Carnival atmosphere for parkrun in Aberdeen as it celebrates 500th event

By Louise Glen

July 3 2022, 3:18 pm

Aberdeen Parkrun. Picture by Stuart Bell

Aberdeen Parkrun celebrated its 500th event in style on Saturday.

The free 5km event which takes place at Aberdeen beach every Saturday morning at 9.30am saw 449 runners take part in the weekly event.

The run had a special guest appearance from Aberdeen mascot Robbie The Ram who helped to motivate and encourage participants before and after the event’s conclusion.

Aberdeen Parkrun started on August 10 2011, with 99 participants completing the course.

Carnival atmosphere

Along with all other parkruns globally, the event was forced into a prolonged postponement during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The parkrun heads out towards the Beach Ballroom along the promenade. Picture by Stuart Bell.

Saturday’s event was the largest turnout at the event since its resumption in August 2021.

Like other parkrun events across the UK, the 5km events are run exclusively by teams of volunteers, with a core team of run directors taking on the responsibility of organising each weekly event.

The event director, with overall responsibility for the smooth running of Aberdeen Parkrun, is Graham Snedden who took on the role of run director for the 500th event.

He said: “We had a great morning celebrating our 500th parkrun. We were delighted to have both Martin Fraser and Jamie Cassidy, who started Aberdeen parkrun all the way back in 2011, joining us and taking part in the event.

Even parkrun babies

“We had participants turning up in their official parkrun milestone t-shirts, and even some taking part in fancy dress. It was a real carnival atmosphere.

Martin Fraser (left), Graham Snedden, Jamie Cassidy and his daughter Eilidh cut the celebration cake after the event. Picture by Fiona Kennedy.

“It has been great to see the event grow from that first occasion into something which is now a real Saturday morning staple for so many, with friendships formed, marriages made, and even some parkrun babies born!

“The event relies upon volunteers, and we are grateful for the people who turn up to make sure the event continues to be a great success, and we look forward to it going from strength to strength as we head towards our next milestone.”

The event also saw 18 volunteers pacing specific times, ranging from 18-38 minutes, helping 102 of their fellow participants to secure personal best times.