Winchester Parkrun celebrates 500th edition

The 500th Winchester Parkrun took place on Saturday 16th November and it was the largest ever.

More than 800 participants crossed the finish line, smashing the Parkrun’s previous record of 537, set last year on Christmas Day.

Many of the participants were “Parkrun tourists” some of them from the UK, with others coming from abroad.

Runners were joined by the mayor of Winchester Cllr Russell Gordon-Smith, who had been invited to start the 5K run.

The event happens in River Park at 9am every Saturday, welcoming people of various different ages and abilities – even dogs are able to join in the fun!

Co-event director Peter Humphreys said: “500 was a really big milestone for Winchester Parkrun, obviously it’s a big number and that’s a fantastic thing to come and celebrate.”

The first Winchester Parkrun was held back in April 2013.

Since then, more than 20,000 different people have taken part in the event and over 1,500 have volunteered, with 56 helping out for the big 500th.

Speaking about her personal love for Parkrun, co-event director Sarah Witt said: “It’s become a huge part of my life – it’s my Saturday morning.

“I’ve made so many friends from it through running and volunteering, it’s just the most amazing, supportive, welcoming community.”

Parkrun emphasises that the events are not races and that people can find them enjoyable and fulfilling regardless of their ability.

One runner WINOL spoke to said: “It doesn’t matter whether you walk or run, just as long as you do it that’s fine.”

A volunteer said: “I get to see a lot of people in a short time and they’re all really happy, and it’s quite inspiring to see people walking around and running around.”