It was late November showers that greeted us this morning under the big tree, and as our hardy volunteer team appeared from all directions to discover that efficient Run Director Rue had already set out most of the course and checked it was "runnable", we stood in somewhat nervous anticipation as to whether any junior runners (and/or their coaches) would actually brave the conditions...

But at five to nine the first few enthusiasts started appearing, and before long we had a crowd, huddled in their rain jackets. Rue put a call out for additional volunteers and a few willing hands went up, so alongside local GoodGymmers Lucinda (timekeeping duty/scaring the Run Director) and Nick (first turn Marshall), we finally corralled 11 hi viz heroes...and in today's conditions they were just that.

A brief Hackney Haka warmup led by Rue and they were off - the going was soft to treacherous in places, so care had to be taken at the turns and the especially muddy parts, but great running by all 22 of today's participants, including 3 first timers, and everyone got round seemingly without a tumble and just a lot of muddy ankles as a souvenir. Amazingly there was even a PB.

Same time next week for more fun at the fields, come along if you can - hopefully we'll be back to glorious blue skies by then...

It was a record-breaking morning at London Fields parkrun this week, and the Good Gym crew were right at the heart of the action! We welcomed at least 2 brand-new parkrunners, 11 people smashed their Personal Bests, and at least 5 first-time tourists discovered our course.

A huge thank you to the fantastic volunteer crew: Good Gymers Hilary, Sarah, and Rue were ably assisted by DoE Hugo and some wonderfully dragooned parents, ensuring everything ran smoothly. Some special Good Gym shout outs starting with Sarah, who commanded the top side and held court at her eponymous marshalling tree and Hilary, who put in a true captain's innings by helping with set-up, timekeeping, and token sorting.

Despite the muddy and slippery conditions from recent rain and a carpet of leaves, our sure-footed juniors stormed around the course. It was a marvel to see so many younger participants moving so quickly!

This week's warm-up mantra set the tone: "Dream big, act now, never give up, because you are amazing!" And indeed, every runner and volunteer lived up to that message. You were all amazing!

Let's do it all again next week!

… and the sky is blue!

Hardly a grey cloud in sight at this morning’s London Fields junior parkrun.

Sooz, Rue and Sarah took to their regular posts supporting Jonny as today’s Run Director.

London Fields in its autumn glory provided the beautiful red and orange backdrop for a sunny November Sunday.

Jonny set up the event, briefed the runners and got them raring to go with a strong warm up.

Sooz then started the timing and they were off! Rue on turning point position meant plenty of encouragement as the kids steamed up the first 100m, and hurtled round the first corner; and then again as they came flying down the home straight.

Sarah on her favourite tree got the runners through the hardest part of the course, and before long everyone was gunning back towards Sooz at the finish.

With a broad team of volunteers, they helped 60 youngsters to achieve their Sunday Runday goals, and an incredible 14 personal best times!

Impressive stuff for a leafy day underfoot.

A spooktacular end to half term, with a team of 26 runners today - supported as ever by a small crowd of fabulous volunteers, steered by GoodGym!

Sooz took Run Director duties and Sarah headed to her usual tree 🌳

There were 2 milestones to celebrate - Ada with her ultra marathon (100km!) and Bobby with his first half marathon (22km). Fantastic achievements.

All 26 runners got round without a hitch and it was great to see some new volunteers stepping in to help.

Join us every Sunday for more GoodGym energy to help the young people of Hackney get their weekend exercise !

Crisp conditions met our 54 intrepid junior runners this morning at the Fields, of which 10 were first timers to the course - perfect weather for the weekly 2km gallop, and seemingly no-one was caught out by the clock change either.

Helped by several "parent" volunteers willingly stepping up to don the hi-viz, and joined for the first time today by Hilary of GG Newham, alongside GG regulars Sooz (RD), Sarah (Tree Marshall) and Nick (Tail Walker), we were soon in good shape for the off. Timekeeper Jonathan had barely reached "1" before the eager pack were attempting to run him over, and soon spread around the edges of the course.

It was clear that a few had certainly had their Weetabix (other brands of biscuit shaped cereal are available) or just benefitted from the extra hour in bed, as the front runners had soon overtaken the tail walker, and were seen heading down the home straight not long after, with the first four all registering sub 9 minute times...7 PBs today amongst the participants was a great achievement, and even those towards the back of the field seemed to be (mostly) enjoying themselves under the blue skies and autumn sunshine.

Same again next week under the big tree - come along for inspiration, perspiration, motivation and the chance to wear some fetching hi-viz.

This weekend brought another fantastic event at London Fields, full of community spirit and great energy from start to finish.

We had a turnout of 58 runners, including at least seven first-timers — always a joy to welcome new faces to the parkrun family. We also had the added delight of a birthday celebration, which brought an extra energy to the morning.

Conditions were ideal — bright, dry and perfectly set for a strong run. The atmosphere was lifted even further by another enthusiastic round of the Hackney Haka, which is fast becoming a much-loved part of our warm-up ritual.

One of the highlights this week was the debut of our brand-new bunting, made entirely from recycled materials. Huge thanks to @ecobunting for turning it around so quickly and getting it to us in time — it added a lovely splash of colour and made the setup feel even more festive.

We were very fortunate once again to have the brilliant support of GoodGym volunteers Lucinda, Kareem, Rue, and Sarah. Their presence made a real difference — whether helping with setup, cheering runners on, or keeping the timing, tokens, and scanning smoothly. The encouragement and reliability of GoodGym volunteers continue to add something special to our parkrun community, and we are grateful for the time and energy you bring.

As John Muir once said, “When we try to pick out anything by itself, we find it hitched to everything else in the universe.” That feels true here — each person’s contribution, however small it may seem, helps create the whole experience.

All in all, it was a morning full of connection, celebration and momentum — exactly what parkrun is all about. We are already looking forward to next week and to welcoming back familiar faces as well as new ones.

Thank you again to everyone who helped make it such a success — runners, volunteers and supporters alike.