Volunteering at parkrun

On as many Saturday mornings as I can manage I join around 250 other people at one of my local parkruns. It's one of the best things since sliced bread if you ask me; a timed 5km run that's completely free thanks to a host of volunteers.

Over the past six years I've done 102 runs at 12 different locations across England (I'm yet to do a parkrun in Wales, Scotland or Ireland, or indeed one of the many that are springing up in other countries), and all thanks to the many people who don hi-viz come rain or shine and  make sure we're all safe. I can't quite believe I've been park running for that long, but there we have it. So I've done my fair share of running, so having reached my 100-run milestone and with the next milestone of 250 runs too far away to feel achievable, it's time to concentrate on giving something back. 

Prior to 2016 I volunteered 11 times across a variety of role including set up, marshal, finish tokens and barcode scanning. This year alone I've volunteered five times and in some new roles such as pacer and timekeeper, possibly the most nerve-wracking role there is! I enjoy donning my hi-viz just as much as my trainers, perhaps even more so, as I get to see all the action and cheer on every runner. 

Parkrun, as an organisation, now recognise the effort that volunteers put in by issuing them with their own milestone t-shirt after taking on 25 volunteer roles, in the same way as runners earn their t-shirts for 50, 100 and 250 runs. It's a great idea and although I'd do it for the love of it, I must admit it's a lovely touch. I can honestly say I don't have a favourite volunteer role, although pacing was a lot of fun. Even when the weather is shocking, wet, windy, cold, I still get out and do my bit. 

Every parkrun has an option for you to sign up to volunteer request emails and will have an email address that you can use to contact them and offer up your help. Please consider doing this even if you're not a runner, especially in holiday times when volunteers are often thin on the ground. It doesn't take up much of your day and you get o be part of something great. I ran my local parkrun last weekend, as it was their birthday event, but I've got my name down to volunteer for the next two weeks... role to be confirmed!

Have you volunteered at parkrun? Do you have a favourite role? Are you a runner who's never volunteered or a volunteer who's never run?

Join In by Volunteering

Much as I love taking part in events I know that they're really only made possible by the kind hearts of hundreds of volunteers. In the past I would only volunteer if I wasn't able to participate myself, which is all well and good but I've been doing a lot more working behind the scenes, volunteering and supporting this year and have found it very rewarding.

Perhaps you watched coverage of the London or Brighton Marathons this year and got itchy feet to get involved. Maybe you remember an occasion when marshals and cheerleaders lifted you when things got tough, put that medal around your neck or pointed you to the start line in the first place? It's likely that all of these people gave up their time to help you. But it's not just about races. There are many sports clubs that rely on volunteers too.

Join In pulls together hundreds of volunteer roles that you could get involved in and allows you to search by area, sport or skillset. I was surprised at just how many opportunities there were within just 5 miles of my front door, from marshalling to event organisation, general maintenance to marketing.

Of course supporting your friends and families in their events is wonderful but if you want to do a little more than that then there are plenty of opportunities to be had. Not only could you develop new skills but you'll be enabling people to take part in the sports they love. And who knows, you might just find a new activity to try yourself.