Milestones: Capes, cakes, mosaics and a fulfilling life - Burgess parkrun #589 - 22/11/25
- aqasanu
- 6 days ago
- 3 min read
Milestones are special, they’re the culmination of consistency, grit and determination and this week at Burgess parkrun, a couple people I know joined the 250 club.
Kathy, in her sparkling new volunteer 50 club t-shirt, achieved two weeks ago, has now joined the 250th club. She’s going to have quite the dilemma on which club t-shirt to wear 🙂
Today’s caped crusader, Olli, started his parkrun journey back in July 2011, and what a journey it’s been, with 8 different country flags across 54 locations! I asked him for a few recommendations. Without hesitation, he shared that Milano Nord parkrun in Italy has the most
friendly and welcoming volunteer team. He explained they provide a veritable spread of food and drinks for all participants at the end #amazing! Closer to home, he recommended the Cycle Route 43 parkrun, Ystalyfera, which is located in Wales in the county of Neath Port Talbot near the Brecon Beacons National Park. The area is well known for its beautiful landscapes. And lastly he shared that the views of the Sydney Opera House from the North Sydney parkrun is spectacular, and they have an excellent cafe at the end too.
This chimed with what my friend Daniela had said about North Sydney parkrun which she did two weeks ago when completing her first international alphabet!!! Daniela’s parkrun adventuring enables her to see friends and to have amazing experiences. Reflecting on both Oli and Daniela sharing their adventures, it echoed the phrase ‘memory dividends’ which I’ve come across in the book ’Die with Zero’ by Dan Perkins. Memory dividends are where you continue to derive enjoyment from the experience every time you bring it up. This means the earlier in life you make unforgettable memories, the more value you get out of them, as you can recall them for longer! Dan recommends that you aim to maximise your fulfilment in life, not your wealth. The book discusses how your ability to convert money into meaningful experiences reduces over time. Therefore, as I want to do a parkrun in every country that has one, I had better get a move on with planning my trip to Australia, as there will come a stage when I may not have the ability to handle the long plane journey, although a stopover in Malaysia will help 😎 Additionally, the sooner I have the experience, the longer I’ll have to enjoy the memory dividend from it.
Although not an official milestone, our wonderful Stephanie racked up her 300th parkrun and was presented with a beautiful mosaic made by Kathy. Stephanie has become the heartbeat of the banana crew, often picking up the bananas for people who make a financial contribution but can’t bring them. Bananas are packed into her car, which also doubles as the storage centre for the tables and bowls for the tokens, fruit and dog treats. The parkrun mosaic is a perfect gift to someone who gives so much to make Burgess parkrun an inclusive and happy place.
Roll on next Saturday and another very special parkrun milestone, as my wife will join the 500 club!
Stay well and happy running, walking or volunteering.
You can read more about creating memory dividends in Dan Perkins' fantastic book ‘Die with Zero’ by clicking here.
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.
Wonderful account of achievement and celebration. Congratulations to Shveta on reaching 500!