Parkrunner of the week!

It's a real honor to be nominated for park runner of the week by my fellow park runners at Glasgow's Pollock Park run and this week it was recognised in the Park Run newsletter! I thought I'd make a post of it for prosperity. Park run has allowed me to give back to the running community and it is such a great event to be apart of.

Here is the Q & A from the news letter:

parkrunner of the week


Name: Stuart McBeath
Club: Giffnock North
Age: 26
Home parkrun: Glasgow
Occupation: Software Testing Consultant
Number of Runs: 6
Number of times volunteered: 16

What do you do at parkruns: Run, Timer, Marshall, Funnel Management, Registration, Numbers, Number Checker and Numbers Assistant. So I have pretty much done every job which happens during the event and I plan to do the other jobs like setup and the race report in the future. I enjoy the variety of jobs and happy with whatever I am assigned to do as it is just a great feeling to contribute and meet like minded people. My favourite job is the timer as I see it as both an honour and a challenge. The challenge I set myself is to get to get a "clean sheet" which would usually mean letting no goals in in football. But for me in parkrun terms it means the number of times you click the timer for a person crossing the finish line equals the number of tokens given out. I have managed to get a clean sheet twice and been one click out twice, so I am pleased with my record and hope to make it three clean sheets by the end of the year!

How has parkrun changed your running: When I first started running I skipped 5ks and 10ks, moving straight up to half marathons and marathons. If it wasn't for parkrun I probably still wouldn't have done a 5k as I prefer longer distances. I have found 5K is a nice distance because it is good to have a speed test every now and then and it takes less time to recover than the longer races. parkrun has made my running a lot more sociable because before I discovered parkrun I would run on my own and I would know no one at races. Now, due to some of the people I met at parkrun, I am a member of a club. So now at races, not only am I getting to the finish line quicker, but I am also getting to know more and more people both from my club and parkrun. Furthermore twice a week I now run with people from the club which makes the miles fly by especially on long runs.

What do you like about parkrun: It get's me up on a Saturday morning! I really enjoy meeting new people who like running and I never tire of hearing their stories, what races they've got coming up or a PB they've just got. The fact that no matter how fast or slow you are, everyone is welcome. I really do feel parkrun is kick starting people's road to fitness and because it is on every week you can see people improve which is nice to be a part of. Pollock Park is also one of my favourite parks and I keep discovering new paths and trails, making it an ideal setting for a run.

Most memorable or funniest parkrun moment: Most memorable moment was at a parkrun recently where I was doing the timer and a lady was doing her first parkrun and was walking most of the course. We were waiting for her to come in as we knew she was the last person out on the course with the tail runner. Her family then came up to me and asked me where she was and we thought she must be about 5 minutes away based on what the marshals told us, so they went out to meet her. She came round the final corner and with her family either side and the tail runner. She had a big grin on her face and got into a jog for the final 50 metres. Afterwards, she turned round to the tail runner after and thanked him for helping her round and asked if he could help her every week. You could tell that that her family were really proud of her and those that were there at the finish were too. It is moments like that, that for me make the parkrun worthwhile and even more encouraging when people say they'll be back for more.

My funniest park run moments are normally in the funnel when we are waiting for the first runner to come in, as people are up for a laugh as we pass the time. A few times when I was doing the timer people usually people ask what time we're at and when it is about thirteen, fourteen minutes, I'll spot someone coming down the course and say to everyone 'Look!, Course record is getting smashed today' for them to turn round to see a women with a pram coming down the finish straight.

Thanks to the directors and parkrun volunteers I have had the pleasure of helping out with and who keep it going week after week. It is a team effort after all and there is certainly a great team spirit up in Glasgow and from what I have read is common across all the parkruns.