GETTING fit and staying fit is high on most people’s agendas these days.

One answer is parkrun, offering a series of running and walking events that take place every Saturday morning in fifteen countries across five continents.

The events are run by volunteers, and participation is free of charge.

Fingal Bay parkrun is managed by volunteer Co-Event Directors David and Tracey Pass and Run Directors Kevin Gould, Neil Kearton.

Tracey Pass told News Of The Area, “Our record for number of runners in one day is 253, we average 100 runners per week, parkrun starts at 8:00am every Saturday adjacent to the Fingal Bay surf club and people are encouraged to register and join in.”

“The Hunter region is unusual in that it is known as the Region of Runners and has 12 individual parkruns to choose from at Fingal Bay, Raymond Terrace, Stockton, Newcastle, Blackbutt, Callaghan, The Beaches, Blue Gum Hills, Lake Macquarie, Maitland, Cessnock and Singleton.”

“Parkrun is a great community event bringing together people of all ages and abilities, at Fingal Bay parkrun, our oldest parkrunner is in her 80s and we regularly have whole families participating, even though it is called parkrun many people walk the course,” she said.

Runners and walkers are required to register online prior to each event to get their unique athlete number and barcode which they need to participate.

Events now take place every week in Australia, Canada, Denmark, Ireland, New Zealand, Poland, Russia, South Africa, the United Kingdom, Singapore, the Czech Republic, the United States, Italy and France.

Global parkrun participation exceeded 100,000 in April 2016 at over 730 global events which bay locals can be a part of.

 

By Marian SAMPSON