Event #32

We had a cold Saturday morning, with even some glittery snow falling down - sparkling in the sunshine.

Our Run Director was Jamie Bishop, making her parkrun debut. This is the first time that we have had a Run Director that has never participated in a parkrun before. Well done, Jamie, and thank you!!!

Jamie was wrapped up nice and warm!

Jamie was assisted by several fantastic volunteers and joined by 14 finishers, and 4 barkrunners. Well done to each of you for turning up on a cold morning whne you could each have stayed home in the warm!

Read below for some cool stats and photos. Full results can be found here.

First Timers & Tourists & First Time Volunteers

We had an impressive 4 first timers today, with Macy Mcfarland, Annie Smith, Deb Bogden, and Kim Lux all participating in a parkrun for the first time. Two of these new parkrunners also brought with them their own barkrunners. We welcome each of you to the world of parkrun (and your dogs, too!). You are each valuable members of our community. We hope that you join us again soon!

Denise provides the First Timers welcome to three of the four new parkrunners.

Macy with one of our fastest barkrunners ever!

Annie was wearing green for St Patrick's Day.

Deb reaches the turnaround point.

Well done to you and your pup, Kim!

The only first time volunteer today was Run Director, Jamie. Anyone can volunteer to be the Run Director, though most people try their hand at a few other volunteer roles first.

There were no parkrun tourists today.

Milestones & Celebrations

There were no official parkrun milestones today, but Morgan Drabik-Hamshare and Doug Hulett both reached unofficial milestones. Well done to both of you for moving closer to the next official parkrun milestone!

Morgan and Malibu reach the finish line.

Doug was Tail Walker today, pictured here with Diane and Sherry.

Finishes
45 - Morgan Drabik-Hamshare
5 - Doug Hulett

PBs & Age Category Records

Despite the cold, there were three PBs to celebrate! Keith Robinson, Morgan Drabik-Hamshare, and Linda Wilson each set a new best time at our parkrun. Well done to each of you!

Keith reaches the turnaround point ahead of a PB.

Linda (right) gets scanned in by June.

Macy McFarland set a new age category record, as our new W30-34 record holder. Well done, Macy!!!

W30-34 - Macy Mcfarland - 30:31

Other Featured Photos

The sun made for a beautiful morning!

This was June's first time as Barcode Scanner - one of the important volunteer roles.

Volunteers

We had a total of 7 volunteers helping out today and they were all women! Jamie Bishop (1) was Run Director; Denise Monske (21) was Timekeeper; Martyn Drabik-Hamshare (30) handed out Finish Tokens; June Copper (7) was Barcode Scanner; Doug Hulett (6) was Tail Walker, Amanda Bowe (16) and Riker were Marshals; while Morgan Drabik-Hamshare (26) helped with post-event close down. Thanks to each of you for allowing our parkrun to happen! See how to Get Involved for future events!

Note: Numbers in parentheses indicate number of times volunteered at Osborn MetroPark parkrun.

Our #HiVizHeroes!

Post Event

Several of our volunteers/parkrunners met up at Vine & Olive for a much-needed hot drink and some great food. We meet there after every parkrun. Feel free to join us!

We love Vine & Olive!

Next Week

This Saturday is our event #33. It is our last planned event using the Perimeter Path, which has served as our Winter Course since December. We have the option of switching back to the Perimeter Path as required.

Come meet us at Osborn MetroPark, near the Frost Center, to join in on the fun. Please arrive around 845am for a 9am start, and make sure you invite anyone that you know that might be interested; friends, family-members, colleagues, neighbors, etc. Runners, joggers, walkers, and dog-walkers are all welcome at every one of our events. If you are a first-timer, look out for the First Timers prompt board to learn how parkrun/parkwalk works. We hope to see you there!

There are several roles still available for each of our next three weeks. Please check out the volunteer roster for future weeks to see where we could use some help! If you are interested, please get in contact with us via our email address (osbornmetropark@parkrun.com), or using our Facebook page.

~Martyn

Event #30

It seems everyone was surprised when they woke up to see that it had snowed overnight. Nobody expected that - not even the weather forecasts from the day before. Erie County was even given a level 1 road alert.

A dusting of snow covered the course.

Our Run Director, Martyn Drabik-Hamshare, arrived to Osborn MetroPark early to make sure that the course was safe. The crushed gravel was covered by a light dusting of snow, with no ice or slippery sections. The sunny conditions actually made for a beautiful morning! Once Martyn confirmed that there were enough volunteers willing to travel, and then gave the go ahead.

RD Martyn approves the event following a safety check!

Martyn was fully expecting a small turnout, but surprisingly we had 12 finishers turn up, including 3 people starting their parkrun journey! That's 7 consecutive events of double figure finishes, even in the depths of winter! Incredible!

Our parkrunners and volunteers pose for a photo next to the start.

3, 2, 1, GO!

Read below for some cool stats and photos. Full results can be found here.

First Timers & Tourists & First Time Volunteers

As mentioned above, we had three first-timers today. Zach Hoffman, Tanya Dvorsky (with barkrunners, Siggy), and Roberta Gangl each joined us this morning, and recorded impressive sub-35 minute runs, even with the snowy conditions.

Zach finished his first parkrun in second place.

Tanya and Siggy cross the finish line.

Roberta reaches the turnaround point.

We welcome each of you to the world of parkrun. You are each valuable members of our community. We hope that you join us again soon!

There were no tourists today, and no new volunteers.

Milestones & Celebrations

There were no official parkrun milestones this week, with only one parkrunner (Randy Simpson) reaching an unofficial milestone (multiple of 5). Randy completed his 10th parkrun, alongside Carol Simpson who moves closer to the first official milestone.

Randy crosses the parkrun finish line for the 10th time.

No volunteers reached milestones either, though Morgan Drabik-Hamshare is now one volunteer away from the first official volunteer milestone (25), which should be reached next week!

Finishes
10 - Randy Simpson

Well done, Randy on moving closer to your first official parkrun milestone!

PBs & Age Category Records

Despite the conditions, we did have one person that recorded a PB today (54:38). Jonathan Merckens was one of two parkwalkers today, improving his previous time by about two and half minutes. Well done, Jonathan!

The parkwalker role is available to anyone to help promote the idea of walking at parkrun.

There were no age category records today.

Other Featured Photos

Doug with a third placed finish at his third parkrun.

Beth and Brian both complete their 17th parkrun.

Volunteers

We had a total of 8 volunteers helping out today. Martyn Drabik-Hamshare (29) was Run Director; Julie Dively (8) was Marshal; Liz Satterfield (2) was Timekeeper; June Copper (6) handed out Finish Tokens; Morgan Drabik-Hamshare (24) was Barcode Scanner; Amanda Bowe (14) and Riker were Tail Walkers; while Jonathan Merckens (3) and Heather Merckens (3) were parkwalkers. Thanks to each of you for allowing our parkrun to happen! See how to Get Involved for future events!

Note: Numbers in parentheses indicate number of times volunteered at Osborn MetroPark parkrun.

Amanda and Riker complete the course as Tail Walkers.

Our #HiVizHeroes for this week. Thank you all so much!

Post Event

Several of our parkrunners and volunteers met up for coffee and delicious food at Vine & Olive on 250. Feel free to join us there after each event. Every coffee, tea, and bowl of chilli is well-earned, especially after spending over an hour in the cold!

Next Week

This Saturday is our event #31. Morgan will be volunteering for the 25th time, reaching her first volunteer milestone.

Come meet us at Osborn MetroPark, near the Frost Center, to join in on the fun. Please arrive around 845am for a 9am start, and make sure you invite anyone that you know that might be interested; friends, family-members, colleagues, neighbors, etc. Runners, joggers, walkers, and dog-walkers are all welcome at every one of our events. If you are a first-timer, look out for the First Timers prompt board to learn how parkrun/parkwalk works. We hope to see you there!

There are several roles still available for each of our next three weeks. Please check out the volunteer roster for future weeks to see where we could use some help! If you are interested, please get in contact with us via our email address (osbornmetropark@parkrun.com), or using our Facebook page.

~Martyn

Event #27

It was snowy with small patches of ice on our winter course for event #27. Fortunately, the conditions were deemed safe, with tricky patches highlighted using cones. Conditions were certainly worse elsewhere in the State of Ohio, as all four other parkrun locations were cancelled.

A pre-event course check takes place each Saturday morning.

Katherine Gauthier was our Run Director, and did an amazing job motivating all of our 18 parkrunners, 4 barkrunners and multiple volunteers, even with the chilly conditions! Great job, Katherine!

Katherine outlines the rules.

Thank you to everyone for joining us this weekend! This was our 4th highest parkrun ever, and our largest since August, making it our largest attendance on the winter course. Considering it was the last week of January, that is seriously impressive. It also makes it four consecutive weeks of double figure finishes. Let's see how long we can keep up this streak!

Our parkrunners and volunteers wait near the start/finish line.

Read below for some cool stats and photos. Full results can be found here.

First Timers & Tourists & First Time Volunteers

We had two first-timers today. Laura Cobb and Tom Striggow both attended today, completing their first parkrun. They finished in second and third place, which is seriously impressive!

Laura finished the parkrun and continued running!

Tom Striggow poses with our First Timers board. Tom travelled from Bowling Green!

There was one tourist today. As mentioned above, all other Ohio parkruns were cancelled, so it was perhaps expected that someone would join us. Michael Phipps joined us from the Mansfield OH parkrun. Michael had joined us twice previously, but this was the first time on our winter course.

Michael was also promoting Law Enforcement Appreciation Day.

Michael was also a first-time volunteer, taking the role of parkwalker today. This role is one that anyone can take, providing they are willing to walk the course, and talk with other parkrunners. The role is intended to promote the idea of walking at our events.

Welcome each of you to the parkrun community and/or Osborn MetroPark parkrun. We hope you all enjoyed your Saturday morning, and that you join us again soon!

Milestones & Celebrations

There were no official milestones today (though Justice Foreman is now just one away from away from his 25 milestone), but the following people did reach unofficial milestones. Keith and Patty both finished their 5th parkrun, while Martyn, Katherine, and Justice have volunteered at a parkrun 30, 10, and 5 times, respectively.

Keith has only missed one week since his first parkrun! Wow!

Patty is also a member of our Core Team. We love your smile, Patty!

Finishes
5 - Keith Robinson
5 - Patty Richards

Martyn has now completed all major volunteer roles.

Katherine has now been Run Director three times!

Justice has completed more parkruns at Osborn MetroPark than anyone! Is there anyone better to provide the First Timers Welcome?

Volunteers
30 - Martyn Drabik-Hamshare
10 - Katherine Gauthier
5 - Justice Foreman

Well done to both of you in moving closer to your first/next official parkrun milestone.

PBs & Age Category Records

There were three PBs to celebrate this week. Jason Werling, Brianna Cheek (for the second successive week), and Amanda Bowe all beat their previous best times! Amazing! Well done!

This was Jason's first sub-30 minute parkrun!

Successive PBs is impressive!

Riker assisted Amanda as one of four barkrunners!

First-timer Laura Cobb set a new age category record! Impressive!

Laura reaches the half-way point.

W40-44 - Laura Cobb - 28:11

Volunteers

We had a total of 11 volunteers to thank for helping this event go ahead. Katherine Gauthier (10) was Run Director; Justice Foreman (5) provided the First Timers Welcome; Martyn Drabik-Hamshare (27) and Malibu were Marshals; Denise Monske (17) was Timekeeper; Carol Kerslake (12) handed out Finish Tokens; Morgan Drabik-Hamshare (22) was Barcode Scanner; Sherry McDonald (4) and Julie Dively (7) were Tail Walkers; Michael Phipps (1) was parkwalker; while Amanda Bowe (11) helped with Post-event Close Down. Thanks to each of you for allowing our parkrun to happen! See how to Get Involved for future events!

Note: Numbers in parentheses indicate number of times volunteered at Osborn MetroPark parkrun.

Our #HiVizHeroes!

Post Event

Several of our parkrunners and volunteers met up for coffee and delicious food at Vine & Olive on 250. Feel free to join us there after each event. Every coffee and gyro consumed at Vine & Olive is well-earned!

Next Week

This Saturday we will be celebrating our FIRST EVER parkrun milestone from a parkrunner that started their parkrun story at Osborn MetroPark. Justice Foreman will be completing his 25th parkrun! Come join us and celebrate with us.

We meet near the Frost Center at Osborn MetroPark at around 845am for a 9am start. Please invite anyone that you know that might be interested; friends, family-members, colleagues, neighbors, etc. Runners, joggers, walkers, and dog-walkers are all welcome at every one of our events. If you are a first-timer, look out for the First Timers prompt board to learn how parkrun/parkwalk works. We hope to see you there!

Curt Fleming will be Run Director for the second time. Meanwhile, all other major roles are also filled (though we can always double up if you are interested in working alongside someone). Other roles available include parkwalker and a second Timekeeper.

Curt completed the course with Gibson this week.

The following weeks have several other roles that remain vacant. We are still looking for a Run Director for 02/18. If you are interested, please get in contact with us via our email address (osbornmetropark@parkrun.com), or using our Facebook page.

Please check out the volunteer roster for future weeks to see where we could use some help!

~Martyn