20/09/2026
Thanks to Mike Lewis from Cheltenham for writing our Run Report this week. Over to you Mike...
https://www.parkrun.org.uk/fountainsabbey/news/2026/09/20/run-report-fountains-abbey-parkrun-558-19-september-2026/
My wife and I chose this park run to celebrate her special birthday. Lots of runners comment on how special this park run venue is so it had a lot to live up to. And I can honestly say that it lived up to all of that and made our day! Well worth driving up from Cheltenham!
It rained before the run but as soon as the first timers briefing started it stopped and even the sunshine came out in the run!
Lots of free car parking, and runners need to remember the 15 minutes walk down to start. Plenty of conveniences at the visitors centre where you enter and down near the Abbey at the start.
A superb number of 513 finishers here today and an amazing 148 of us participating for the First Time! I noted shoutouts for Yeovil and Montrose plus Kingston in London - & I know there were a number of other places being shouted out!
Very well organised and friendly with Run Director Michael Cowling and his 42 volunteers. Sandra was tail walking and thanks to Suzanne Rickard for her company.
I had the pleasure of this run report for our 30th volunteer credit.
I was also pleased to recognise Samantha & Denise Foxe- King from Portsmouth who were participating at their 282nd venue - I met them in January at Kilkenny Lane Country and previously I see we ran together at Pontypool! Amazing to recognise them in 513 runners!!!
My stats 25.24 minutes for my 147th park run and 128th location.
Key stats for the run today -
Most park runs - David Wormsley 858th run today!
Age grade best
- Ted Leahy 85% who also finished 1st home 17.28 minutes
- Charlotte Knowles 84% 3rd home in 17.37 mins.
Most Volunteer - Linz McCooke 414 volunteer credits
The following people were celebrating milestones:
Chris BROWN - 300 Volunteer
Peter BARON - 50 Volunteer and 250 parkruns
Paul RUSHWORTH - 50
Martin SUMMERSCALES - 100
Debra MAYHEW - 100
Lisa ROTHWELL - 100
Peter COLLIER - 250
Jim PARKER - 300
Congratulations to you all
We were so glad that we set aside the whole day for our first visit to Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal. Many MANY thanks to the National Trust for allowing the parkrun to be held here! It really is an amazing location!
Not just the Abbey and Royal Water Gardens but also the park land, the whole estate packed with interesting buildings esp Fountains Hall and the mill and its working water mill. We loved the quiet garden and also the octagon tower with its serpentine tunnel. Park Running across the bridge with no sides or hand rails over the fishing Tabernacles/cascade is unique!
This rightly is a UNESCO World Heritage site and is so iconic to come here to park run - so many surprises round every corner to explore!
I can highly recommend this park run to all park runners. And to explore this site fully afterwards. As there is so much to see here we did not manage it in one day as this venue is vast!
And now the official bit...
This week 513 people ran, jogged and walked the course, of whom 148 were first timers and 53 recorded new Personal Bests. Representatives of 66 different clubs took part.
The event was made possible by 42 volunteers:
Fiona ROBINSON • Katherine MORTON • Suzanne RICKARD • Fiona ALDER • Karen MADDISON • John BULL • Chris BROWN • Simon MCCUDDEN • Sheila MCCUDDEN • Martin EADES • Martin GREENSILL • Jackie KERR • Karen WILKINSON • Patrick HASLAM • Michael COWLING • Linz MCCOOKE • Peter KILFORD • Justin FIELDER • Mike LEWIS • John GARRAWAY • Steve NEWBOULD • Lenny LENNOX • Alison GARRAWAY • Denise FOXE-KING • Benjamin RUSHWORTH • Fiona COLLIER • Peter COLLIER • Tim ASKEW • Helen RUSHWORTH • Peter BARON • John O'KANE • Samantha FOXE-KING • Wendy KNIGHT • Lynne CHARLESWORTH • Brian CHARLESWORTH • Christine LINDSAY • Paul RUSHWORTH • Adele WINKLEY • Sandra LEWIS • Vicky BURKITT • Harry BROWN • Yvonne COULDWELL
Today's full results and a complete event history can be found on the Fountains Abbey parkrun Results Page.
Fountains Abbey parkrun started on 1st March 2014. Since then 41,861 participants have completed 204,557 parkruns covering a total distance of 1,022,785 km, including 27,828 new Personal Bests. A total of 2,007 individuals have volunteered 14,944 times.
