05/09/2026
Oh, Mount Ainslie, you teaser!
We had clear blue skies up until a few moments before the start. Temperatures were climbing and it looked like a lovely spring day coming up. We even had blossoms by the start line.
Then the faintest, lightest, evanescent drizzle began, seemingly out of a clear sky.
Never mind. We only got a little damp. And who needs temperatures above 15º? We had fun!
232 finishers and 18 volunteers (with a little overlap there for the tailwalkers and a couple more) had fun. We’ll yearn for the cool of early spring in the height of what is shaping up to be a hot summer.
Arthur led the volunteer crew, opening up at the Firsties briefing with a few well-worn jokes to draw attention to the uneven bushland surface. Take care whipping around the slick skid pan at the turnaround point and steaming home down the final slope, a new personal best shining in their eyes, concealing the dips and ridges of our fire trail course.
Take care is the take-home message. Keep your eyes on the track, keep left, keep your kids within arm’s reach, dogs on a short hand-held leash.
And a good chunky grippy sole on your running shoes.
Thirty-eight personal bests today, starting with our first three finishers, each recording their best times at Mount Ainslie. Andrew came home on 18:46, and Jessica led the ladies only a few seconds behind on 19:11.
Andrew, it must be noted, had an 85.44% age-grade percentage. Bronwyn, a sixth of Andrew’s age, had 77.82%.
parkrun is more than fit and fabulous twenty-somethings. Everyone can shine. Bridget and Gordon in their bright yellow tailwalker vests, for example, seen sunnily swinging along on the start video.
Arthur, as Run Director, captained the volunteer crew. Alasdair, Ben, Erin, Saskia, Tristan, Nick, Sam, Liam, Richard, Sandeep, Shoshana, Peter, Kate, Robbie, and Stephanie filled out the roster.
Always room for volunteers to keep the ship sailing. Let us know at [email protected] and we’ll have a hi-viz vest waiting for you.
Saskia, Tristan, Shoshana, and Stephanie marked their first volunteer credit today. Thank you for starting with Mount Ainslie; we hope you'll help keep parkrun free for all, free for ever.
Imogen and Josh completed 25 parkruns, Steph 50, with Rex and Anton marking a century of runs each. Well done!
Neil and Ada led the leagues for most parkruns today on 478 and 405 respectively. And respectfully. That’s a lot of kilometres underfoot!
We welcomed visitors from Dickson, Melbourne, Perth, Picton, Oxford, Townsville, Norway, Queensland, and Tasmania.
A special shout-out to Charlotte, who chose today to finish her second parkrun location, a very different event to Richmond-upon-Thames, where she last ran SIXTEEN YEARS AGO!
Wow! There’s a story there, for sure. A new parkrun personal best time, too.
Parking, coffee, and toilets available at the Australian War Memorial, a stroll away. Parking and no amenities a little closer at Campbell High School on Treloar Crescent. Just follow the trails through the bush to our start/finish area. Earlybirds are almost certainly assured of meeting a few of the local kangaroos. Gang-gang cockatoos are easily heard on course, tawny frogmouths sometimes spotted by those who know where to look. A little early for snakes who are still sensibly tucked up in bed, but as the weather warms, keep your eyes open.
Thank you to everyone who decided that being tucked up in bed wasn’t the best option. Each and every one of you helps to make parkrun the glorious community success it is. See you next week!
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Handy links
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https://www.parkrun.com.au/mountainslie/results/390
https://www.parkrun.com.au/mountainslie/futureroster
Start video: https://youtu.be/_58SrcWuUqg
