Canterbury parkrun

A weekend to remember...

Weekend joy – by Glenn Wilson | Canterbury parkrun Weekend joy – by Glenn Wilson Posted on August 11, 2026 by canterburyoffice The weekend was a big day for first timers and personal bests! Looking through the results, I see that of the 152 finishers, well over a quarter (43) were tackling Coogan's Hills for the very first time including 8 who wer...

We still need TWO marshals for tomorrow’s parkrun. Let us know if you can help or email [email protected] Thanks!

Sturry Road Community Park junior parkrun needs some more volunteers for the next few Sundays. If you’re free and want to help this wonderful event thrive then please let the team know via email at [email protected]

Exciting news for junior parkruns

Sturry Road Community Park Junior parkrun is an important asset for Canterbury. All children from 4 to 14 are welcome to participate and if you enjoy volunteering at our 5k parkrun, you will definitely enjoy volunteering at junior parkrun

#10 - 4th July - run/walk report - Glenn

Despite being an experienced 5k run director at Canterbury parkrun, I approached my first ever stint as a junior parkrun run director with the nervousness of someone on the first day of their new job. But I needn’t have worried because there is a great team working behind the scenes at Sturry Road Community Park junior parkrun making the life of the run director easy. Ultimately, it was a very enjoyable experience seeing each and every one of the 25 junior parkrunners navigate their way around the course and finishing with gusto and big smiles.

I arrived early to pick up the equipment and was met almost immediately by volunteer extraordinaire David Dunn returning his lawnmower to his car having mowed a path through the long grass to ensure the junior participants had a safe course to run and walk on. Not long after I arrived at the start / finish area, other volunteers started to arrive one-by-one already informed of what they were doing and where to go thanks to the extremely well-organised volunteer-coordinator (and Event Director) Jenny Wells.

Once the course was set up, and the marshals in place we waited for the participants to arrive. At about 8.55am, a swarm of eager children arrived with their parents and soon made their way to the start area where they performed some warm-up exercises (led enthusiastically by Michelle Elvidge) and listened (sort of) to my brief. Before long, I started the ‘ready, steady, go’ (although amusingly many children were off before I finished the word ‘ready’) and 27 children raced off. Unfortunately, two participants didn’t make it all the way round, one because of a fall, who was expertly cared for by first-aider Spencer Stacey. I know both juniors will return and give it another try in the not-too-distant future.

Conditions were pretty good, a little warm, but it was not as hot as it had been. As a result, there were 8 personal best times so well done to all of those who beat their previous fastest times. We also saw two brand new participants at junior parkrun which is great to see. As the news of the event spreads among schools and clubs, we look forward to welcoming even more new faces to the start line.

Finally, these events cannot happen without volunteers, and junior parkrun is an important asset for the community in Sturry and the wider city. It provides children with a positive experience that has so many benefits both physical and mental. So please consider volunteering at future events to ensure this wonderful event continues to thrive. And if you have children aged between 4 and 14, we’d love to see them complete the 2k course.

Thank you to all the volunteers who helped on Sunday and gave up a little bit of their time to keep the children smiling.

Thank you,

Glenn Wilson

We have marshalling opportunities this weekend if you're Saturday morning is looking a little empty. Volunteering with us is simple. Either comment here and we'll add you to the roster for any weekend you want or drop us an email at [email protected] and we'll happily include you whenever you want to be involved in volunteering.

If you have ever wondered what volunteering is about, Vicky has written an excellent article in her event report about the roles. If you want to volunteer, rest assured, it is not a long-term commitment. You can volunteer as often or as little as you like. And there are roles for everyone! Here's a summary of what volunteering looks like...

Volunteers ‘R’ Us! – by Vicky Turner | Canterbury parkrun Volunteers ‘R’ Us! – by Vicky Turner Posted on July 5, 2026 by canterburyoffice Canterbury parkrun #566 saw 121 finishers and 27 volunteers enjoying the warm tarmac and tussocky fields of the regular parkrun route after last week’s baking triple hills event. I want to thank all the volunteer...