Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 68, March 2015

ER IA D ME RTN PA Parkrun Ma parkrun SA Join the friendly, free 8am Saturday morning 5km in your area! us Parkrun foc Madiba’s View Naval Hill parkrun, Bloemfontein Facebook: Naval-Hill-parkrun Images: Courtesy Leon Engelbrecht and Hansie Louw What a privilege to be part of the parkrun phenomena! Naval Hill parkrun in Bloemfontein starts at the watchful eye of Madiba at the top of Naval Hill. We don’t have the sea, but we have a spectacular view, and wildlife. There are ostriches that chase you if you run or walk too slow, a giraffe that licks you when you least expect it, or you can just enjoy the zebra and the rest of the game. Since our first parkrun in May 2014, when we started with 67 finishers, the biggest participation day came in January 2015 with 404, and we’ve had visitors from all over the country as well as visitors from around the globe, including the Kalkutta Knightriders IPL cricket team. However, on 27 December, when everybody from Bloem was sunbathing on the beach, a ‘Tsunami’ hit Naval Hill and we had only 22 finishers in soaking rain and wind! The growth and popularity of our parkrun is all due to the excellent parkrun concept and wonderful volunteers at Naval Hill parkrun, and every parkrunner in South Africa is invited to come to our first anniversary. It will be a big event, and one not to be missed. See you soon! - Leon Engelbrecht, Event Director us Parkrun foc Safe & Friendly Bellville parkrun, Cape Town Facebook: bellvilleparkrun Bellville kicked off amidst great excitement on 17 January 2015 with over 500 participants at the first event. Many came to see Bruce Fordyce and one avid fan explained, “I had this poster of you winning Comrades on my wall for 17 years and now I meet you! Will you sign it for me?” Our parkrun is run completely in the Jack Muller Park. This means that you never have to worry about traffic or safety on the run. The park is nestled beside the N1 near Tygervalley, but you forget that you live in a city, with mountains in the background, wonderful trees giving shade, and if you’re lucky you will spot the rabbit that appeared in the park recently. Parking is available at the venue or across the road. The run is made up of two and a half loops, which helps you see your slower mates along the route if you’re a speedster. The course is challenging, as you climb the same hill twice - it starts gently after about 1km, but then it keeps testing you for about 400m, but the reward is a gentle downhill after the hard work. (The altitude difference over the whole 5km is merely 20m from the lowest to the highest point.) It’s a beautiful, safe, family-friendly environment with outdoor exercise equipment and a play area for young children. – Hansie Louw, Event Director TATS parkrun SA S Number of parkruns: 48 Number of events: 2820 Number of active runners: 106,722 Number of individual runs: 614, 233 Total distance covered: 3,071,165km *Last updated 7 February 2015 SIGN UP! Go to www.parkrun.co.za to find your nearest parkrun and to register for free. Just a simple contact form and voila, you’re good to go! OR follow parkrun on Facebook: parkrunSouthAfrica or Twitter: @parkrunSA parkrun PARTNER! Modern Athlete is proud to be an official partner of parkrun SA. Each month in the magazine, you’ll get all the parkrun news, info and updates, plus all registered parkrun members will receive a FREE Modern Athlete digi-mag each month! 43

Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 68, March 2015 | Seite 43