February 10, 2020
Wondai’s weekly parkrun group celebrated two milestones on Saturday when one of the group’s members helped them complete their first run around world, and another celebrated her 50th day of volunteering.
The group was established in January 2017 and attracts an average 50 participants every Saturday morning.
Its members walk or run a 5km course from Wondai along the South Burnett Rail Trail.
Wondai parkrun participants have now completed 8048 trips along the 5km course over the past three years, or 40,240km in total – greater than the circumference of the Earth (40,075km).
Founding member Cr Ros Heit said she calculated the 25th person across the finishing line on Saturday would be the first parkrunner to break the 40,075km mark.
That winner turned out to be South Burnett mum Brie Knopke and her son Sid (who completed the course in a stroller).
To commemorate the milestone, Cr Heit presented Brie and Sid with a lamp shaped like a world globe.
Soon afterwards, a second celebration was held for another parkrunner, Naomi Andersen, who has volunteered to help organise parkrun meetings 50 times.
Naomi helps scan barcodes, set up banners and takes photos at parkrun meetings.
“The Wondai parkrun group loves celebrating milestones, whether it’s someone’s 50th or 100th parkrun or something completely random like completing the circumnavigation of the planet,” Cr Heit said.
“Wondai was the 200th parkrun group to start in Australia and since then another 168 have started, including the Ros Gregor parkrun in Nanango which is also going from strength to strength.
“Our next special event will be an International Women’s Day parkrun on March 7, and we’ll be encouraging more women to come along that morning.
“It’s free to take part – just register online and bring the printed barcode along.”
