Croydon’s Nicki Clark first parkrunner to hit 1,000th volunteering milestone

Croydon parkrunner Nicki Clark is the first in the charity’s history to hit the 1,000 volunteering milestone and was presented with a special T-shirt on Saturday.

Clark’s parkrun journey began in 2009 when she was introduced to the charity event during a sports massage.

“I hadn’t been running for long,” she said. “I signed up to do a Race for Life shortly after my partner was given a terminal cancer diagnosis, I fought the helplessness that I felt by raising money for a cancer charity.

“I didn’t think I was a good enough runner to join a running club, but running itself helped me to clear my head in the early stages of bereavement and I wanted to run with other people – so I thought I’d check this parkrun thing out.

“It wasn’t an intentional ‘I’m going to be the first person (to hit the milestone)’. I just turn up every weekend, I volunteer and I go home again. I turn up a lot -apparently!

“There’s a lot of people here. It doesn’t work on my own – it’s part of being a team and team playing is what it’s about.

“I couldn’t quite believe that something as well organised as this could be free, and I was hugely impressed by how enthusiastic the volunteer team was.

“Parkrun quickly became a vital part of my routine – and nearly 15 years later it still is. The friendships made, and the sense of belonging created within the parkrun community is amazing.”

Clark had an inspirational message for anyone thinking of joining the 250,000 weekly participants of parkrun, she said: “To anyone thinking of coming along to parkrun, either to run or to volunteer – I’d say do it.

“The supportive atmosphere, the chance to be part of something so inclusive – there is no downside. You don’t have to run, walking is good too, and volunteering is the best way to still be part of it all without having to break a sweat.”

You can find your local course at www.parkrun.com.