As the gaze of the sporting world falls onto the Tokyo Olympics, regular parkrunner Judy Pollock will be taking a keener interest than most. At the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Judy won a bronze medal in the 400 metres, the first of her three Olympic Games. Between 1965 and 1967, she set world…
Jennie Parker says she was a runner before having her children, but she’d got out of the habit due to “life’s busyness”. It was when she gave the ultimate gift of life to her twin sister Sue in the UK that she thought of running again. “It was going to be a way…
When Kelly saw an ad in the local paper for parkrun she was in the process of change. For decades she had been using drugs, had no friends, no life and didn’t know where to begin. After first addressing her addiction and seeking help she then started to look for things to do for…
‘It’s a combination of fear and determination. The fear of going back to where I was and the determination to not go back there’. Paul Webb has lost 80kgs, tackled social anxiety and made friends on a journey that’s taken him from first timer and volunteer to sub 30-minute parkrunner and Run Director. …
Angela Fukutome is Event Director at Sanukikodomonokuni parkrun in Japan. She was never a ‘runner’, describing herself as someone who always had a ‘tummy ache’ on cross country day. On a visit home she plucked up the courage to go to parkrun, and that day changed everything. Here’s her story. I was never…
Rabiah Rahmat is the only parkrunner who wears a hijab at her home parkrun – Torrens, yet she has never felt isolated. She has only met wonderful people there and truly believes parkrunners uphold the value of inclusiveness. Rabiah has improved her health and happiness and seen tremendous improvement recently as she explains… With…
Like many others, Michelle Lamb from Charleys Creeks parkrun has had a year of ups and downs. At the beginning of the year, Michelle set a goal of running faster and further than she ever had in a year. She was walking and running most days, coming to parkrun, volunteering and taking part in the…
Maeri Howard inspired her connections on social media to join her at parkrun. A breast cancer diagnosis shortly after turned her world upside down. Here she tells us how the connections she made at parkrun and the commitment to “show up” helped her continue to feel normal during her treatment. It’s my parkrunning…
When 75 year old Mary Gehrmann completes Rocks Riverside parkrun in Brisbane, she’s always proud to come in first place – in her age group, that is. Mary took up parkrun in 2016 at age 71 and came from a background of little to no physical activity. She is now encouraging more in her…
Bonnie Davies’ Strava feed contains most animals found in a zoo and possibly on a farm, too. The Hobart parkrunner and keen marathoner decided a few years ago she was sick and tired of pounding the pavement around the same routes on long runs, so she got creative. Some of Bonnie’s creations include…
