A new outdoor activity for kids came to Ruddington on Sunday 2 February when the first ever Junior parkrun was held at Rushcliffe Country Park. The free weekly event was launched due to popular demand from local kids, in the wake of the successful adult parkrun which came to the village last summer.
And an impressive 118 young people turned up for the inaugural 2km timed run around the Country Park, which was officially started at 9am by the Mayor of Rushcliffe, Brian Buschman.
The runners, which included members of several local athletics clubs, enjoyed a two lap run around the Park’s 1km course, setting some impressive times with the top boy and girl achieving 7 minutes 38 seconds and 7 minutes 46 seconds respectively. After the run, everyone enjoyed drinks and cakes in the Warden’s Room, kindly provided by volunteers.
Parkrun is a national organisation that arranges free, weekly timed runs in parkland surroundings across the UK. Junior parkrun is open to youngsters aged from 4 to 14. All abilities are welcome, but anyone wishing to take part must register in advance to print off their unique barcode and receive an official time after the race.
By Faye Stenson
You can register online and find out more about both parkrun and Junior parkrun at www.parkrun.org.