Pakenham parkrun Cancelled Event - 31st October 2015
On Saturday, I woke up like any other parkrun day. Got my girls up and got dressed and organised, ready for the day.
It was a bit windy and some thunder at times, but all looked like it would be ok for our event.
We left at 6:50am and headed to Henry Road to put out the Turnaround sign and draw the usual arrow....a little bit of thunder again and a bit of rain, but still happy to proceed.
Then headed to Barr Court to put out the other 2 signs before the underpass. Rain was getting a bit heavier, so jogged down the path (that's right, I jogged ALL the way to the end!) and quickly hammered the signs in the ground.
Last stop - headed to the shelter at 7:15am and just as I was driving into the carpark, there it was, a big bolt of lightning. My mouth just dropped open and I said "Noooooooo". Thunder - yes, Rain - yes, Even Hail - yes, but Lightning - No!!!!
Cancelling our event on Saturday was the hardest decision I have ever had to make as the Event Director. I thought choosing the candidates for our monthly awards was hard enough, but that now does not compare to this. As the Event Director, or even Run Director, we must always put the safety of our participants first. We all love parkrun, which is why we turn up week after week, but one's life is more important than a run and we will not put any one's life in danger if avoidable.
So, once the decision was made to cancel, I had to get the word out asap. Our Facebook page is the only site I had access to at the time, so a post was put out advising the cancellation due to lightning. If you have not already "liked" our Facebook page, please do so as this is where you will get all parkrun related information as well as the weekly photos of our runs. We did have a number of people still turn up to run, but I stayed at the shelter until 8:10am to ensure that everyone knew the event would not proceed. There were some sad faces, but everyone was understanding and supportive of the decision.
Some say that "runners are a crazy bunch of people" and I sometimes agree with this statement. Saturday was one of those times. Members of the Pakenham Road Runners had already completed a (10km?) run prior to 7:30am and turned up at the shelter to complete parkrun as well. They weren't going to let a cancellation or lightning stand in their way, so headed off at 8am to complete what we will call, their 'freedom run'. I took a snap shot to share:
I then had to get the word out to all our media outlets, so headed to Bunnings to update the website etc.
After all the important things are done, what do you do if parkrun is cancelled??? Have breakfast, coffee and catch up with other runners and friends:
Thank you for taking the time to read our very different Run Report this week.
NEWS / ANNOUNCEMENTS:
VOLUNTEERS: For this weekend (7th November), we are seeking a Time Keeper, Underpass Marshal and Photographer
KIDS DAY: A couple of time a year, we let our parkrun kids take over the volunteer roles and show us how awesome they are. Our next 'Kids Day' is scheduled for 26th December (Boxing Day). A couple of the roles have already been filled, but if your child is interested, please either send us an email, or check out the roster (which is always on the BBQ) on any given parkrunday.
NEW YEAR'S DAY RUN: We have sought, and been given, approval from the Council to hold an extra event on Friday 1st January 2016. We currently have the Run Director filled, but we also need all other positions filled in order for the event to proceed.
As per normal, We would like to thank the Cardinia Shire Council and the Pakenham Racing Club for their support in getting us up and running.
Don't forget the lovely offer from Cardinia Life for all our members with a barcode (to be shown at reception) to obtain free access to their swimming pool and showers until 11am every Saturday indefinitely!! Please note: You just have to arrive by 11am, but can stay ALL DAY 
There are no statistic this week, but I do wish to thank you all for your support and understanding last week. See you all on the weekend, which is already predicted to look quite lovely!
- MICHELLE