Cheltenham parkrun is celebrating its 10-year anniversary this month, as hundreds of runners prepare to take part in Saturday morning’s race.
The run is over 5km, and takes part at Pittville Park every Saturday morning at 9.A.M. The run welcomes participants of all ages and abilities, and has become a big part of the local community over recent years.
One of the core volunteers of the run, James McAvenny, is delighted with how much the run has grown since it first began in 2013.
“It’s our birthday this month, February 2023, which marks 10 years from the first parkrun,” he said. “In that time, over 21,000 runners have taken part in the Cheltenham parkrun, with more than 175,000 runs between them.
We currently average 400 runners every Saturday morning, and it’s brilliant to see the strides we have made over the years.”
The event is ran entirely by volunteers, and anyone can run, jog, walk, or even spectate if they prefer.
The all-inclusivity of the run is clear to see, with runners ranging from as young as seven years old up to octogenarians, there is room for all individuals.
“Parkrun is a wonderfully inclusive run – it’s not a race, it is a run, although it is times so you can always try and improve your performance.
“It is more about being sociable, more about getting out and being part of a community. It is open to anyone at any age, in fact we recently had our oldest runner ever at 85 years old.”
If you would like to get involved, visit the Cheltenham parkrun website and register for an upcoming run.
