Lancaster junior parkrun clocks up major milestone just 18 months after its launch

Ryelands Park junior parkrun clocked up its 3,000 finisher on Sunday, just 18 months after it launched.

Around 30 young people aged four to 14 turn up at Ryelands Park at 9am each Sunday to run, walk or even dance their way around the 2K course which follows the park’s boundary and takes in views of Lancaster Castle and the Ashton Memorial.

The event is non competitive as the focus is on having fun.

Organiser Sonya Manwaring planned the route when she was running around the park herself during the pandemic lockdowns.

“The idea to launch a junior parkrun came about post-Covid. I thought it would help to develop a sense of community again and was a good way of getting children out and active after the lockdowns,” said Sonya, 38, who lives in Skerton.

The Preston teacher has taken part in park runs herself and enjoys the community feel to the events as running can often be quite isolating.

The Ryelands parkrun tends to be most popular among seven to 10-year-olds with some being regulars right from the start. Summer is a more popular time of year to participate and the event has sometimes attracted 60 young people, with parents and grandparents often joining them.

The average finishing time for the course is 13 minutes 56 seconds.

Thanks to support from Asda Community Fund, Lancaster Community Fund and the Urgent Response Fund – Coronovirus, Ryelands Park junior parkrun is a free activity but can only happen thanks to volunteer marshals.

Around 18 volunteers are needed each week and they currently include people from the local running community, students, retired people and some taking part in the Duke of Edinburgh Award scheme.

Anyone interested in taking part in the parkrun can just turn up at Ryelands Park car park at 8.45am for a briefing and warm-up, and if they want their time recorded, they should sign up for a barcode on the website.

Potential volunteers must also register on the parkrun website and get a barcode.

For more information, visit https://www.parkrun.org.uk/ryelandspark-juniors/