parkrun 182

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It was a chilly, overcast morning as we gathered for the 182nd Northampton parkrun. The golden leaves were still clinging to the dozens of Lime trees that line the route; but on the day the clocks went back there was a definite autumnal chill in the air.

Happy Birthday Gerald.
It was a big day for a number of people including Gerald Billis who celebrated his birthday by running in his 57th parkrun and brought chocolates to share with the other 309 runners. Karen Young was running in her 50th parkrun and there were visitors from as far away as Reading and Isle of Wight. 22 clubs were represented and a team of 10 volunteers led by Race Director Jo Lee ensured the event ran smoothly.

Jo Lee gets us underway
Andy Green was the first male across the line and Rebecca Leadbetter was first female in only her third event. There were an impressive 48 PB's meaning that one in six people ran their fastest 5K, a great effort. 25 people joined us for the first time and will hopefully be back again.

1st woman
1st man
Ian Griggs travelled to Northampton from Reading to take part. Ian was running his 302nd parkrun! He came an impressive 4th place on the day and was pleased to add another parkrun to his extensive list. This was his 149th different event. He travels around the country collecting parkruns and it was great to have him with us.

Ian (right) and friends
Benjamin Timmons is in the 11-14 age category and travelled from Isle of Wight to take part. The journey obviously didn't tire him as he knocked 30 seconds of his PB finishing 9th in 19:37.

Other highlights include Stuart Bartlett who ran an impressive 19:58 to finish 13th in his first ever parkrun.

Rafal Zawada managed his 6th PB in 9 runs to bring his time down to 19:20 and his highest ever finish of 6th.

Amy Dixey is on a roll with 5 straight PB's bringing her time down from 28:22 to 27:20.

Our wonderful marshals
Thanks to everyone who took part especially the marshals who did a great job keeping everyone safe, scanning barcodes and cheering us on. If you haven't tried out one of the sexy hi-viz jackets please sign up and join the team.

Special thanks to Szabolcs Mate and Leigh Barker who both clocked up 20 volunteer sessions this week. Szabolcs is also responsible for these great photos.

http://www.parkrun.org.uk/northampton/
https://www.facebook.com/northamptonparkrun

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