Parkrun veteran completes 250th event and celebrates with slice of cake!

A veteran of Parkrun, Bob Agnew completed his 250th at Warrington’s Victoria Park and celebrated with a well-deserved piece of cake!

Bob was one of 431 brave souls who braved the heatwave at the weekend to complete his marathon effort.

The Warrington Victoria Parkrun now incorporates the Parkwalk which means that people of all abilities can embrace a great friendly atmosphere and cover the distance in a pace to suit themselves.
Many in the past have used walking as an entry level, progressed to jogging the Victoria Parkrun course or joining one of the couch to 5km training sessions held by local running club or turning to the apps on their phone like the BBC one. If they have had any doubts about their health, then they should have contacted their GP. Most who have taken part have got fitter and faster as well as made new friends. All events have a tail walker to keep an eye on the slowest participant whilst marshals offer support and direction for all.
The numbers were slightly down at the weekend at 431 probably because of the heatwave whilst some people were away on holiday or trying out other courses across Britain as a tourist. If you participate anywhere other than your home base you are known as a tourist for the day. It’s a great way to get the day off to a good start and see other parts of the country. To find out more and register home | parkrun UK
Geoff Settle veteran runner and former mayor of Warrington said: “Victoria Parkrun is recognised as a great event because of its flat route. One big advantage at this time of the year is the tree-lined route for its shade between the patches of sunshine that are currently blisteringly hot. Last Saturday I saw, from my marshal position a lot of participants sensibly carrying water and slapping on the suncream.
“This was the 530th staging of the run and I recognise plenty of regular faces like Simon Maron, the brilliant Louise Blizzard and Bob Agnew making his 250th appearance. Lower down the field there are the people who have benefited from great health improvements which you can clearly see from weight loss, running style and much more. I’m now one of them as I bed with my two hip replacements. I now know and understand the effort but also the benefits that used to come so easy to me in the 1980’s.”
This week the conditions didn’t put any of them off, Geoff says that many are addicts in the best sense of the word. None more so than Bob who completed his 250th parkrun. His wife Ruth baked and iced a beautifully Parkrun themed cake, a slice of which was available to all finishers and marshals.
Geoff added: “Bob was sporting an olive-green tee shirt and 250th sash and finished a time of 38.28. He has completed 167 Parkruns at Victoria Park and 83 as a tourist up and down the country and around the world including North Sydney, Bushy Park (home of Parkrun), University of Western Australia, Kew Woods, Worthing etc. The names of the 75 venues are all printed on the back of his t-shirt in a large circle. All who saw his t-shirt or ate the slice of cake will I’m sure have been inspired. My motivation, as my hip muscles get stronger, will be to chase down the target on Bob’s t-shirt.”