Runners gear up for Graaff-reinet’s first parkrun

The popular parkrun will be launched in Graaff-reinet next weekend.

Mountain Drive has been earmarked as the venue for the runs which will be held weekly, every Saturday morning starting at 08:00. The official launch will be held on Saturday, 2 February at 08:00 with the legendary Comrades winner, Bruce Fordyce, in attendance.

Participants must gather at the entrance to Mountain Drive on the R63 to Murraysburg across from the entrance to the local caravan park.

A large attendance is expected, so those wanting to participate are asked to arrive well in advance.

parkruns are 5km running/walking events that take place every Saturday morning in fourteen countries across five continents. They are run by volunteers, and participation is free of charge.

When participating, times are taken with the aid of a barcode print, which can be obtained from the parkrun website.

Go to parkrun South Africa at https:// www.parkrun.co.za/register/ and fill in the barcode page, print it and have it ready to scan at the finish line of the route. Registration is, however, entirely optional and not a necessity for participation, but please note that the rule is strictly ‘no barcode, no time’. Times are collated worldwide.

For help with registration or to find out more, e-mail Rozelle Köhne at rozelle@montego.co.za or SMS Lusan Luscombe at 082 780 0739.

A volunteer training and pilot run will be held on Thursday evening, 31 January, at 18:00 – enthusiasts and those wanting to volunteer are invited to join the organisers for training or to walk/ run the route.