Seaton Parkrun, along with hundreds of other Parkrun events across England, is hoping to be back in June after a pause of 14 months, and event director and Parkrun ambassador, Carol Austin is excited at the prospect.
Carol said: “We have all missed Parkrun, not just for the exercise but for the camaraderie and the wonderful buzz it gives the town on a Saturday morning.
“As an ambassador, I visited a couple of junior parkruns which restarted last month, and it has been lovely to see so many families enjoying the outdoors, exercising and starting their Sunday in the best possible way with a run around their park. When the time is right, it will be fantastic to have the event back in Seaton.”
Once it has been given the green light to go ahead, the next Seaton Parkrun will be its 175th event, having started in November 2016. At the very first event in the town, there were 188 finishers, which grew to 401 in April 2019.
The co-event directors Carol Austin and Tony Smith brought the 5K running initiative to the seaside town after participating in Parkruns in other parts of the country, and realising the event didn't exist in East Devon.
A seafront course was chosen and is unique as a section of the route takes place on the pebble beach in Seaton.
The Seaton Parkrun takes place every Saturday at 9am and starts on the Esplanade. Due to the new arrangements that allow for social distancing, the starting point will move to the yacht club end of the Esplanade and will finish with a run or sprint on the pebbles after completing two laps of the Esplanade.
The great thing about Parkrun is that it's free and inclusive, and everyone is welcome to take part – runners, joggers and walkers. Children over the age of four can participate, but all youngsters up to the age of 10 must run with a parent or carer.
To join in the fun, register at www.parkrun.com, and then it is free to run, jog or walk the 5K seaside route. For up to date information on when Parkrun will return to the UK visit: blog.parkrun.com/uk
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