My worst jump shot ever at The Ponds parkrun

I found another awesome post! This was before I met Brad but I was well and truly entrenched in the parkrun culture by this stage.

Let's go!!!

It was a drizzly, cold October morning. However, that was never going to keep avid parkrunners away. This morning there were 356 runners and walkers at the launch of the upgraded course at The Ponds, here in North West Sydney, including the awesome Mr Tim Oberg (who brought parkrun to Australia back in 2011) & one of my fave parkrun peeps, Scotty.

(Photo of Stephen, Tim and me - from left to right. This photo was taken by Stephen who was very good at staying in touch with people and taking photos everywhere he went. Sadly, he took his own life a few years after this. Just goes to show that people can be forever smiling on the outside but hurting on the inside. He is missed by many.)

(Photo of Scotty and me. It was he who invited me to join them at The Ponds that day. It was also he who started a parkrun podcast that encouraged me to go on many, many adventures. While he lives interstate, I do hope that Brad and I can find an excuse to catch up with him on one of our big trips. He's such a fabulous character.)

The crowd was awash with red and purple as people were encouraged to wear their milestone shirts for International parkrun day. The rain managed to hold off as we collectively twisted and turned our way through the long-awaited, upgraded course.

There were the usual suspects; pram pushers, dog walkers and small children dragging their slow parents But the coolest thing I saw was the first timer's brief delivered by four children. They did a stellar job!

Well done to the birthday girl and Event Director, Rio, and her awesome team of 34 volunteers (34!!!) for making today a spectacular success and getting these much-needed upgrades to happen.

The next piece of exciting news for North West Sydney will be the long-awaited and much-needed Rouse Hill parkrun, which will be launched later this year.

Between now and then, I think I need to work on my jump shots. What do you think? 😂