15/08/2026
🌊 Marina parkrun #327 -Saturday 15 August 2026
It’s About So Much More Than the Stopwatch! 🏃♀️❤️
Well, Marina parkrun #327 certainly had a bit of everything!
There were PBs, first timers, milestones, speedy runners, determined walkers, plenty of smiles — and 59 people who decided that getting out of bed on a Saturday morning was a much better idea than staying under the doona! 😂
And while the results sheet tells us who finished first, second, third and so on, it doesn’t tell the most important part of today’s story.
❤️ Parkrun is about people.
Yes, Abbey Newton flew around Marina in an impressive 19:13 to take first place, while Michael McCarthy followed in 19:28 with a new PB.
There were plenty more PBs scattered throughout the field — Paul Norris, Josh Arnott, Paul Burke, Francis Berta, Harrison Galloway, Peter Clark, Sarah Peddle, Heidi Fahlbusch, Sarah Battilana, Anita Kirkbright, Cheryl Moore, Ian Palmer and many others all had something to celebrate.
But here’s the thing…
Every single person who crossed that finish line had already achieved something.
It didn’t matter whether the watch said 19 minutes or 51 minutes.
The achievement was turning up.
Moving your body.
Getting some fresh air.
Having a laugh.
Seeing your parkrun friends.
And perhaps wondering why you agreed to do this at about the 3km mark! 😂
👋 Welcome to the Marina family!
A special welcome to our first timers today.
Abbey Newton, Cole Pearce, Matthew Tidy, Chloe Sloan, Jane Bromley, Andrew Harper, Norm Randall, Meagan Crowe, Bree Thomason, Libby Haynes and Martin Haynes all joined us for their first Marina parkrun.
We hope you enjoyed yourselves — and we’re warning you now…
Saturday mornings may never be the same again! 😜
👏 The real VIPs — our volunteers
Today’s event couldn’t have happened without our fantastic eight volunteers:
Tracey Clinton — Run Director
Ian Palmer — First Timers Welcome
James Clinton — Timekeeper
Lesleigh Stewart — Finish Tokens
Jikki Vanamstel — Barcode Scanning
Lee Archer — Tail Walker
Daniel Straw — Event Day Course Check
Sue Palmer — Photographer
From keeping everyone safe to handing out tokens, scanning barcodes, welcoming newcomers and capturing all those important Marina moments — they gave their time so everyone else could enjoy theirs.
That’s community in action. ❤️
🏃♀️ Faster isn’t always better!
Today’s results gave us a wonderful reminder that parkrun isn’t a race against everyone else.
Some people are chasing a PB.
Some are building fitness.
Some are recovering.
Some are walking.
Some are running.
Some are doing their first ever 5km.
And some are simply there because their mates are there.
And let’s be honest — there are probably a few people who turn up primarily because they’ve discovered that coffee and a chat taste better after you’ve earned them! ☕😂
At Marina, your finishing time doesn’t determine your value.
Your position doesn’t determine your achievement.
And nobody gets a medal for having the most expensive running watch.
🌊 The real finish line
The real success of Marina parkrun is 59 people coming together, getting active and supporting one another.
It’s the encouragement from the sidelines.
The “well done!” as someone passes.
The volunteers standing out there giving up their Saturday morning.
The first-timer nervously arriving and discovering that everyone is friendly.
The regulars catching up.
The walkers chatting their way around the course.
And the person finishing at the back who gets exactly the same enthusiastic welcome as the person who finished first.
That’s parkrun.
So forget the stopwatch for a moment.
Forget the PB.
Forget the position.
Look around.
This is what winning looks like.
A healthy community.
A bunch of people moving together.
Friendships.
Laughter.
Fitness.
Fresh air.
And 59 people who can say:
“Yep… I got out and did it!” 🎉
Same course.
Same community.
Same Saturday morning magic.
See you at Marina next week! ❤️🏃♀️🌊
More reels and photos in following posts! Enjoy reliving this mornings event
