A cold and wet start didn’t look too promising for this morning’s junior parkrun, but things soon turned around. 🌧️We were delighted to be joined for the first time by the children of St Dunstan’s School, all looking smart in their maroon tracksuits and eager to have a great experience. After taking shelter in the bandstand, the clouds finally lifted and the sun made a welcome appearance.

Wayne, Kirsty, James and Karen completed their marshalling duties brilliantly, with plenty of cheering and clapping to keep the kids motivated. With the sunshine sticking around, hopefully everyone headed home afterwards for a well-deserved cup of coffee (or in my case, a cup of tea!). ☕️

The weather was dry this morning for Woking junior parkrun, but hooo, how chilly!

Woking Goodgymers came in force to cheer the young runners who sped the two laps round the park. Adam (and his Mum), Alys, Anne, Luan, Nadia and Wayne met at the Bandstand before taking up various positions to marshal. All of us, with a varied degree of enthusiasm, took part in the warm-up. Adam was excused because if his broken foot though.

The first runner to cross the line did it in 7:29 and the 120th runner's time was 21:16. There were 24 PB and 9 ran the route for the first time.

Will we see you on Thursday evening at the Foodbank when we will do our monthly deep clean? In the meantime, happy running to you all.

On a bright and sunny morning , I was happy to see the clear blue skies after lots of rain as I headed towards Woking park to help get ready for the Junior Parkrun happening. As I had an unfortunate injury, there was no running for me today. I got to the park and the start line and finish were all setup and all I had to do was confirm to Harold, the run director I had arrived and what was my role. I was placed at position 8 Marshal point which was down by the bridge near the decking by the lake that is now full of water again. My Mum came down to support too and she was placed at marshal point 9. As it got closer to 9 the park started to fill with lots of the athletes that are going to be racing.

Not long before the start James showed up to make sure every thing was covered which was great timing as Harold, the run director had appealed for more volunteers as we were short for the minimum amount that was needed to be able allow Parkrun to go ahead. As James and a parent step-up to fill the empty marshal stops the run could happen.

With all the marshals in position and the children lined up to start the run, Harold quickly count down form 3 to 1 so that the children had a fast start. It wasn’t long before the first children ran the fist lap, some avoiding the puddles and being very strategic in where they landed, others with perfect aiming to hit every puddle square in the centre.

With all the children making great head way on their run, it wasn’t long before the fist child finished in a time of 7:52, with second place fighting close behind with a time of 7:53 that must have been a nail-biting finish. After all 91 children finished the marshals where relieved of their positions and I went back to the Bandstand where I continued and help clear up the remaining parkrun equipment before my Mum, James and I went to have a celebratory coffee.

Well done for a great job by everyone.

**First Report By Olalekan

On Sunday morning, I volunteered as a Marshall at the Woking Junior Parkrun. I arrived early to help set up the course and was given a briefing about my position and responsibilities. My main task was to guide and encourage the runners, make sure they followed the correct route, and report any issues to the Run Director.

During the event, I stood at my designated point on the course, cheering on the children and offering encouragement as they ran past. It was great to see so many young runners taking part and enjoying themselves. I also made sure the path was clear and safe for everyone.

After the final runner passed, I collected the course signs near my position and helped pack them away. The whole experience was very positive — it was rewarding to support the event and help the children stay motivated and safe. I would definitely be happy to volunteer again in the future.

2nd Report By Karen

Following a last-minute appeal to parents and carers, we were able to go ahead with the parkrun — we had been two volunteers short at the start. In total, 134 runners took part, supported by 23 wonderful volunteers.

Among them were two GoodGymers, Ola and Karen, who sadly didn’t manage to spot each other on the day. With the colder weather now here, our red T-shirts tend to be hidden under coats, which makes meeting a bit more challenging. To be fair, Ola braved it in a T-shirt, so we’re still not sure how Karen missed that!

Despite the chill, it was a great morning and an enjoyable run for everyone involved — runners and volunteers alike.

Junior Park Run

This mornings junior park run was a little gray, with rain threatening 😢 but luckily we got way with it.

Wayne arrived early and was designated check point 4 to cheer and encourage the young runners around the 2k course

In total there were 132 runners with the fastest time being a very impressive 07:17 with another 36 PB's

It was definitely an autumnal park run this morning, with one of the HG members wearing her gloves to marshal.

There were 3 of us, Anne, Laura and Karen …situated at different points around the course.Despite the chill there was a good turn out of runners and as usual a great atmosphere.

This is a wonderful opportunity for children to start running, almost as soon as they can walk and such a fun volunteering role for us.