Nelson joins the Parkrun revolution
Nelson became the country’s 55th Parkrun in the weekend. Photo: Pete Marshall Photo.
New Zealand’s 55th Parkrun kicked off its first race at Neale Park in the weekend with 286 runners, walkers and parents with pushchairs, competing.
Organiser Ruth Rogers says the fastest competitor crossed the finish line in 16 minutes, while walkers at the rear took just under an hour to complete the course.
“One hundred and thirty-four participants had never attended a Parkrun before and ages who attended were from under 10s to 75-plus!
“It was a very positive and encouraging atmosphere.”
Each week, New Zealand now has nearly 10,000 participants taking part in a Parkrun and Ruth says globally there are more than 2,300 Parkrun locations and 10 million registered participants.
From now on, a Parkrun will be held every week at Neale Park in Nelson, beginning at 8am.
The event is free, but Ruth encourages participants to register before they first compete.
More information about the Nelson Parkrun can be found here.