Jan the man, a triple celebration! - Catford parkrun #320 - 01/11/25

Catford parkrun starts between the bandstand and a statue of Ella Adoo-Kissi-Debrah, a young girl who died from the effects of air pollution. She was the first person in the world to have air pollution listed as a cause of death on her death certificate.

As I approached Catford parkrun today, I couldn’t help but wonder if there might be a name change on the horizon for this friendly event. Recently, two parkruns have undergone name changes: Greenwich parkrun became Avery Hill parkrun, and Newbury parkrun became Greenham Common parkrun. Might Catford parkrun someday become Mountsfield parkrun, as it does take place in Mountsfield Park? For those participating in the Alphabet Challenge, if you’re counting on 'C' for Catford, you might have to consider a backup event starting with 'C'!

It was a beautiful, crisp autumnal morning.

The weather was crisp and clear, with the sun shining brightly over this previously private house, which was bequeathed to the Local Authority in 1905. Over time, the space has increased to be the 32-acre park of today and the perfect location for today’s special celebration!

Today’s local parkrunners were joined by regulars from Burgess parkrun and volunteers from Kennington junior parkrun to celebrate a special milestone for our friend Jan who has been a Run Director at both events. Jan was running his 200th parkrun and completing his 50th volunteering stint at Catford to reach an incredible 250 volunteering stints overall (a whopping volunteer ratio of 125%). Triple congratulations!

Jan has often been the Run Director at both Burgess parkrun and Kennington junior parkrun. Photo credit Kennington junior parkrun.

It was wonderful to hear a rich account of Jan’s contribution to parkrun and to receive heartfelt appreciation from today's Run Director. I took a moment to speak with Jan about what parkrun means to him and what’s next on his parkrun journey. Jan told me, “...As for what parkrun means, it's community. I don’t think you really understand that until you start volunteering. I was probably running for a few years before I volunteered, just turning up each week, exchanging nods with fellow runners. But it wasn’t until I started volunteering that I made some real friends. When I moved to Catford, knowing no one, volunteering at parkrun became my quickest way to connect with people. They’re ‘my people’, because we share this love for parkrun. Honestly, I don’t know where I’d be without it. I’ve made lifelong friends through parkrun.”

Regulars from Burgess parkrun and Kennington junior parkrun came to celebrate with Jan. Photo credit Jan Cooper

This struck me as the realisation of one of the goals for parkrun by its founder Paul Sinton-Hewitt, which was ‘...I wanted to create a thing that almost ensured that once a week I would spend an hour or two with my mates’.

Jan shared his goals for the future include continuing to attend each week, keep running and volunteering, and earn his 250th parkrun t-shirt in the next couple of years. 

Today’s parkrun was more than just a run; it was a celebration of community, friendship, and dedication. Congratulations, Jan, on your incredible triple milestone. You truly embody the spirit of parkrun.

Jan wore a 250 cape for his triple milestone celebration! Photo credit Jan Cooper.

Stay well and happy running, walking or volunteering.

www.horizons.uk

You can read about how parkrun was created by the founder, Paul Sinton-Hewitt, a care leaver, in his book ‘One Small Step’ The Definitive Account of how a run became a Global Movement by clicking here