Saturday in the park
Sep. 10—ARCHDALE — Every Saturday morning, with few exceptions, you'll find them at Creekside Park — a couple dozen runners and walkers of all ages, participating in a timed 5k.
They're not competing, though — they're just there for the exercise and the sense of community they get from being there with others.
"You can compete against yourself if you wish to, but you're not competing against anybody else," says Joyce Wolford, who initiated this weekly gathering, known as Creekside parkrun, a year ago this month.
"The focus is not so much on your finish time — it's just about getting outside and moving. We've had little bitty kids who finished the 5k, and we've had older adults who've finished. We have some very fast runners, and we have some who are just out for a walk."
Creekside parkrun is part of an international parkrun movement that began in the United Kingdom in 2000 and was launched in the United States in 2012. There are now 54 parkruns nationwide, and the Creekside event is one of only three parkruns in North Carolina (the others are in Durham and Charlotte).
"parkruns are just a way for people to come together, build community, and get some exercise and fresh air," Wolford says. "They're offered every single Saturday in locations all over the world."
Next weekend, Creekside parkrun will celebrate its one-year anniversary, and organizers are hoping for a record number of participants. The event has been averaging about 22 participants, but the record is the 54 runners and walkers who turned out for Creekside's "Turkey Trot" 5k on Thanksgiving Day.
Wolford organized Creekside parkrun after participating in a couple of parkruns in Ann Arbor, Michigan, where her daughter was a student at the University of Michigan.
"I kind of got the bug and decided we really needed something like this in our area," she says. "I went on the website and explored how to start it, and they provide pretty much everything you need."
After being delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic, the first Creekside parkrun was held Sept. 18, 2021, with 27 participants and eight volunteers.
Participants are timed so they can see how they're improving, but the emphasis is really on just getting out and moving, whether you're running, jogging or walking.
"We try to emphasize walk, jog or run," Wolford says. "It's completely at your pace and not just for runners. We've had some people who started out walking, but they ended up running a little bit, which is great. But if they just want to walk, that's perfectly fine, too."
Also, the event always has a "tail walker" — a volunteer who brings up the rear to make sure everyone is accounted for — "so no participant ever finishes last," Wolford says.
The parkruns are also popular with four-legged participants, known as "barkrunners."
"We love to have dogs participate, and we'll always have a few out there," Wolford says.
Another aspect of the event is what's known as "parkrun tourism," in which regular participants visit parkruns in cities other than their home.
"parkrun tourism is really big," Wolford says. "People who are really into parkrun will seek out locations that have a parkrun. For example, if they're nearby for a business conference or something, they might come on over to Archdale for our parkrun."
Recently, according to Wolford, a couple from London planned their entire U.S. vacation around parkruns, including Creekside. Participants from Australia, Wales, Canada and several U.S. states have also participated at Creekside. One man who lives in the Washington, D.C., area got up at 3 a.m., drove to Archdale for Creekside parkrun, then drove back.
"Some people make it a mission to complete as many parkruns as they can, and that's what he was doing," Wolford explains.
As Creekside parkrun celebrates its one-year anniversary, Wolford hopes the word will spread about the event.
"I think it's a well-kept secret, but we have new people every week," she says. "We're growing, and we want that to continue."
jtomlin@hpenews.com — 336-888-3579
jtomlin@hpenews.com — 336-888-3579
