05/09/2026
Bolton parkrun – Event 714 5th September 2026
257 runners, joggers and walkers, 35 volunteers, 34 first timers, 29 PBs… and enough hills to make your legs question their life choices! 😂⛰️
What a way to run into September!
The weather was warm, with threatening rain hanging over us like a cloud of doom. Thankfully, the rain held its horses long enough for 257 amazing people to take on the famous Bolton hills. There were 34 first timers joining us today, and we hope you all enjoyed your first taste of Bolton’s uphill challenge! Don’t worry — what goes up must eventually come down… although at Bolton, it sometimes feels like the downhills are just there to give you false hope! 😆
We were especially delighted to welcome the Manbassador 5k graduates, who all did absolutely fantastic. 🎉👏
Huge congratulations to every one of you! You’ve put in the training, crossed the finish line and officially run your way into the parkrun family. We hope you enjoyed your morning with us
To all our first timers, tourists and regulars: whether you were running, jogging, walking, chatting, chasing a PB or simply trying to keep putting one foot in front of the other, we hope you had a fantastic morning.
And speaking of PBs… 29 people were flying faster than the rain clouds, recording new Personal Bests! 🎉🏅
That’s 29 people who can now officially say, “I’ve run better than I’ve ever run before!” No need to be running around in circles about it — you smashed it!
We also welcomed representatives from 21 different clubs, proving once again that parkrun is a great place to get together, get moving and get over the finish line.
None of today’s event could have happened without our incredible 35 volunteers.
From setting up before everyone else had even found their trainers, to marshalling the hills, keeping time, scanning barcodes, managing the funnel and making sure everyone got safely round the course — our volunteers were on the ball, on the course and on the run!
A massive high-five to:
Kathryn DAVIES • Christine PENDLEBURY • Mark BUTLER • Mark FRASER • Tony LYTHE • Karen KITCHEN • Abbie GREGSON • Philip GLASSBROOK • Laurence KEIGHLEY • Andy REDFORD • Craig WITHERS • Jeffrey PENDLEBURY • Debra HENNESSEY • David ALLEN • Frannie THURLBECK • Nicola HALSALL • Joanne LARKE • Hannah LARKE • Janet THURLBECK • Sam DAETH • Peter BRYAN • Luke NEWELL • Karen ARKWRIGHT • Elizabeth MCMANUS • Anthony FULOP • Andrew CRAWFORD • John NEAL • Martin ROE • Sarah BROWN • Ian MANN • Suzanne WALMSLEY • Christine CONNOR • Andrew James PARKINSON • Stephen MEW • Brandon CHANDIDZURA
You are all absolute legends. ❤️
Without volunteers, there would be no parkrun — and we’d all be left running around wondering where the finish funnel had gone!
⛰️ The hills are alive!
For our Manbassadors and first timers who tackled Bolton for the first time today, you now know the secret:
Bolton parkrun isn’t just a 5k. It’s a 5k with character development. 😂
Those hills may make you question your pacing strategy, your choice of breakfast and they also make that finish line feel even sweeter.
And remember: it’s not uphill all the way… there are definitely some bits where gravity does the work!
📈 Bolton keeps moving
Since Bolton parkrun began on 5th February 2011, an incredible:
🏃 20,918 participants
🏅 173,692 parkruns completed
🌍 868,460 km covered
⚡ 24,373 Personal Bests
🙌 1,758 people have volunteered
❤️ 19,359 volunteer occasions
That means Bolton parkrunners have collectively travelled a distance equivalent to going around the world more than 21 times!
Now that is something worth running with.
🏁 That’s a wrap!
So whether today was your first parkrun, your fastest parkrun, your slowest parkrun, your favourite parkrun or simply the parkrun where you survived the hills without needing to be carried home…
Well done, the hills will always be waiting! ⛰️😂
Thanks for joining us for Bolton parkrun Event 714.
We hope to see you all again soon — same time, same place, same hills, good chance of mud and puddle jumping🏃♀️🏃♂️🧡
