CAMERON and PIONEER Parks have been buzzing with human activity early each Saturday morning for the past 12 months.
And last Saturday, October 24, the Wellington Park Run celebrated it’s 100th weekly turnout attracting many runners and walkers, lots of colour and a cake to celebrate.
Since the first run on October 18 last year, they have conducted 52 weekly runs with a total of 3346 participants who actually finished the route, all organised by 207 volunteers.
It has been a popular community event with approximately 50 to 60 participants every week (including runners, walkers, joggers, families, prams) - sometimes there are three generations of the same families completing the course each week.
As well, the group has attracted many parkrun ‘tourists’ each week coming from throughout the Central West, Sydney and many more places, many of which keep returning.
It was a 10-year process to get this event up and running, and a purpose track built, actually twice thanks for the 2022 November flood.
The parkrun is a free, weekly, community event where people of all ages can walk, jog, run, volunteer or spectate over five kilometres each Saturday from 8am.
The Saturday morning event helps fitness, friendship and a shared sense of belonging.
The benefits include physical health, supporting mental wellbeing, social connection and a stronger healthier community, healthier, more connected communities, as well as economic benefit from parkrun ‘tourists’ visiting the local event each week.