Ipswich Parkrunners share why they have been going back for a decade

As postponed celebrations take place to mark 10 years of Parkrun in Suffolk, volunteers and runners share why the free 5km (3.1-mile) event is important to them and what has made it a constant in their lives for the last decade.

When Rory Marriott attended a meeting 10 years ago to discuss setting up the first Parkrun in Suffolk, little did he expect to become the event director - and go on to set up 15 other Parkrun events.

The analyst had already been taking part in Parkruns elsewhere since 2011 and was the event director of the Valentines event in Ilford.

But as he was splitting his time between Ipswich and London, he felt Suffolk needed one of its own - and he was not the only person feeling that way.

With support of the local councils, the volunteer-run Ipswich Parkrun was born on 8 September 2012.

Just under 100 people attended the first event and now more than 2,000 people take part in Parkruns across Suffolk.

And for Mr Marriott, Saturday mornings would not be the same without the weekly events.

"From 2011 to now, they are where I have been every Saturday," he says.

The 54-year-old, who was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2014, does not take part in the events himself any longer but, he says, he gets "just as much back from Parkrun from the volunteering side of it".

"Being around other people and seeing their enjoyment helps me with my mental health," says Mr Marriott, who is an event director of the Rendlesham Forest Parkrun and Ipswich Junior Parkrun.

"For so many people, the running element is just such a small part of the Saturday mornings nowadays.

"It's the build-up of the community and getting to know people."

The married father-of-five adds: "On a Saturday, you have a run around or volunteer and you have a chat - that's what Parkrun is to me."

Sally Solomon was encouraged to take part in the second ever Ipswich Parkrun by her brother, who had been to the first.

Even though she says she was not a runner, she soon discovered it did not matter and has been going ever since.

The 55-year-old has now clocked up more than 346 Parkruns - mostly at Ipswich - over the last decade, and has volunteered at more than 100.

"I'm not built for running and I'm not very fast but that doesn't matter, it's a lovely thing to be part of," she says.

Mrs Solomon, whose husband Dave, 55, and dog Fizz, also take part, says it is also "great" that an initiative called Parkwalk October is taking place, encouraging and welcoming walkers to take part.

"To see people turn up and start walking at the back and eventually run it gives people a great feeling and is lovely to see," says Mrs Solomon.

She says even though she is currently carrying an injury, she still goes every Saturday, to help out and to see friends.

"We've made so many friends through it over the years," she says.

"We call it our church on a Saturday morning, it's lovely."

For Paul Horne, who took part in the pilot for Ipswich Parkrun, the event became an integral part of not only his life but also his mum's.

He says his mum Valerie loved running when she was younger, but she became quite ill with arthritis so she could not walk far and was "stuck in the house quite a lot".

So Mr Horne would take her to Parkrun every Saturday morning because she "loved" being there and it was a "social event for her".

"She could be involved without doing too much activity," he says.

"It was a big thing about it, giving her something to talk about and she would see people over the years, and would see children grow and get faster and better.

"She made some quite good friends and everyone knew her and all said 'hello', and she enjoyed getting out."

Mr Horne's mum died in 2017, aged 77, almost two years after having a severe stroke.

He says he keeps his mum in his thoughts when he volunteers still to this day.

"When I marshal, I'm doing it on behalf of my mum," says the 62-year-old, who has run 176 Parkruns and volunteered at 174.

To celebrate the 10th anniversary of the first Parkrun in Suffolk, Ipswich Town Football Club Foundation is holding a takeover day.

Staff and club mascots are taking on the volunteering roles, from marshalling the course to scanning the barcodes and encouraging Parkrunners on the route.

The anniversary event was scheduled to take place on 10 September, but due to the Queen's death was rescheduled.

Since the Ipswich event was launched in 2012, a further 20 Parkruns have been established in Suffolk, including six junior Parkruns.

Since 2019, 25 GP surgeries across Suffolk have registered as Parkrun practices and are actively referring patients and encouraging staff to attend their local events, with a view to them benefitting from a more active lifestyle.

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