Phillip Craig has kindly put together this great roundup of parkrun news for TaSH. It highlights key achievements and stats, volunteers and parkrun abroad. Read on for more…
📅 Event Highlights & Achievements
Saturday 1st August – Birthday Milestone & High Finishes: Emma McQuillan and her brother James made Redcar parkrun a family affair, running alongside their dad to celebrate his 70th birthday as he completed his very first parkrun! Over in Scotland, Grace Rowland scored an impressive podium finish as 3rd female at Strathclyde (20:52), while Isaac Myer claimed a top-10 spot coming 6th at Sandall Park (19:23).
Saturday 8th August – First Female Trio & Season Best: A sensational weekend for the Harriers saw three first female finishers! Esther Harrison led the way at Northallerton (20:04), Sarah Fairhurst set the pace at Oakwell Hall (21:51), and Olivia Mulligan flew the flag internationally to cross as 1st female at Fairview parkrun in Dublin (21:16). Meanwhile, Evie Rawlings powered to her fastest 5k of the year at Millfield with 26:37, supported by Michael Sanders (24:40).
Saturday 15th August – First Finishers & Team Pacing: Isaac Myer crossed the line as 1st overall finisher at Redcar parkrun in 18:00. At Northallerton, Anna Jones (24:47) led a large contingent home, which featured a strong return to the course for Luke Barletta (33:37) following an injury layoff, supported with brilliant pacing by Hugh Jenyns (34:36). Over at Millfield, Bronwyn Mayo (23:04) led the squad home.
Saturday 22nd August – PB Bonanza & Top Finishers: A bumper weekend saw PBs galore across North Yorkshire! At Millfield, Sean Parle (21:59), Cathy Knott (26:26), Michelle Barratt (30:37), Cathy Cundy (34:20), and Mike Sanders (23:42) all smashed course PBs, led home by 1st female Esther Harrison (20:28). At Northallerton, Julia Harland (27:15), Vanessa Arthur (24:17), and Luke Barletta (31:24) also landed shiny new PBs! Across the Irish border, Liam Nolan grabbed 6th place at University of Galway (18:59), Olivia Mulligan took 2nd female at Holyrood (21:06), Bronwyn Mayo was 10th female at Rising Sun (23:03), and Isaac Myer finished 7th at Albert Park (18:22).
Saturday 29th August – High-Viz Pacing & First Finishers: Isaac Myer led the field home as 1st overall finisher at Marshall Drive parkrun, Brotton (18:50). A huge shoutout to Duncan Fothergill, who donned the high-viz as the official 30-minute pacer at Northallerton parkrun! Large turnouts across Northallerton and Millfield saw strong running from Bronwyn Mayo (22:25), Laura Wilson (23:10), and Rob Burn (24:00).
🏆 Milestone Corner & Celebrations
Official Milestones: Massive congratulations to Peter Jackson on reaching his 200th parkrun!
Beginners Graduates: Huge congratulations to beginners graduate Sara Ramon Moore for completing Fountains Abbey parkrun in 34:44!
Personal Best Extravaganza: A total of 8 PBs recorded on August 22nd alone!
Pacing & Support: Shoutout to Duncan Fothergill for pacing 30 minutes at Northallerton, and to Marc Davies for running alongside Bev on her return to 5k running at Rising Sun!
🎽 Volunteering Spotlight: Give High-Viz a Go!
Did you know you don’t have to give up your Saturday run to volunteer at parkrun?
Member Milestone Spotlight: A huge shoutout to Peter Jackson, who achieved his V25 volunteer milestone alongside running his 200th parkrun!
Run AND Volunteer Roles: Roles like Pacer (like Duncan this week!), First Timers Welcome, Event Set-Up, Token Sorting, Course Check, or Tail Walking / Parkwalker allow you to earn both a run credit AND a volunteer credit on the same morning!
How to Get Involved: Volunteering is completely flexible with zero commitment. Simply opt-in to volunteer emails via your parkrun profile link, drop an email to your local event team, or speak to the Run Director on Saturday morning.
🌲 Course Recommendation of the Month
Conyngham Hall parkrun (Knaresborough): Recommended by Pete Jackson and Helen Ashworth!
Why Try It: Quick and convenient to reach with hassle-free parking. Features a great mix of smooth paths and scenic woodland trails. It is a fun, engaging, and surprisingly quick route that keeps you on your toes!
🎯 Parkrun Challenge Corner
App Challenge Spotlight: Ever checked out the unofficial 5k parkrun app? It tracks fun tourism badges like the Alphabet Challenge (running a parkrun starting with every letter of the alphabet), Compass Club (North, South, East, West), or Pirate Challenge (7 ‘C’s and an ‘R’)!
This Month’s Challenge Stars: Shoutout to Olivia Mulligan for checking off an elusive ‘F’ for her Alphabet Challenge at Fairview parkrun in Dublin!
Have you ticked off a fun badge or rare letter recently? Drop your app updates in the club chat so we can celebrate your challenge progress next month!
🌍 Harriers on the Road (Tourism & Away Runs)
Saturday 1st August – Scenic Trails & Coastal Paths: Pete Jackson tackled Riverside Walk in Hay-on-Wye, Wales; Natalie Lyth took on Black Rocks in Derbyshire; Michelle Barratt visited The Pastures; and Hannah Thompson completed Isabel Trail.
Saturday 8th August – Woods, Castles & Countrywide Tourism: Harriers spanned 11 counties, visiting Forest of Dean, Bedgebury Pinetum, Clitheroe Castle, Catton, and Grove Fields.
Saturday 15th August – Scottish Climbs, Lakes & London Gardens: Adam Harper-Walker tackled Holyrood in Edinburgh (20:52), Duncan Fothergill visited Keswick (24:06), Nicky Hawkes ran Watermead Country Park (31:06), Sarah Fairhurst visited Rother Valley (25:34), and Pete Jackson took in Finsbury parkrun in London (28:38).
Saturday 22nd August – Historic Seats & Border Trails: Olivia Mulligan circled Arthur’s Seat at Holyrood (21:06), Liam Nolan ran along the River Corrib at University of Galway, Marianne Morrice wound past Bishop’s Stortford river paths at Castle Park (33:45), Hugh Jenyns took on Penrith (35:02), Katie Wadsworth & James Harrison ran Henley Wood near the Welsh Border, and Pete Jackson took on our course recommendation at Conyngham Hall (31:45)!
Saturday 29th August – European Borders, Island Trails & Holiday Diversions:
International Tourism: Pete Jackson ran the Dreiländergarten parkrun in Weil am Rhein, Germany (26:22) near the French and Swiss borders, while Amanda Johnson tackled Pembroke Bay at Guernsey parkrun (38:48).
Nature & Coast: David Palmer ran pine forest and beachfront trails at Newborough Forest on Anglesey (33:43), Lazaro Mwandigha ran the nature reserve at Brook Leys in Cambridge (25:16), Paul Adams visited Seaford Beach in East Sussex (45:05), and Natalie & David Lyth ran The Demesnes in Barnard Castle.
Holiday Race Report (Rising Sun parkrun): Marc and Bev Davies diverted to Rising Sun in Tynemouth after Whitley Bay was cancelled! Marc reported: “An all off-road, 1-lap lollipop course mainly on cinder tracks with a short wooded rise. Unusually scenic but enclosed by hedges. Very warm, dry, and dusty with long straights like the start of the Great North Run! Congested at the start, but great camaraderie and a cafe that over-delivered at the end. Highly recommended!” Bev completed her first run back in a long time in 38:35, well-supported by Marc (38:36).
📊 The Monthly Stat Pack
Total Harriers on the run this month: 137+ finishes recorded across 5 weekends!
Combined Distance Covered: 685 km (425.6 miles) 🏃♂️💨
👉 Fun Fact: The Harriers have run enough combined miles this month to complete a return trip from Thirsk to London and still have mileage left over!
Unique courses visited: 38+ courses across England, Wales, Scotland, Ireland, Guernsey, and Germany!
Most popular Harriers spots: Millfield parkrun and Northallerton parkrun
