On October 15th, 2022 Avery Beach parkrun held its 50th run since beginning in 2019. The event was aiming for a 50-participant turnout – they were close!
This weekly global charity is held all around the world. parkrun is a free, weekly, timed 5km event organized by volunteers. “225, 000 people participated at a parkrun on October 15th. It’s pretty cool to think we’re part of something so big,” said Leigh Fettes, one of the run directors.
parkrun started in the UK at Bushy Park in 2004. That event usually has over 1000 people, every Saturday morning. There are currently parkruns on six continents and in 22 different countries. The first Canadian parkrun was held in the Rockies (there are now 44), and the Avery Beach parkrun started in May 2019.
The season runs from May to October, so this Saturday will be the final parkrun for the 2022 season. People have to register once for parkun and are given a barcode that is good at any parkrun worldwide. Once registered, participants can show up at any parkrun, anywhere in the world, without registering again. They just take their barcode.
Fettes mentioned, “Because Muskoka is such a tourist area, we regularly welcome visitors from near and far. We’ve had people from the US, UK, Ireland, Germany, Norway, and Australia. We love welcoming parkrun tourists.” On the 50th parkrun in Huntsville, one of the participants was a visitor from the UK and was completing her 301st parkrun.
Participants run and walk at all different speeds, and it’s not a race (unless someone chooses to race themselves). “We do provide a time, which people are welcome to track, or they can completely ignore it. We cheer for and encourage everyone as they run and finish. Visitors to our course often tell us that ours is among the most beautiful they’ve visited, and we’d have to agree” added Fettes. The Avery Beach trail is not maintained in the winter, so it is classified as a seasonal parkrun event. Most parkruns are held year-round. “We have a Facebook page (Avery Beach parkrun), and can be reached via that, or our email [email protected]. People can also find out more about parkrun in general at parkrun.com. They can register there too. Doug Allan and I share the run director role at Avery Beach. We hope to welcome more participants when we start up next spring,” said Fettes.
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