10/09/2026
Thank you Barbara! A run report from parkrun’s bday event ❤️👇🏾
Run report submitted by Barbara Pelletier, visiting from Eastern Trail parkrun Biddeford (Maine) - 10/3/26.
Happy 22nd birthday, parkrun! Since it’s also the weekend of my annual New Hampshire camping trip with friends, I seized the opportunity to visit the “nearby” Stony Brook School parkrun Westford for their 22nd event! (OK, so it’s a 50 minute drive, but in the Parkrun USA world that is “just down the road“).
I got up early, snuck out of the campground, and headed down the road with the rising sun in my eyes. I arrived at Stony Brook School parkrun just prior to 8:30 am to find Run Director, Lydia, setting up the course.
Lydia is so friendly and welcoming, and she has made both my visits so great. Today, she was prepared to celebrate their 22nd event and parkrun’s 22nd birthday by bringing a half dozen or so tutus which she generously handed out to any participant willing to don one for the special occasion!
I was also excited this morning because my only previous visit to this event had a slightly modified route due to the track being closed that day, so today I was finally able to experience the official course!
After a warm welcoming and a terrific pre-run briefing and first timer’s welcome/overview of the route, we all walked to the starting line on the far side of the track where we posed for a group photo. Three-two-one parkrun, and we were off!
After one and a half loops around the track, we entered the trolley path and then entered the wooded conservation land. The course is so beautiful and the beauty was especially enhanced today by the sunshine, bright bluebird sky, gorgeous colors of the fall foliage, and a comfortable temperature in the mid-fifties. The woods were so quiet and peaceful, and the hills provided a little challenge to offset the flatness of the track.
After completing the out and back wooded section, there was just a slight incline to the finish line. The volunteers were spot on with the cowbells and cheers to let the 29 participants know they were close! And the cheering didn’t stop until each participant was over the line!
I enjoyed a bit more chit chat at the finish area with both locals and visitors from the UK before saying my goodbyes and heading back to the campground. I won’t lie…. I was a bit disappointed not to have time to join everyone at the cafe for a post-parkrun celebration. The cafe serves the best food, and I am still dreaming about the waffles and avocado toast I indulged in on my previous visit. This just gives me another reason to return sometime soon.
Congrats to all of the finishers today! There were visitors from the UK, and 5 first timers at this event - 2 of whom joined in the fun for their first parkrun ever! Congrats, too, to Rahul, Claire, (and me) for achieving a new PB either overall or on this course. Well done!
Whether you walked, ran, volunteered, or did a combination of these, you did it! You secured your place in parkrun’s history by being part of their 22nd celebration! Cheers to 22 (plus) more years!!
