Parkrun birthday
Hobie Beach Parkrun parkrun is expecting a field of more than 500 runners to hit the seashore track and celebrate its third birthday on Saturday, August 13.
An international event, parkrun is a free, timed 5km run which is open to walkers and runners. The and the Port Elizabeth event is every Saturday at 8am at Hobie Beach next to Shark Rock Pier.
Since the PE Hobie Beach Parkrun parkrun started on August 10 in 2013, the paths along the beachfront from the pier to the beacon in Admiralty way have been pounded by 9 144 different runners, drawing participants from 178 athletics clubs.
Over three years runners, walkers, dogs and even babies in prams have between them clocked up 58 379 completed runs over a total distance of 291 895 km.
“As part of the birthday celebrations we are encouraging runners to bring along toys for the Eastern Province Child and Youth Care Centre (they will be joining us on the day) and/or long life milk for the Malabar Home for the Aged,” PE Hobie Beach Parkrun co-director Tamarin Ellis said.
Ellis is the director of the PE Hobie Beach parkrun along with Werner de Lange.
“We will also be announcing the winners of the parkrun annual points competition and there will be plenty of lucky draw prizes to be won.”
Port Elizabeth triathlete Liza Kingston holds the female record for the course which she ran in a time of 18 minutes and eight 8 seconds on September 12 last year, in event number 107.
The male record is held by Amos Nyoungo who ran in a time of 14:59 on November 28 last year, in event number 118.
Another well-known name in Bay athletics, Margie Saunders, holds the age grade course record. Saunders recorded an amazing 98.06% run in a time of 19:47 between Christmas and New Year in 2014.
Anyone may take part in the weekly parkrun, organised by unpaid volunteers such as Ellis and De Lange.
If you would like your race results, then register online – free – to receive a parkrun barcode. Print this barcode onto paper, bring this to the race and hand it in at the finish line.
Later in the day, parkrun e-mails out individual results, and posts photographs from that day’s race on the PE Hobie Beach Parkrun parkrun Facebook page.
Register: at:
