating me and giving me words of encouragement and 58.47 minutes later when I reached the finish line, there were so many people there to cheer me across the line that it made me both emotional and proud.

Now I am addicted!

With excitement I joined the volunteer welcome chat at 08:15am and it was lovely to meet Clint and his Slimming World Superstars who have lost a whopping 92 stone between them! I proudly donned my orange tail walker tabard and even before I had reached the start line I was thanked by several Park runners.

Tail walking was a wonderful experience. I walked and talked with some lovely people and a little pup called Eros. 5k felt like a stroll in the park with the continuous shouts of support from the park runners, the enthusiasm and high fives from the Slimming World volunteers and the confetti cannons and music.

From a Park ‘walker’ and an ambassador of 5K Your Way, Move Against Cancer I thank you all for letting me be part of your gang.

This week 378 people ran, jogged and walked the course, of whom 42 were first timers and 48 recorded new Personal Bests. Representatives of 24 different clubs took part.
Congratulations to the following for achieving milestones this week: Susan Besford (250), Hannah Rhodes (100), Vaughan Machin (100), Tracey Potts (50) and Tom Davies (50).

A huge thank you to Slimming World for providing such enthusiastic volunteers. The event was made possible by the following 28 high-viz heroes:

Arantza APPLEBY-PINANA • Hayleigh GASCOIGNE • Scot WHEELER • Nicola BOUWES • Mark HARVEY • Betsy BRIND • Jackie COSTELLO • Sally GATES • Jacqueline JOHN • Karen SPACKMAN • Katie ARUNDELL • Sheena LAWRENCE • Aileen SPANKIE • Clint WHITE • Carole IRESON • Malcolm PEEL • Laura DIX • Julie KNIGHT • Carol MILES • Nicola IRELAND • Beverley SCARFE • Janine HALSTEAD • Stephanie WHITBY • Heather COMERFORD • Carolyn SMITH • Danielle HUNT • Sue SIMPSON • Caroline MILLER

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

Didcot parkrun, event #224, 3rd August 2019 - By Amy Rose O'Hanlon

08:50, Ladygrove Park, Didcot. A small huddle of runners in blue bibs are nervously punching numbers into sports watches and generally wishing they had paid more attentionin GCSE maths.

It’s pacer week again – the second at Didcot – and this time round the five volunteer pacers were running times of 23, 27, 30, 33 and 37 minutes respectively. Pacing was a first for me, and whilst I knew I could comfortably run a 27 minute 5k, the responsibility of leading a pack of PB hopefuls began to weigh on me as we lined up at the start.

Conditions on Saturday were, in run brief terms, ‘good’, and positively idyllic after the wash-out that was the week before. So, after a quick reminder of where the toilets are (andwhere they are not – public amenities not to be confused with the parkrun logo), RD Helen gave a quick ‘3, 2, 1, go!’, stopwatches bleeped into action, and 292 people set off across the park.

When I first heard of pacers at parkrun, I admit I wasn’t convinced. Surely placing a focus on finish times would undermine the ‘Walk, jog, run, not a race’ message? I was wrong, of course. If anything, pacer events bring to the fore what makes parkrun so special: the camaraderie, the everyone's-a-winner positivity, the celebration of getting out in the Great Outdoors, be that for a walk, jog or run, a catch-up with friends or a PB-chase. The whole way round the course, marshals were cheering on pacers who were cheering on runners who were cheering on one another. parkrun is free, weekly and timed, but not time-limited – for those 5 kilometres, your time, like your barcode, is your own, and with applause coming from all directions on Saturday, the open-for-all message rang louder than ever.

Testament to this mutual encouragement, 47 people recorded new personal bests this week. I’d like to say a personal well done to Nicholas Fields, who stuck on my heels the whole way round and, with a little nudge in the finishing straight, flew across the line to a new sub-27 PB. Nicholas: you’ve no need to thank me – those were your legs, not mine.

Running as a pacer was one of the most enjoyable and heart-warming experiences I’ve had at parkrun. It was an honour to watch so many people give it their all and achieve things they didn’t think were possible. Helping someone else to a new personal best, it turns out, feels even better than beating your own.

This week 292 people ran, jogged and walked the course, of whom 27 were first timers (14of whom were new to parkrun (welcome to Ambra, Anna, Beata, Becky, Clara, Davina, Kate, Kelly, Penny, Sofia, Alexander, Alfie, Riley, and Wayne: we hope to see you back next week).

Representatives of 26 different clubs took part and we had tourists from Bath, Brighton and Jabłonna, Poland.

The event was made possible by 27 volunteers:

Robert BRIND • Helen BRIND • Sue HENDERSON • Alan MURPHY • Neil SALMONS • Jody CHANNON • Terry WEBB • Matt BEZZANT • Scot WHEELER • Miranda HABERMEL• Vaughan MACHIN • Rachael BARTHOLOMEW • Nichola POULTON • Sarah RUANE • Sabiene NORTH • Dave SMITH • Sue JENNINGS • Michael HIBBERD • Anna GUTTERIDGE • Natalie TURNER • Aileen SPANKIE • Jenny SMITH • Catherine JARVIS •Carol MILES • Hannah TRIMBLE • John PORTER • Amy Rose O'HANLON

Today's full results and a complete event history can be found on the Didcot parkrun ResultsPage.

Didcot parkrun, event #223, 27th July 2019 - By Stephen English

I woke up one morning about a year ago and realised I’d turned sixty, was over nineteen stone and totally unfit.

I’d heard about the couch to 5k on the radio and gave it a go....

At first I couldn’t run for even a minute without ending up out of breath, fast forward a few months and I found I could run forty five minutes without stopping. I’d been running three times a week and on my Saturday run came across some of the parkrun volunteers, they suggested I gave the run a try which I did the next week.

The parkrun is good as you go around at your own pace, runners from clubs, people with children, mothers pushing buggy’s, old couples running/walking holding hands, some runners fifty years my junior and some twenty years my senior everyone is welcome and treated the same.

The many volunteers who turn up every week offer a smiling face and plenty of encouragement and if not for them I doubt the run would go ahead or run so smoothly.

I’m still slow but getting better and I’ve managed to loose one and a half stone. Basically the running seems to be doing me good and if I can do it I would suggest most people if they tried could also benefit from parkrun.

This week 278 people ran, jogged and walked the course, of whom 34 were first timers and 49 recorded new Personal Bests. Representatives of 27 different clubs took part.

The event was made possible by 23 volunteers:

Sarah THOMAS • Helen BRIND • Neil SALMONS • Mark SEADEN • Matthew SEADEN • Scot WHEELER • Miranda HABERMEL • Richard SAVAGE • Robert HILLS • Sue JENNINGS • Caja JENNINGS • Selina STILES • Andrea FROST • Stephanie WAKELING • Martin WOOD • Diane WOOD • Elliot FROST • Meredith FROST • Robert FROST • Aileen SPANKIE • Leanne AVIS • Hannah TRIMBLE • Steve ENGLISH

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