As I revisit old (gold!) posts I wrote a few years ago, I realise that they're too good not to share. So here's a story I wrote waaaaay back in 2018. It was before I met @new.things, before I moved to Brisbane and definitely before I joined Hive!
Since discovering the joy of volunteering at parkruns, I've been trying out different roles as I "voluntourist" (read: volunteer at a parkrun where I am a tourist/visiting).
Today was the first time since early December (when I started my 'do a new parkrun every Saturday' trip) that I had an important event conflict with parkrun.
With the event starting at 9 am in Bondi Junction, (in Sydney's Eastern Suburbs) I knew that actually RUNNING in any Sydney parkrun was going to be pushing it. But as I looked at Google Maps I realised that St Peters parkrun was 'on my way' to Bondi & that I could probably help BEFORE the 8 am start time.
I looked at the volunteer (future) roster.
I saw lots of gaps.
I emailed the ED (event director).
I stated my case and offered my help.
I was accepted and told to arrive at 7:20 am. (Knowing how big St Peters is an event, that time seemed perfectly reasonable).
And this morning I arrived, dressed in clothing completely atypical as a parkrunner as I had dressed for my next event. And I was early. (Thank you Sydney for so little traffic on a Saturday morning!).
I stood near where I knew the start line to be, and all was quiet.
I knew eventually I would meet the Run Director of the day, the other volunteers & see countless parkrunners. I had no idea who I was meeting (the voluntourist is forever putting names in the future roster to faces in real life).
But for a brief few moments, there was no one and I got the privilege of watching a parkrun "appear" out of nowhere.
If you've never seen this phenomenon before, then you'll probably enjoy the photos below. The first was taken at about 7:20 am. The second at almost 8 am on the dot.
As my parkrun adventures continue, I continue to be surprised by the experiences that parkrun gives me.
Is there a parkrun in your country? (Find out here if you're not sure.)
If there is a parkrun close to you, have you been? And, has anything surprised you at a parkrun that made you feel a sense of "wow"? I'd love to know. Tell me in the comments.
