P R OFILES
Cassie Hughes is the Event Ambassador and got involved with
parkrun five years ago with her son who was battling depression
and running was encouraged as an alternative to medication.
Cassie says “It has been the best decision we ever made. I love
Applecross parkrun as it is not only a beautiful course, but it
has one of the friendliest event teams you’ll ever find, and the
community being built here is one I’m extremely proud to be a part
of”.
One of Applecross parkrun’s new parkrunners is Johan Karlsson.
Johan first joined in February and has since completed 19 parkruns
so far, all at Applecross in the 55-59 age category. Johan has run a
PB every week he has been with us!
PARKRUN PROFILE:
APPLECROSS
If you want to parkrun with dolphins you should head to
Applecross parkrun and enjoy a run along the boardwalk
towards Fremantle. This tends to put the brakes on a few PB’s but
when dolphins are involved nobody seems to mind at all.
Applecross parkrun is a nice and flat, out and back course,
following the banks of the Swan River in Perth. You’ll get the
chance to run along the boardwalk with a view to die for when
running towards the finish line with the glorious city in the
foreground. There is plenty of open space and great high 5
opportunities all along the course.
He is known for going quite hard for the first 2km and then takes it
easy to the point where he will wait to cross the finish line so that
he always beats his previous time, but doesn’t make it too hard to
beat again the following week. Check out his stats. He is always
encouraging others and you can tell he really enjoys himself when
out on the course.
Applecross are very lucky to have an extremely supportive council
behind us who help promote the event at every opportunity. This
has managed to bring people from all walks of life to join us and
catch the parkrun bug. Even local residents, who we know were
sceptical at first, now join on a regular basis and have embraced
the spirit of parkrun.
There are a few cafes to choose from only a 5-minute walk from
the start line, but the most frequented is Cioccalato Espresso.
They have a fabulous outdoor seating area, the wait staff are all
incredibly friendly and they do the best savoury muffins on the
planet and a great way to finish off a trip to Applecross parkrun.
years. She became a keen runner about 2009 and quickly saw
how parkrun appeals to many different people at all levels. “I think
what I love most about parkrun is hearing how it changes lives,
and I love seeing others become hooked too. Mostly I love that
parkrun is free (and always will be), I like that it’s not a commitment
to show up every week, if you miss coming one week you are not
letting anyone else down. I love how everyone is focused on their
own PB’s, not what time others can do the 5kms in. Including the
walkers, they are some of our most passionate parkrunners at Port
Fairy.”
Port Fairy is a three-lap course, over hills, grass and sealed path.
You run around a man-made reserve featuring lots of bird life,
especially during winter. People come to Port Fairy expecting a flat
course, however it’s not flat, there are two decent hills which are
covered three times but the pain is worth it for the ocean views.
parkrun tourists are encouraged to venture down the Victorian
South West coastline to Port Fairy parkrun. You’ll find a friendly
bunch of locals who will make you feel very welcome and be
wanting to return, many visitors do. Many of the regulars at Port Fairy from a non-running background.
But there is one regular, Michael John, who also does ultra-
marathons, trail running and is a regular competitive runner with
the Warrnambool athletics club. He hardly ever misses parkrun,
volunteers as pre-event set up most weeks. Last week he ran at Port
Fairy in the morning, then competed in a race with the athletics
club later in the afternoon. Often he is out the front on his own at
parkrun, but can be then found doing extra laps completing the
course with other runners and walkers, encouraging them as well.
He usually walks with the tail walker on their last lap, collecting the
cones.
Event Director Kate Winnen visited Hamilton parkrun after reading
about parkrun on the internet and was so impressed with how it
could bring so many people together. Kate had always been very
focused on her own fitness and a competitive cyclist for many Port Fairy has a real ‘café culture’ so there have many really good
places to choose from. It’s always up to the Run Director on the day
to choose which café we visit, so make sure you pay attention to the
event briefing!
PARKRUN PROFILE:
PORT FAIRY
16 | MULTISPORT MAGAZINE