12/06/2026
Chermside parkrun #517 – 13 June 2026
This week 264 people ran, jogged and walked their way around Chermside parkrun. Among them were 40 first timers who had either heard great things about parkrun or simply followed someone wearing activewear and ended up here by accident. We also saw 32 Personal Bests, proving that some people are clearly taking this Saturday morning exercise thing far too seriously.
A massive thank you goes to our 15 volunteers who made the event possible. This week was almost a Frontrunners volunteer takeover, with the group filling most of the roster. Rumours that they were attempting a hostile acquisition of Chermside parkrun remain unconfirmed, but several volunteers were seen looking suspiciously organised.
The event was expertly supported by Suzanne, Majella, Alys, Rodney, Max, Nic, Phillip, Karen, Lindsay, Ellen, Jack, Arifah, Kevlynn, Patrick and Mitch. Whether you were scanning barcodes, cheering runners on, setting up, packing down or standing around pretending to know how the timing app works, thank you.
Now for the weekly report from Captain Grumpy, also known as Run Director Rodney.
While the event ran smoothly, Captain Grumpy was observed muttering into his clipboard about parents allowing children under 11 to run unaccompanied. For those playing along at home, parkrun’s rule is simple: children under 11 must stay within arm’s reach of a parent or guardian at all times.
Apparently “I saw him at the start” and “she’ll be right” are not recognised parkrun safety policies.
Several children were spotted displaying remarkable speed and independence, while their parents were somewhere behind discussing holiday plans, mortgage rates or what to have for breakfast. Captain Grumpy’s eye started twitching at approximately the 2km mark.
Fortunately, all children were eventually reunited with their responsible adults, no paperwork was required, and Captain Grumpy’s blood pressure returned to near-normal levels shortly after the last barcode was scanned.
Since starting in August 2015, Chermside parkrun has welcomed 15,336 participants who have completed 110,525 parkruns, covering a staggering 552,625 kilometres. That’s roughly the distance you’d need to travel if you were trying to escape Captain Grumpy after letting your under-11 run unsupervised.
See you all next week for more running, walking, volunteering and whatever new adventures the Frontrunners have planned for their continuing takeover of Chermside parkrun.
