Aberystwyth parkrun volunteer takeover by Aberystwyth University, 23 November
Despite the yellow weather warnings, the parkrun on November 23, 2024, saw an impressive turnout of 104 dedicated runners and walkers, undeterred by the challenging conditions. This week’s event featured an Aberystwyth University volunteer takeover, with an enthusiastic team of students and staff bringing energy, smiles, and a full house of support to Plascrug Avenue!
Volunteers at the start
Run Director Hannah Dee was at the helm of this wet windy parkrun and arrived at 07:00 to check the course. A rumour had been going around that Hannah swept the path clear of leaves… [Edit: this was the storm’s doing, the only parkrun in the UK actually made safer by Storm Bert.]
Jo welcoming first timers
Jo Walker welcomed and briefed the first-timers, including a visitor from Australia.
Hannah the RD and Jon the VC (Vice Chancellor, not Volunteer Coordinator)
Aberystwyth University Vice Chancellor Jon Timmis started the parkrun, then swapped the starting line for the finish line to hand out tokens.
The start of the parkrun
We had a full set of pacers, including Louise Amery, Sara Childs, Saul Ashton, Patrick Finney, Irene Griffiths, Chloe Piggott, James Shepherd, and Mark Whitehead – thanks for setting the pace!
Pacers being Pacey
Our tokens were sorted with efficiency by our excellent sorting team, using PTSD (Pete’s Token Sorting Device)
Token sorters
Dylan Jones, Mesh Tamilchelven, Jacqui Ho and Claire Bailey kept up with everyone and kept everyone going as tail walkers and parkwalkers. Mesh and Dylan were completing their first ever parkrun, Claire was doing her 74th.
Claire, parkwalker
Tail and parkwalkers
And at the end, everyone went bananas for 100 bananas!
Go Bananas!
SPECIAL MESSAGE FROM PARKRUN:
Special thanks to all the named volunteers, and not forgetting these super volunteers: Katie Cooper, Arthur Dafis, Jess Jackson, Mary Keeler-Kenyon, Helen Miles, Emily Mills, Ian Munton, Jen Phipps, Cara Rainbow, and Marion Thomson. We also welcomed Jessica Terry from West Wales Domestic Abuse to the day.
Finally: Many thanks to Cara Rainbow for this excellent run report, and for doing so much work behind the scenes. On behalf of parkrun we’d like to say thanks to her and to AU for mustering a super set of volunteers, and bananas, for White Ribbon Day 2024.