Riverside Reserve parkrun

📸🏃‍♂️ 2KM DOWN... ONLY 3KM TO GO! 🏃‍♀️📸

By the 2km mark, the smiles are still big, the conversations are flowing, and everyone is still convinced this was a brilliant idea. 😄

Some are chasing PBs. 🏃‍♂️💨
Some are chasing friends. 🏃‍♀️😂
Some are wondering why the finish line isn't visible yet. 👀

This is where the parkrun magic happens — encouragement from fellow participants, friendly waves from passing runners, and a community moving forward together, one step at a time. 💙

A huge thank you to **Mara Strydom** for capturing these fantastic moments along the route. From determined faces to cheerful waves, every photo tells part of the Riverside Reserve parkrun story. 📷✨

Can you spot yourself at the halfway point of your Saturday adventure?

🎉🏃‍♀️ RIVERSIDE RESERVE PARKRUN #43 🏃‍♂️🎉

What a fantastic morning we had at Riverside Reserve parkrun! A whopping **249 participants** joined us this Saturday, bringing energy, smiles, determination, and plenty of parkrun spirit! 💙

👟 92 Male
🌸 117 Female
❓ 40 Unknown (those barcodes are still enjoying a sleep-in 😜)

🌱 We welcomed **30 first timers** to Riverside Reserve, including **11 people taking part in their very first parkrun!** We hope you loved every minute and we'll see you again next Saturday.

🔥 PB ALERT! 🔥

An incredible **40 Personal Bests** were achieved this week! Congratulations to everyone who pushed a little harder, dug a little deeper, and left with a shiny new PB. 👏💪

🏅 FIRST FINISHERS 🏅

🥇 Marcel Eloff led the field home in a superb **21:12**

🥇 Zanike Henning was our first female finisher in a fantastic **23:51**

🌟 HIGHEST AGE GRADE ACHIEVEMENTS 🌟

🏆 Zanike Henning – 71.56%
🏆 Aiden Nel – 66.67%

Outstanding performances from two of our talented junior parkrunners! 👏

👑 PARKRUN ROYALTY 👑

This week's most experienced participants were:

🏃‍♂️ Brian Arentsen – 466 parkruns
🏃‍♀️ Annelize Kirsten – 405 parkruns

Thank you for continuing to inspire us week after week! 💚

🎉 MILESTONES 🎉

🌟 Bonile Madonsela reached an unofficial milestone of **150 parkruns**!

🦺 A special welcome and congratulations to **Zoey Claassen**, who earned her very first volunteer credit this week. We hope it's the first of many! 💖

💗 OUR 12 HI-VIS HEROES 💗

A huge thank you to:

🦺 Mariska Van Wyk
🦺 Stephen Mallory
🦺 Ziané Arendt
🦺 Lerato Mashile
🦺 Rouxanne Nel
🦺 Amrei Wolff
🦺 Heleen Horne
🦺 Johan Van Putten
🦺 Linda Venter
🦺 Mara Strydom
🦺 Zoey Claassen
🦺 Yvette Ellis

Without volunteers, there is no parkrun. Thank you for making Event #43 possible! ❤️

📈 RIVERSIDE RESERVE PARKRUN IN NUMBERS 📈

Since our first event on 23 August 2025:

🏃 1,869 participants
🏁 8,910 parkruns completed
📏 44,550 km covered
🔥 1,493 PBs achieved
🦺 173 volunteers
🙌 460 volunteer credits
👥 Average attendance: 207 participants

These aren't just numbers—they represent friendships formed, goals achieved, confidence built, coffee shared, and a community that continues to grow stronger every week. ☕💙

Thank you to everyone who walked, jogged, ran, volunteered, cheered, photographed, and supported our event.

See you next Saturday for more milestones, more memories, and more parkrun magic! ✨

🦺🌟 VOLUNTEER MILESTONE WATCH 🌟🦺

While everyone celebrates finish times and parkrun milestones, our amazing volunteers are quietly building an impressive collection of volunteer credits! 💙

Here's who's getting closer to their next volunteer milestone:

🎉 Johan Van Putten – just **4 credits** away from 100!
🎉 Henning Venter – just **7 credits** away from 25!
🎉 Linda Venter – just **8 credits** away from 50!
🎉 Nadia Schoeman – just **9 credits** away from 25!
🎉 Stephen Mallory – just **12 credits** away from an incredible 250!
🎉 Rouxanne Nel – just **12 credits** away from 50!

And let's not forget our other hi-vis heroes steadily climbing the volunteer ladder:

🦺 Jane Mackinnon – 111 credits
🦺 Mariska Van Wyk – 58 credits
🦺 Sander Stassen – 7 credits
🦺 Mara Strydom – 6 credits
🦺 Helgardt Stassen – 5 credits

Every scan, marshal point, token handed out, photo taken, timer clicked, and tail walked helps make parkrun happen. 💖

The next time you see one of these volunteers in a pink vest, give them a high-five, a thank you, or at least an extra-big smile! 😊

After all, parkrun may be free, but it's powered by volunteers. 🩷🦺

Send a message to learn more

📸 From PB smiles to pink-vest heroes, Event #42 had it all! 💙

See if you can spot yourself, your friends, and our amazing volunteers who made the magic happen. 🦺✨

Tag, share, and enjoy the memories!

📸💖 Did you spot our heroes in pink? 💖📸

While everyone notices the runners crossing the finish line, keep an eye on the photos and you'll spot the real VIPs of parkrun — our amazing volunteers in their bright pink hi-vis vests! 🦺✨

From cheering at marshal points and scanning barcodes to timing finishes and capturing photos, these legends make parkrun happen every single week.

As you browse through the album:
👀 Find yourself
👀 Find your friends
👀 Find the volunteers in pink
👀 Give them a virtual high-five for making Event #42 possible!

A special thank you to **Mara Strydom** for capturing all the smiles, milestones, action shots, and pink-vest superstars throughout the morning. 📷💙

Remember, every pink vest has a story, and every volunteer helps create the magic of parkrun.

📷✨ A picture is worth a thousand words... and judging by this week's album, we've got quite a few thousand! 😄

A huge thank you to **Mara Strydom** for capturing the energy, determination, smiles, celebrations, and occasional "Are we nearly there yet?" expressions from Riverside Reserve parkrun #42. 🏃‍♀️🏃‍♂️💙

Whether you were chasing a PB, earning a milestone, volunteering, or simply enjoying a Saturday morning with friends, chances are Mara caught the moment!

👀 Take a scroll through the photos:
📸 Find yourself
📸 Spot your parkrun buddies
📸 Relive the memories
📸 Laugh at your running face

Don't forget to tag, share, and celebrate another amazing morning at Riverside Reserve parkrun!

📸 SAY CHEESE, RIVERSIDE! 📸

The photos from Riverside Reserve parkrun #42 are here! 🎉

A huge thank you to our talented photographer, **Mara Strydom**, for capturing the smiles, determination, milestones, celebrations, and special moments that make our parkrun community so amazing. 💙👏

From first timers and PB chasers to milestone achievers and finish-line celebrations, every photo tells a story. 🏃‍♀️🏃‍♂️✨

Now for the important challenge... 👀

📸 Can you find yourself?
📸 Can you spot your friends?
📸 Which photo is your favourite?

Tag your fellow parkrunners, share your favourite moments, and let's celebrate another fantastic Saturday together!

Thank you, Mara, for helping us preserve the memories one click at a time. 🌟

🎉🏃‍♀️ RIVERSIDE RESERVE PARKRUN #42 – WHAT A MORNING! 🏃‍♂️🎉

Another fantastic Saturday at Riverside Reserve parkrun saw **215 participants** join us for a morning filled with smiles, achievements, milestones, and community spirit! 💙

👟 92 Male
🌸 93 Female
❓ 30 Unknown (don't forget those barcodes!)

🌱 We welcomed **21 first timers** to Riverside Reserve, including **10 people experiencing parkrun for the very first time!** We hope you loved every minute and will join us again next week. 👏

🔥 PB ALERT! 🔥

A whopping **31 Personal Bests** were recorded this week! Congratulations to everyone who pushed a little harder, dug a little deeper, and achieved a new personal milestone. 💪🎉

🏅 FIRST FINISHERS 🏅

🥇 Wiehann Mohlen was first across the line in an impressive **21:03**

🥇 Zanike Henning was our first female finisher in a fantastic **24:57**

🌟 HIGHEST AGE GRADE ACHIEVEMENTS 🌟

🏆 Zanike Henning – 68.40%
🏆 Aiden Nel – 66.41%

What makes this even more special is that both of our highest age-grade achievers were junior parkrunners! Future champions in the making! 👏🌟

👑 PARKRUN ROYALTY 👑

This week's most experienced participants were:

🏃‍♂️ Jan Van Der Merwe – 447 parkruns
🏃‍♀️ Annelize Kirsten – 404 parkruns

Thank you for continuing to inspire us with your dedication to parkrun! 💚

🎉 MILESTONE CELEBRATIONS 🎉

🏅 25 parkruns
⭐ Neil Bates
⭐ Sinazo Matyila

❤️ 50 parkruns
⭐ Adele Swart

Congratulations on reaching these fantastic milestones. Every parkrun tells a story, and we're honoured to celebrate these achievements with you! 👏

💖 OUR AMAZING HI-VIS HEROES 💖

A huge thank you to our volunteer team:

🦺 Jane Mackinnon
🦺 Stephen Mallory
🦺 Sander Stassen
🦺 Helgardt Stassen
🦺 Rouxanne Nel
🦺 Nadia Schoeman
🦺 Johan Van Putten
🦺 Henning Venter
🦺 Linda Venter
🦺 Mara Strydom
🦺 Mariska Van Wyk

Without volunteers, there is no parkrun. Thank you for making Event #42 possible! ❤️

📈 RIVERSIDE RESERVE PARKRUN STATS 📈

Since launching on 23 August 2025:

🏃 1,839 participants
🏁 8,661 parkruns completed
📏 43,305 km covered
🔥 1,453 PBs achieved
🦺 171 volunteers
🙌 448 volunteer credits
👥 Average attendance: 206 participants

These numbers represent far more than statistics—they represent friendships, healthier lifestyles, goals achieved, encouragement shared, and a community that continues to grow stronger every week. 💙

Thank you to everyone who walked, jogged, ran, volunteered, cheered, photographed, scanned, timed, marshalled, or simply showed up and smiled.

See you this Saturday for more milestones, memories, and parkrun magic! ✨

Send a message to learn more

🦺💖 OUR HI-VIS HEROES – THE HEART OF PARKRUN 💖🦺

Every Saturday, before the first runner arrives and long after the last barcode is scanned, a team of amazing volunteers makes the magic of parkrun happen.

This week, a huge thank you goes to:

🌟 Jane Mackinnon
🌟 Chris Strydom
🌟 Martie Van Putten
🌟 Christil Jackson
🌟 Wendy Williams
🌟 Mara Strydom
🌟 Sarel Venter
🌟 Quinton Christie
🌟 Stephen Mallory
🌟 Mike Peacock

Thank you for giving your time, energy, enthusiasm, and smiles so that 180 participants could enjoy a safe, welcoming, and memorable parkrun experience. 👏💙

Whether you were setting up, marshalling, scanning barcodes, timing, taking photos, or cheering participants on, your contribution made a difference.

You are the reason parkrun happens.
You are the encouragement on the course.
You are the friendly faces that make everyone feel welcome.

From all of us at Riverside Reserve parkrun, THANK YOU for being our heroes in pink! 🩷

📸 A BIG THANK YOU TO OUR PHOTOGRAPHERS! 📸

A special shoutout to **Stephen Mallory** and **Christi Jackson** for capturing all the action, smiles, milestones, and memorable moments from Riverside Reserve parkrun this week! 🌟💙

While everyone else was running, walking, volunteering, and cheering, these two were busy preserving the memories that make our parkrun community so special. 📷👏

Take a look through the photos and see if you can spot yourself, your family, or your parkrun friends! 👀🏃‍♀️🏃‍♂️

Thank you, Stephen and Christi, for helping us relive another fantastic Saturday morning at Riverside Reserve parkrun. Your efforts are greatly appreciated! 💚

📸 Don't forget to like, share, tag your friends, and spread the parkrun spirit!