It was the third annual Octogenarian get-together at Bushy parkrun in the UK on Saturday 6 July, with a record number of 48 men and women aged over 80 taking part!
parkrunning Octogenarian Richard Pitcairn-Knowles was one of them, completing his 350th parkrun, and he tells us more about the special day.
With a probable combined age of over 4,000 years, the age-defying octogenarians celebrated their longevity by finishing the 5k course on a very warm and sunny morning, having travelled long distances from far and wide to walk, jog and run with their friends.
Everyone who took part did fantastically well, and once again there were some outstanding performances by both men and women defying their age.
Margaret Smith lowered the M85-89 age group best by almost two minutes with 42:55, and remarkably, first of the 32 men in the 80-84 age group was Douglas Milsom in a jaw-dropping time of 27:17! But it wasn’t just the speedsters, with a number of our fabulous bunch walking the course too. You can view the full results below.
After the event, there was a party which saw the octogenarians and their families picnic and socialise. The brains behind the idea of celebrating being over 80, George Frogley, thanked Carol Dickinson (who kindly took the photo above), the many helpers and, of course, all the Marshals and other volunteers who helped to make it possible for all 1,365 Bushy parkrunners to enjoy the whole event.
Richard Pitcairn-Knowles
We’d love to see Australian events organise similar meet-ups. If you’d like more information on how to get involved in organing something similar, please contact us.
Women’s 80-84
Men’s 80-84
Women’s 85-89
Men’s 85-89
While there might be no winners at parkrun, there are immense rewards. Anyone who chooses to volunteer stands to receive much more in return. If you ask Vince Parker why he volunteers, he will tell you that he just wants to help others. This, of course, is true. As a regular photographer at Bill…
We’re recruiting! From quiet beginnings, parkrun has grown into a worldwide social movement with community at its beating heart. Committed to breaking down barriers to participation in regular physical activity and bringing communities together, we deliver free, weekly, timed events that people of all ages and backgrounds can take part in – as…