So that's another parkrun year done - it doesn't seem like five minutes since we did this twelve months ago!

When we held our first parkrun at the arboretum, we had 55 runners and it took eleven months to break into three figures. Now, in our fifth year, the average attendance is 336 and we hit a record attendance of 431.

Some of our regular volunteers - all have helped our on 20 or more occasions

The core team

In our fourth year of parkrun taking place at Walsall Arboretum, we staged 53 events, including Christmas Day. 2,492 unique runners have completed the 5km course - that's 14,287 individual runs. Of course, this couldn't have taken place without the support of 286 unique volunteers!

As at 6 March 2015, there are now 5,156 runners who have registered Walsall as their home parkrun, of which 1,510 registered since our third birthday. (Please don't all turn up at the same time!) The most number of parkrun attendees was on 3 October 2015 where 355 people crossed the line. The fewest number of parkrun attendees was on 26 December 2015, when 135 people took part.

Annual Points Competition

Junior parkrunners

Volunteering:

We couldn't put on a parkrun every week without your help. Outside the core team I'd like to acknowledge the contribution made by Ron Reynolds, Steve Law, Surinder Thind, Will Edler and Eva Hendon as the parkrunners and junior parkrunners who have volunteered the most times.

Then there's my core team - no matter what time you try to get down to the arboretum on a Saturday morning, Mike and Ursula Elwell are already there and have the course pretty much set up already.

The role of volunteer co-ordinator is done by Harshad Patel who encourages you good parkrunners to help out each week and fills the rota in.

Finally, to the Run Directors who have responsibility for the run each week as well as processing the results and so I'm very grateful to Anne Kelsall (who unfortunately couldn't be with us today), Ayaaz Tarajia (retired), Gary Jenkins, Pete Dimbleby and Sarah Tucker for their contribution to parkrun here in Walsall.

For those of you who are interested, here are some stats for the past twelve months.

Fastest Finishers:

Most First Finishes:

All Male First Finishers (in date order):

Daniel Robinson, Elliot Jones, Kevin Loundes, Benjamin Boulter, Gurmal Singh, Michael Morley, Martin Williams, Steve Thompson, Dougie Musson, Alex Parker, Aaron Brown, Chris Poulton, Thomas Beasley, Christopher Fullerton, James Jefferson, Ashley Crawford, Luke Andrew Davis, Robert Beech, Christopher Baxter, Luke Vine, David Waple, Shaun Barnsley, Richard Powell.

All Female First Finishers (in date order):

Joanne Kent, Tracy Alderson, Ania Gruszczynska, Hannah Helmore, Gemma Sidaway, Lucy Cambridge, Jennifer Hitchcott, Deborah Blakeman, Mary Senior, Katie Allen, Sarah Conway, Julie Delahaye-Slater, Autumn Howard, Penelope Jane Barber, Abigail Saker, Erin Roberts, Rebecca Brayer, Isher Mander, Jayne Rogers, Katie Dolan, Louise Booker, Jill McGee, Val Carter, Elizabeth Watters, Diane Watson, Tam Calder.

New Age Category Records:

The following age category records were broken in 2014/15:

Men

Women

(Age groupings not stated did not have the record broken in 2015/16. The full list is here: http://www.parkrun.org.uk/walsall/results/agecategoryrecords/ ).

Here's to a successful 5th year.

Regards, Chris

In the last month, we've had almost 100 people run at Walsall parkrun for the first time. I thought it might be an idea to put something together so everyone can enjoy their Saturday morning parkrun. Rather than re-invent the wheel I've *borrowed* the below from our friends at Oxford parkrun.

Happy running and see you down the Arbo on Saturday!

1. Remember your printed barcode

Without a printed barcode, we will not be able to give you a time, no exceptions.  We recommend the official parkrun barcode solutions. Unfortunately, we are unable to accept any barcodes on any mobile or other digital devices - Tom explains the reason why in a recent newsletter here: http://www.parkrun.org.uk/news/2016/01/21/weekly-newsletter-21st-january-2016/

2. It's a run, not a race

parkrun is open to everyone, no matter how fast you are. All runners are expected to be courteous to one another.

If you are a quick runner looking to pass, please ensure you do so safely and politely. By the same token, if you are a slower runner, or if you wish to run in a group, please keep to the left to allow space for faster runners to pass.

Whilst we have no problem with runners wearing headphones, please can you try and keep your music down to a level where you'll be able to hear both any warnings from the marshalls or any faster runners approaching.

3. Only cross the finish line once

When you cross the finish line, your time is captured by our volunteer timekeepers. Should you cross the line again (running in with a slower runner perhaps) this will upset the results.

4. Always take a finish token

When you've crossed the finish line, you must take a finish token. If you do not take a token, all runners after you will receive an inaccurate time for their run.

Once you have your finish token, take both it and your printed barcode to one of our volunteer barcode scanners.

5. Always give your finish token back

Even if you've forgotten your printer barcode, please return our finish token. They are waterproof, reliably scannable and guaranteed for five years.

When we lose one we have to replace it with a blank token and sticker which inevitably don't scan as well and wear out due to weather. Replacement original tokens cost 70p each.

6. Volunteer

parkrun is volunteer led. Without volunteers there is no parkrun. Please thank the marshalls on your way round.

Volunteering is extremely rewarding and very easy, full training is given for all roles and there are even roles you can complete and still run. You don't need to be scared of making a mistake as for all crucial roles we have two volunteers doing the same thing.

Finally, it's a great way of getting to know fellow parkrunners. You can check out our current volunteer rota here: http://www.parkrun.org.uk/walsall/futureroster/

7. Respect other park users

We do not have exclusive use of the park or it's paths. Please be polite to other park users.

8. Stay within arms reach of under 11s

Children under 11 must be within arms reach of a parent/guardian/designated adult at all times. This is a requirement of our insurance policy and is non-negotiable. We may remove the results of under 11s we find running without an adult.

If your under 11 wants to run by themselves, please check out junior parkrun.

9. Keep your dog on a short lead

You are welcome to run parkrun with a single dog. We ask that they are under firm control and on a short lead at all times. Please take extra care to avoid tripping other runners.

10. Smile!

Ron Reynolds is often on hand taking photos of your run. If you would prefer not to have your photo taken, please speak to the Run Director before the run.

11. Go to the cafe afterwards

The café in the visitor centre is within a few hundred meters of the start/finish line. We'd love to see you there and recommend the bacon sandwiches!

12. Check the results, find us on Facebook & Twitter

We aim to get your result to you on Saturday morning by email (and SMS if you set it up). Occasionally circumstances may mean they come out later. We are on Facebook as Walsall Arboretum parkrun and Twitter as @Walsallparkrun.

13. Milestones and more

parkrun and Tribesports provide free milestone t-shirts to parkrun in recognition of their achievements. As a junior, you can claim a t-shirt after 10 runs. Everyone can claim a t-shirt for reaching 50, 100, 250 and 500 runs. There is also a t-shirt available when you have volunteered 25 times.

parkrunners can also purchase a discounted FitBit device.

14. Donations

If you love parkrun, you can donate to us to help us cover the costs of keeping the event running smoothly. 85% of your donation will come directly to Walsall, with 15% going to the new event fund.