parkrun Establishment Proposal (Port Pirie)
Desmond Muzorewa AIAA, BSc
Last edited 30 March 2022
1 Introduction
I refer to my email of 11 November 2021 where I submitted a proposal to establish a parkrun event in Port Pirie and subsequent correspondence. We are grateful for Council’s responses, kind gesture of granting us audience and expression of support for this initiative.
I am a Port Pirie resident who is passionate about parkrun and have participated in more than 100 parkrun events in Australia and abroad in various capacities as a runner and a volunteer. I have been working with some prospective volunteers and parkrun’s Event Ambassador in identifying a local parkrun course that meets parkrun’s requirements in terms of safety, facilities and appeal as discussed in more detail below.
2 About parkrun
parkruns in Australia are free, weekly timed community events (as is the case across the world) organised by local volunteers under the auspices of parkrun Australia. Saturday morning events are 5km and take place in parks and open spaces. On Sunday mornings there are 2km junior parkruns for children aged four to 14.
parkrun Australia is a not-for-profit organisation which belongs to a global organisation whose mission is to create a healthier and happier planet and is committed to delivering physical activity interventions designed to help communities to be healthier and happier through:
- insight and understanding of the challenges and issues that impact participation;
- normalising physically active behavior;
- proactively championing diversity and inclusivity;
- challenging stereotypes and conventional thinking; removing barriers to participation, particularly for those whom physical activity, including volunteering, is not the norm;
- targeting and supporting the people and communities who find it hardest to participate and have most to benefit;
- focusing on under-represented groups and those from areas of social deprivation where there is lack of provision for physical activities;
- positively influencing attitudes, language and behavior change; and
- challenging ourselves every single day in order to ensure we are living up to our mission statement.
parkrun is always spelt with a lower case letter “p” as it is parkrun’s registered trademark.
3 Proposal
We propose that a parkrun event be established in Port Pirie at the Memorial Park.
In line with parkrun Australia’s requirements, the envisaged event will be held every week, always on a Saturday morning, always at the same place, and always at the same time (08:00hrs for South Australia). The only exceptions to the requirement of holding the event on a Saturday are parkrun events held on Christmas Day and New Year’s Day, which are considered extra optional events. We will approach Council for permission prior to holding these events at these days.
Events are only canceled due to:
- weather making the event unsafe;
- another event in the park/area;
- work/maintenance to the path/track;or occasionally
- lack of volunteers.
Accordingly, we do not expect that the establishment of an alternative contingency venue will materially add value as there is provision to cancel events as may be needed from time to time.
Before the parkrun launch, we will work with our Event Ambassador to plan and deliver trial parkrun events on the two Sundays prior to the launch of the event starting at 08:00hrs. This provides us with an opportunity to test the course, practice using the equipment, train volunteers and address any issues that may arise. We will also practice using the parkrun results system by loading the results into Test webFMS.
3.1 Merits
Being involved with parkrun can be life changing for all involved. parkrun can have a huge effect on the physical and mental health of the Port Pirie community.
The benefits of physical activity are only the tip of the iceberg in terms of parkrun being a health-enabler. Friendship, community cohesion, mutual support, access to open space and the open air, skill development and personal and professional empowerment are just some of the reasons why participation in parkrun can lead to improved mental and physical health and happiness.
In some cases, three generations of a single family come along to start their weekend together in an active and healthy way. Through its promotion of participation and the benefits of sport and recreation, and by providing a welcoming, inclusive and positive environment, where all participants are encouraged and valued, parkrun is helping people improve their lives and build communities.
Additionally, a local parkrun can be good for the local businesses as it provides a good opportunity for tourism since it is a common pursuit by some people to travel to different parkruns.
3.2 Funding and sponsorsip
The total cost of establishing a new parkrun event in the community is $7,500; this amount covers insurance,the purchase of an AED (Automated External Defibrillator) and a standard parkrun kit issued by parkrun at the launch of the event. A breakdown of the standard parkrun kit is shown in Appendix A below. parkrun accepts donations from multiple stakeholders.
The ongoing costs for the maintenance and/or replacement of the parkrun kit including the defibrillator are borne in full by parkrun Australia.
The undertaking of fundraising activities or handling of cash by parkrun events and/ or volunteers is prohibited.
parkrun is able to meet expenses associated with ongoing costs through the folowing channels:
- National Sponsors – Medibank and The Athlete’s Foot
- National Supporter - Eukanunba Australia and New Zealand
- Government grants – Local Council, State and Federal
- Digital advertising – newsletters and advertorials
- Merchandise sales – Bent Logic wristbands
- Foundation Supporters – Businesses who donate to an event’s initial funding
- Donations – Australian Sports Foundation ‘parkrun 4 everyone’ and ‘defibs for parkrun’ campaigns.
3.3 Local parkrun success and continuity
Once a parkrun is established, it is relatively self-sustainable and runs with very limited additional funding requirements. Equipment supplied to events at launch is of high quality and works effectively for long periods of time. parkrun Australia is able to maintain operational costs (including ongoing maintenance of the defibrillator) at minimal levels due to the volunteer-based model of our events.
A successful parkrun is when we have people of all ages, abilities and fitness levels turning up each week and when we can fill the weekly volunteer roster. parkrun events are not measured as successful by specific numbers as each community is different. Some events grow quickly while others grow over time. Some events continue to grow while others grow until they find their natural base of regular parkrunners.
Many events start through the dedication and perseverance of an individual or founding committee. For the long-time sustainability of the event, the Event Director will establish a team of Run Directors all of who will be able to undertake the various volunteer activities such as processing results and completing other IT related tasks. The establishment of a multi-skilled team of Run Directors, together with other initiatives, will ensure the ongoing smooth running of the local events.
Informal discussions among community members show that there is sufficient interest to attract enough volunteers and participants to assist in making the envisaged parkrun a success. Some of these discussions have taken place on Port Pirie’s private Facebook page “Port Pirie Rant and Rave” and elicited remarkable interest from a considerable number of participants. More than thirty participants actively participated in the conversation pertaining to the setting up of a local event with the majority expressing an interest to volunteer and / or run or walk. Since parkrun participants generally volunteer to meet the needs of the management of the events, we expect that there will be sufficient additional volunteers available to support the initial core volunteers mentioned in Appendix D on an ongoing basis.
4 Route eligibility
parkrun has a set of guidelines that govern the designing of a course. A summary of some of these guidelines is shown in Appendix B. It should be noted that for a course design to be eligible, we do not necessarily have to tick “yes” to all the items listed in the guidelines but they need to be considered in respect of how their presence or lack of will impact the event. All aspects of the course design requirements have been considered in the risk assessment exercise undertaken in consultation with the Event Ambassador. The Event Ambassador deems the Memorial Park as meeting all material requirements of parkrun Australia and has provisionally approved our request to Council in respect of the use of this venue. Final approval is subject to parkrun Safe Guarding concurring with the Event Ambassador and signing off on the course.
We have identified the Memorial Park as a suitable and eligible course, performed a risk assessment exercise; and have been granted approval by the Event Ambassador as required by parkrun Australia. In addition to being centrally located, the Memorial Park is also an attractive location as it is wheelchair friendly hence inclusive.
5 Public Liability Insurance
- All parkrun events are covered by public liability insurance, which is provided through Royal & Sun Alliance Insurance Plc. The value on the Confirmation Letter of cover is in GBP, and equates to in excess of 20 million Australian Dollars.
- The public liability will be in the name of parkrun Australia and is covered by the same.
- The current policy expires on 20th July 2022 and is renewed annually, it will be renewed for another 12 months in July 2022.
- The relevant landowner for the envisaged Port Pirie event (e.g. Port Pirie Council) will be added as an “interested party” on the Public Liability Confirmation Letter for Australia once we have been granted approval to use the respective venue for hosting our events.
7 Partnering with other athletic / sporting groups
We appreciate Council’s suggestion for us to engage with local athletics and sporting groups to support the establishment and maintenance of the local parkrun events. Members of these organisations are welcome to participate in parkrun events as we expect that their experience, skill and passion will be valuable to the success of these events.
8 Subsequent events
We have been advised that Council is in the process of undertaking infrastructure development projects that could see the construction of an alternative site that is suitable for parkruns. We also understand that this project is earmarked to be completed in the next 12 months. We would be pleased to consider this venue at a suitable time at which point we will perform the usual assessment and approval formalities in line with parkrun Australia’s requirements and make the appropriate recommendations.
9 Conclusion
We are kindly asking Council for:
- permission to use the Memorial Park for holding weekly parkrun events as discussed above; and
- once off full or partial funding towards meeting the once off establishment cost of $7,500. Your contribution and support will be acknowledged at the launch during the pre-event briefing and in social media on the day of the launch of the event.
If you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact me on email (desmond.muzorewa@sa.gov.au or 0401 214 931).
Healthy regards,
Desmond Muzorewa
10 Appendix A: Standard Kit
The standard kit issued to new events includes the following items:
- 2 x flags, poles and stakes, with flag bag
- 1-300 finish tokens
- Trays for token sorting
- Token Holder
- Clipboard
- 15 x volunteer vests
- 1 x RD vest
- 1 x first aid kit
- 1 x Snake Compression Bandage (optional)
- 20 x cones
- 5 x lanyards
- 5 x plastic lanyard pockets
- 1 x Bum Bag for Tail Walker
- Blank replacement finish tokens
- Waterproof finish token labels
- Hand Sanitiser (AU only due to shipping restrictions)
- 1 x Selfie Frame (optional)
When finalising the course and/or during trial events, the Event Director and Event Ambassador may decide that equipment that is not on this list or in different quantities is needed to safely deliver the event each week in which case, the Event Ambassador will contact parkrun HQ to make a plan to source the equipment needed. parkrun does not expect our volunteers to pay for any equipment that is needed for the safe delivery of the event.
The AED will be provided by parkrun together with the items mentioned in the standard kit above.
11 Appendix B: Course design
There are various requirements that need to be adhered to or whose lack need to be noted in the risk assessment and managed accordingly. The course design specifications include the following:
parkrun events should not cross, or be situated close to public roads.
Car parks should be avoided unless very carefully managed and included in the risk assessment.
Downhill starts or finishes should be avoided wherever possible as these are congested parts of the course where it is helpful to slow participants down.
Courses should not go down steps, and any upward stepped sections must be risk assessed carefully.
Hazards such as water or big drops alongside the path should be managed such that the participants are not likely to fall in or off, and must be risk assessed carefully.
Volunteer safety should be considered, as they may be out on the course for an hour or more.
Impact on and engagement with wildlife must always be considered, for example, courses may go through sensitive conservation areas or in places where dangerous animals are present.
12 Appendix C: parkrun duration
12.1 Finishing running time distribution
12.2 Summary of event statistics
| Position | Duration | |
|---|---|---|
| Min. : 1.00 | Min. : 0.00 | |
| 1st Qu.: 7.00 | 1st Qu.:29.25 | |
| Median :13.00 | Median :41.50 | |
| Mean :14.19 | Mean :41.07 | |
| 3rd Qu.:19.75 | 3rd Qu.:52.00 | |
| Max. :36.00 | Max. :60.00 |
13 Appendix C: Current expressions of interest
The individuals below have expressed keen interest to participate in the prospective local parkrun events.
| Name | Surname |
|---|---|
| Adelita | Hay |
| Desmond | Muzorewa |
| Ella | Belci |
| Janet | Reid |
| Judy | Kenny |
| Justina | Adams |
| Katie | Belci |
| Kirstie | Belci |
| Mabatho | Khoza |
| Maphula | NA |
| Mel | Davis |
| Naomi | Connor |
| Ncamisile | Khoza |
| Peter | Challen |
| Sidney | Odgers |
| Tafadzwa | Ndagurwa |
Considering that at least six volunteers are required for the undertaking of a relatively small parkrun and we have sixteen expressions of interest (14 of which are from individuals who are locally based), we expect that the initial and ongoing success of the event is assured.