A view from the inside
Cuerden valley parkrun for those not in the know its an organised timed free run every week on a Saturday morning at 9-00 and its run entirely by volunteers The two big cheeses being Pita Oates and her general Debbie Porter (without these two it wouldn’t be around) Red Rose and Cuerden do seem to be having a bit of a thing with large numbers turning up week in and week out(ooh people will be talking) Its not classed as a race but a run and to be honest its a social meet with a woodland 5k thrown in the choice is yours flat out racing or social running with plenty of chatter.
Saturday 9th Apr was Hawaii 5-0 for Pita and Debbie both of them completing run number 50 which is quite an achievement as they have both volunteered more times than most have run So as Red Rose and Cuerden play a big part for both of them it was decided to turn it Red for the day to celebrate !! so we thought that we would take over the running of the event and the call was put out for volunteers and runners to don the colours.
The response that we got was astonishing over 30 volunteers and almost 50 runners including Anneke Crosby’s infamous parkrun orchestra
Onto the start line and our very own after dinner speaker Ian Wharton delivered a run briefing to make you laugh and bring a tear to your eyes and off everyone went with the two stars of the show nestled mid pack among the 160 odd down the steep slope to a sea of red on the troll bridge cheering loud enough to scare of the beast out from under the bridge This theme continued around the woodlands until the orchestra was reached at the start of the second lap which is also the beginning of heart break slope on the last lap. On the first lap runners were treated to renditions of chariots of fire and of course Hawaii 5-0 and on the second an even bigger treat with congratulations and from the sound of music Doh ray me with my singing being mistaken for Julie Andrews All under the guidance of our infamous conductoress
The two stars of the show breezed past which brought out the best from the musicians and up they went on the gentle slope to the finish to be greeted by another sea of red and loudness Red Rose style Then followed by cake coffee tea and biscuits in the barn which was busier than most after race presentations.
All in all a day to remember and thanks to all who answered the call and don’t forget we’ll be asking again soon for our beginners .