Highest attendance of the year at latest Brockenhurst parkrun
Despite the cold and drizzle, the latest Brockenhurst parkrun had the highest attendance since December, with 243 people running, jogging and walking the 5k New Forest-based course.
The first finisher was M20 Callum Olden of Southampton AC, who surged around in a rapid 16:41, just 10 seconds off his Brockenhurst personal best (PB).
The hilly Wilverley Inclosure course was the ideal preparation for Olden’s upcoming National Cross Country Championships on the very tough Parliament Hill course in a fortnight.
Andrew Gledhill of Alchester RC crossed the line in second place, posting a time of 17:09, narrowly finishing ahead of Bournemouth AC’s Robert Spencer at 17:18.
The first woman across the line was W30 Emma McDonald, who ran a Brockenhurst PB of 21:33 on her 14th visit to lead the ladies home for the first time. At the same time, her husband, Ryan, drew the short straw, propelling their two children around in a buggy, albeit in a very respectable 21:23.
Rounding out the female podium was junior female Kate Atkinson (Southampton AC), with a time of 22:15, with Hardley Runners’ Alice Rudd crossing in third in 22:51.
It was Atkinson’s 14th Brockenhurst run, with her time being rather conservative compared to her very impressive 19:07 PB.
Henry Forsyth has run Brockenhurst 24 times, but he ran his fastest time yet on Saturday, posting a time of 17:24 to lead the juniors home and finish fourth overall. His time also gave him the highest male age grade score.
Andrew Richards of New Forest Runners celebrated his 100th parkrun in style with a group of supporters, while Georgia and George Davies were the other two new members of the 100-run club.
The top age grade score was set by first-time visitor W70 Judy Pomphrey, who has run 10 of her 15 parkruns at Moors Valley.
The 513th event was made possible thanks to 15 volunteers. They were Abigail Cacia, Katy Hughes, Mick Anglim, Andy Griggs, Ellie Monks, Mike Smith, Kathy Tilbury, Clive Kendall, Jean Wright, Darryl Stevens, Steve Wilks, Jacqueline Brocklesby, Oliver Eveleigh, Jack Prince, and Simon Webster.
The event struggled to find enough volunteers for Saturday’s event. Many roles allow volunteers to run. For more details, visit parkrun.org.uk/brockenhurst/futureroster or email brockenhurst@parkrun.com
Results: 1, Callum Olden, 16:41; 2, Andrew Gledhill, 17:09; 3, Robert Spencer, 17:18; 4, Henry Forsyth, 17:24; 5, Simon Helyar, 18:50; 6, Peter Doughty, 18:58; 7, Ben Lyon, 19:12; 8, Andrew Lorton, 19:51; 9, Simon Webster, 20:06; 10, Craig Palmer, 20:18.
