Kirstin Nicholson, The Koondrook and Barham Bridge Newspaper
Regardless of the weather, runners and walkers can be seen pounding the paths of Garden and Gilrule Parks in Cohuna every Saturday morning. They are part of a global organisation called parkrun.
parkrun is a free, timed 5km event held every Saturday morning, not just in Cohuna, but all over the world, originating in England in 2004. Runners and walkers of all ages and fitness levels are welcome and it doesn’t matter how fast or slow you are.
Starting and ending in Garden Park, the Cohuna course winds through picturesque Gilrule Park. The event is timed so you have something to challenge yourself against each week.
Amy Treacy initiated Cohuna parkrun in December 2016. She saw the need for it within our community and was instrumental in getting it off the ground. It was embraced by the community and has seen the fitness and wellness levels of many people improve in that time. Like everything, parkrun has had a hiatus due to COVID-19. This week it will hold its 196th event.
Children aged four and over are eligible to register, and if they complete the whole course independently, their time is registered. Children under four are welcome to come along but they must be in a pram or carried if not walking, as no scooters or bikes are allowed on the course.
To encourage ongoing participation, parkrun introduced milestones to celebrate completion of a certain number of events – for children their first milestone is 10 parkruns, adults is 50 and volunteers is 25 events. Milestone shirts are worn proudly.
The event relies on volunteers each week with roles including run director, set up, marshal, timekeeper, barcode scanner, finish tokens, tail walker, volunteer co-ordinator and photographer. All are overseen by Alan Hislop, Cohuna’s event director.
What to expect – participants:
Participants meet at 7.45am in Garden Park, ready for an 8am start. If you are new to parkrun or visiting, the course will be explained to you. The run director will give a briefing to the group, welcoming any newcomers or tourists and outlining the rules (there aren’t many). The event is started and you run or walk your way around the course.
There is plenty of support out there and plenty of walkers who are up for a chat if you want to take it slow. Marshals will be on course to guide you and there is also a tail walker whose one job is to come last! They make sure no one is left behind.
When you cross the finish line, you will receive a finish token with your place number. This is given to the barcode scanner who will scan it and your personal printed barcode. That’s it – you’re done! Congratulations.
What to expect – volunteers:
Volunteers proudly wear vests that identify them as parkrun vollies. It is ideal to arrive early enough to get to your spot or make sure you know your role. The timer and barcode scanning are done using an app on your phone (it is very user-friendly), and results are uploaded on the parkrun system using a simple QR code process.
Cuppa time:
Following the event, everyone is welcome to head over to the Tavern for coffee. It is a great time to wind down and socialise with people from our community and parkrun tourists.
How do I join?
parkrun is free, that is the beauty of it. Sign up at www.parkrun.com.au and select Cohuna parkrun as your home parkrun centre. Print out your barcode because you must bring a printed copy with you for scanning.
Going away?
Terrific – your one registration and barcode is valid at every parkrun around the world. parkrun touristing is very popular – believe it or not, people plan their holidays around parkrun locations. Cohuna regularly sees visitors come to town purely to do parkrun and stay for the weekend.
This article appeared in The Koondrook and Barham Bridge Newspaper, 16 September 2021.
