The Shawnigan Hills Parkrun attracted 40 participants to a successful kickoff on Sept. 28.
Runners ranged in age from under 10 to over 70, with two dogs and two strollers also in the mix. Sixteen volunteers from the Shawnigan Lake School cross-country running team contributed to the success by marshalling, timing and scanning runners’ barcodes.
READ MORE: Popular Parkrun comes to Cowichan
Organizer Mark Swannell received lots of positive feedback from Parkrun participants.
“Many people spoke to me after the run,” he said. “Here is some of the feedback: the fact that there is a free, weekly run open to runners, joggers, walkers, dogs and buggies is a great thing to have in our local community. Definitely, articles in the local press and word of mouth was the main reason people found out about Shawnigan Hills Parkrun. The run was well-marshaled, scenic and a great way to start the weekend.” Mike Angrove was the first runner to complete the 5km course, in a time of 19:33. The first female runner was Emma Croasdale at 30:25.
Parkrun takes place at the Shawnigan Hills Athletic Fields every Saturday at 9 a.m. For more information or to register, visit www.parkrun.ca