Salisbury parkrun makes long-awaited return
The free 5k run is back this Saturday (24 July)
Last updated 23rd Jul 2021
Fans of parkrun will finally be able to get their fix as the weekly running event returns to Churchill Gardens on Saturday mornings.
All UK parkrun events were cancelled in March 2020 due to the pandemic but the majority will restart this weekend.
Prior to the pandemic the city's event was attracting around 400 participants either running or walking.
Donna Harris is one of many who can't wait;
"I am so excited to have parkrun coming back. It's that feeling of the running community coming together, no matter what your ability and having fun. It's just what we need."
Event Director Jef Hutchby admits it'll be an emotional moment;
"I think for a lot of volunteers and certainly for a lot of people returning it's a whole mixture of emotions. Obviously it's great to be back but we do realise that a lot of participants have suffered with Covid one way or another, either mentally, physically, people they know, work or loss of, there are so many circumstances."
SAFETY MEASURES
There are safety measures in place which includes having more volunteers to scan barcodes to avoid congestion in the finish area.
NEW COURSE
There's another change too, a brand new course of four laps.
It runs around the outer edge of Churchill Gardens in a clockwise direction.
There's no 'Lizzie's Corner' named after one of the dedicated and cheery volunteers Lizzie Guasch.
Regulars needn't be too disappointed we're told it's more of a case of 'Lizzie's street.'
Co Event Director Jef Hutchby says they've been working on the new route during lockdown.
"We've had to take into account the wear and tear on the grass and we also have a flooding problem we were trying to get around. It's also quite tricky to fit 5k into the Churchill Gardens. After playing around with the measuring wheel we've kept it as simple as possible, it's four laps of the outer path of the park with a start and finish of what I call the spine path which runs from the College roundabout corner to the path that runs down to the river walk."
We're also being warned that "GPS likes to measure it short or over measure it" but Jef has some reassuring words on that - "hand on heart I can say it is within 2 metres of being 5k."
If you're new to parkrun and would like to take part or volunteer then you'll need to register.
It's quick and easy and you can find out more here: https://www.parkrun.org.uk/salisbury/
JUNIOR PARKRUN
Junior parkrun resumed in April but older children weren't able to take part.
The return of 5k events means that 11-14 year olds are now able to join in again.
The city's event takes place at 9am on Sundays also in Churchill Gardens.
You can find out more on their facebook page