A Croydon woman has been volunteering at local sports events for 15 years – and all she got given was a T-shirt…
Top Parkrunner: Nicki Clark with her 1,000 Parkruns T-shirt at Riddlesdown on Saturday
It was, however, a cherished 1,000 Parkruns T-shirt.
Nicki Clark is thought to be the first volunteer in the history of the global running phenomenon to have volunteered 1,000 times.
Clark was presented with her commemorative T-shirt at the Riddlesdown Parkrun on Saturday.
Clark described it as, “Very very odd, because I’ve just sort of done it”.
Parkruns are the free 5km timed runs staged in parks and open spaces at 2,000 locations in 22 countries around the world at 9am every Saturday.
The first was staged in Bushy Park in October 2004, and since she started volunteering in 2009, Clark has been pretty close to never missing a Saturday in all that time (especially since there were no Parkruns staged from March 2020 until late July 2021 because of covid).
There are Parkruns staged at several venues in and around Croydon including at Riddlesdown, Lloyd Park, Roundshaw Downs, Banstead Woods, Crystal Palace and South Norwood. Most also have junior Parkruns, staged over a shorter course, often on Sunday mornings.
In 2017, the Lloyd Parkrun course was determined to be the toughest in London, according to a survey published by the Londonist website.
All weathers: come rain or shine – or fog – Croydon’s Nicki Clark has been there for the weekly Parkruns at Roundshaw or Lloyd Park
And through it all, right from the start, Clark has been there, volunteering as a timekeeper, course marshal or even going round with the back-markers to ensure everyone enjoys their weekly Parkrun.
“It wasn’t an intentional ‘I’m going to be the first person’, I just turn up every weekend, I volunteer, and I go home again. And I turn up a lot apparently!” Clark said.
“It’s been a lovely morning today but it’s hard to say how it feel.
“There’s a lot of people here. It doesn’t work on my own; it’s part of being a team and team playing is what it’s about.”
Clark was introduced to the event during a sports massage in 2009. “I hadn’t been running for long. I signed up to do a Race for Life shortly after my partner was given a terminal cancer diagnosis, fighting the helplessness that I felt by raising money for a cancer charity.
“I didn’t think I was a good enough runner to join a running club, but running itself helped me to clear my head in the early stages of bereavement, and I wanted to run with other people – so I thought I’d check this Parkrun thing out.
“When I mentioned it to a colleague, I found out that several people working at the same school as me took part in the Banstead Woods Parkrun regularly. So, on July 4, 2009, along I went, and I loved it.”
The hard yards: Nicki Clark has performed most volunteer tasks at Parkruns
Parkruns rely on their strong volunteering teams, of which Clark is proud to be a part. “I couldn’t quite believe that something as well-organised as this could be free, and I was hugely impressed by how enthusiastic the volunteer team was.
“I went along again the next week and was persuaded to go for coffee afterwards. It was then that I got chatting to Kaye, the volunteer coordinator, which inevitably led me to volunteer.
“Parkrun quickly became a vital part of my routine – and nearly 15 years later it still is. The friendships made, and the sense of belonging created within the Parkrun community is amazing.”
Parkrun reckons it has 250,000 participants – runners, walkers and volunteers – every week. “To anyone thinking of coming along to Parkrun, either to run or to volunteer – I’d say do it!
“The supportive atmosphere, the chance to be part of something so inclusive – there is no downside. You don’t have to run, walking is good too, and volunteering is the best way to still be part of it all without having to break sweat!”
You can find out more at www.parkrun.com.
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Well done Nicki. It is a remarkable achievement.