Thursday 10 October 2024
 6°C   N Fresh Breeze
Ocean Kinetics - The Engineering Experts

Community / Bressay parkrun features in new book about the ‘friendliest 5k’

A parkrun photo from 2021.

BRITAIN’s most northerly parkrun in Bressay has been named as one of the top ten parkruns in the country, according to a new book out today (Thursday).

Written by journalist and author Lucy Waterlow, The Ultimate Guide to parkrun: Everything You Need to Know About the Friendliest 5k in the World, the book delves into the origins of an event that has become an international phenomenon.

Since its launch in Bushy Park, London, almost exactly 20 years ago, parkrun has grown to 2,000 locations in 22 countries, including Bressay.

Every Saturday morning, come rain or shine, a hardy crop of anywhere between 10 and 80 runners gather at the Bressay ferry for the short trip across the sound.

The five kilometre race across the island conveniently finishes right next to the Speldiburn café.

Coming eighth in her list of best parkruns in the country, Waterlow said participating in the Bressay event had an element of adventure.

She writes: “This is the most northerly parkrun in the UK but is beaten in the world northerly rankings by a few in Scandinavia.

“As it is such a remote rural location with a population of 360, getting there is part of the adventure, and the event might be cancelled if the inter-island Saturday ferry isn’t running.

“The scenic out and back route is on public roads with views of the sea and unspoiltcountryside.

“The average attendance since the event launch in 2018 is 44, with an average finishing time of 32:04.”

Bressay event directors Mairi Thomson and Wendy Borrill said they were delighted have been ranked so highly.

“We get very positive feedback from our participants, who see us as an inclusive, friendly event,” they said.

“Newcomers to Shetland find coming along to parkrun is a great way to meet people and integrate into the community.

Become a member of Shetland News

 

“We have had a busy summer with parkrun tourists from all over the world, visiting us. Our success is down to our brilliant volunteers who turn up every weekend, whatever the weather, to make sure we can go ahead. This includes the volunteers in Speldiburn Cafe, who provide amazing post-event refreshes.”

Top of the list is the Fountains Abbey parkrun in North Yorkshire, while the Bushy parkrun regularly attracts more than 1,000 runners.

Published by Canbury Press The Ultimate Guide to parkrun is available in paperback and eBook formats and priced £20.

Advertisement 

Newsletters

Subscribe to a selection of different newsletters from Shetland News, varying from breaking news delivered on the minute, to a weekly round-up of the opinion posts. All delivered straight to your inbox.

Daily Briefing Newsletter Weekly Highlights Newsletter Opinion Newsletter Life in Shetland Newsletter

JavaScript Required

We're sorry, but Shetland News isn't fully functional without JavaScript enabled.
Head over to the help page for instructions on how to enable JavaScript on your browser.

Your Privacy

We use cookies on our site to improve your experience.
By using our service, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Cookie Policy.

Browser is out-of-date

Shetland News isn't fully functional with this version of .
Head over to the help page for instructions on updating your browser for more security, improved speed and the best overall experience on this site.

Interested in Notifications?

Get notifications from Shetland News for important and breaking news.
You can unsubscribe at any time.

Have you considered becoming a member of Shetland News?

If you appreciate what we do and feel strongly about impartial local journalism, then please consider paying for membership and get the following features and services: -

  • Remove non-local ads;
  • Bookmark posts to read later;
  • Exclusive curated weekly newsletter;
  • Hide membership messages;
  • Comments open for discussion.