Pakenham parkrun Event Number 65 - 26th December 2015
"KIDS EVENT"
What a difference a week, or even a day for that matter, can make! So this week saw our parkrun kids take on all the volunteer roles. We had been looking forward to this as they always do such an amazing job, showing no fear in any position and they did not disappoint. Unfortunately for them the weather was not the best and the majority of our kids had to fulfill their roles in the rain for nearly an hour. There was not one unhappy face amongst them and they were happy to complete their roles.
Evan was our Run Director for the day, and even though the rain made it hard for us to hear him, he did it! Evan had been practicing for a few weeks and batting with nerves, but he put on his brave face and completed his job. We were, and are, very proud of the awesome job you did Evan. Well done!!
Rachel and Jaime were our Timekeeper and Finish Token volunteers, stuck out in the rain with their Mum and Dad for the majority of the time. They did this with a smile on their face, did not miss a beat and completed their roles to perfection. Congratulations girls for taking it all in your stride and not let a little bit of rain cause any issues!
Logan (under the supervision of side-kick Abbie) had one of the best roles for the day, staying nice and warm in the shelter scanning the wet, soggy barcodes. Well done Logan as they were all scanned perfectly and for once, there were no 'unknown' runners...yay!!!!
Next we had our Marshals, Nathan (with the help of his little brother Jordan) and Kimm. They stood out in the rain (with their parents) to ensure that you all made it back safely. Yes they got wet, but they completed their tasks like troopers and we could not have been prouder of their support and effort.
Finally, we come to our Tailrunner Koby. Unfortunately for Koby, we ended up having one walker (through injury), so his role took a little longer than he expected. Lucky for Koby though, he was dressed appropriately and ensured all runners, and walker, made it back to us in one piece. Well done and it was great to see that he was still smiling when he returned.
Due to the weather, the Christmas period and holidays, we had 16 brave souls attend our event. We had 4 tourists, who I was personally excited to see as I had not seen them for a number of years. They are from Mosman parkrun in NSW and also founded the Berwick Springs parkrun a couple of years ago, before their move:
We had 1 PB for the day, which belonged to Pramesh. Well done on an amazing achievement. You did great!!
So, once again, thank you to our amazing volunteers! So that everyone can have an opportunity to run, we ask that runners volunteer around 3 times a year. Volunteering provides enjoyment, satisfaction and allows people to give back to their community, and without volunteers, parkrun would not be possible. In order for parkrun to run every week we need volunteers. If you would like to assist, you can email us at pakenhamhelpers@parkrun.com, fill in the roster at the shelter or talk to your Run Director at the event.
****For our normal Saturday parkrun, we still require a Photographer and Barcode Scanner. If you can assist in either role, please let us know****
Please check the future roster at: www.parkrun.com.au/pakenham/futureroster
Due to insurance purposes, we require all our volunteers to also be registered with parkrun, so please ensure that you are registered so we can add you to the roster!
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 
NEWS / ANNOUNCEMENTS:
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. All positions have now been filled. Put those New Year Resolutions into action immediately and start the new year off with RD Anthony!!
On a personal note, thank you all for a great 2015. Without your support each week, we would not be where we are now and it really does take a community to embrace these events and assist with their success. Look forward to what 2016 may bring for Pakenham parkrun - Happy New Year!!
- MICHELLE
Now to the all important statistics:
Male placings:
Andrew HARRIS (SM30-34) of Pakenham Road Runners, was first over the line in 20:16 - 11th time in 32 appearances.
Pramesh PRASAD (VM40-44) (Unattached) was second over the line in 20:54.
Robert CENTONZA (VM50-54) of Pakenham Road Runners, was third over the line in 21:56.
Current standing in the Men's annual points competition:
Andrew HARRIS (Pakenham Road Runners) 1286 pts.
Brian MARSHALL (Pakenham Road Runners) 1277 pts.
Geoff HILDER (Pakenham Road Runners) 1027 pts.
Female placings:
Elise CHAPMAN (SW30-34) of Pakenham Road Runners, was first (8th overall) over the line in 25:57 - first time in 13 appearances.
Layla SCOTT HUGGINS (JW10) (Unattached) was second (10th overall) over the line in 28:20.
Cleo SCOTT HUGGINS (JW10) (Unattached) was third (11th overall) over the line in 28:50.
Current standing in the Women's annual points competition:
Megan HUMPHRYS (Pakenham Road Runners) 1065 pts.
Mary-Jo DOBELL (Pakenham Road Runners) 1034 pts.
Tammy BRACE (Pakenham Road Runners) 995 pts.
The following runners recorded the best Age Grade scores:
Brian MARSHALL (VM55-59) was graded 69.69% for the time 22:03 (5th overall).
Robert CENTONZA (VM50-54) was graded 67.78% for the time 21:56 (third overall).
Vaughan DE RIGGS (VM65-69) was graded 67.25% for the time 24:56 (6th overall).
This week there were 16 runners, of whom 4 were first timers and 1 recorded new Personal Bests. Representatives of 3 different athletics clubs took part.
Pakenham parkrun started on 20th September 2014, and since then 749 different runners, including participants from 35 athletics clubs, have completed 4,059 runs covering a total distance of 20,295 km, and there have been 932 new Personal Bests.
The female record is held by Jaimee-Lee CODE who ran in a time of 00:18:55 on 2015-10-17 (event number 56).
The male record is held by Ryan MARTIN who ran in a time of 00:16:59 on 2015-01-24 (event number 19).
The Age Grade course record is held by Bronwen G CARDY who recorded a 95.63% run (20:35) on 15th November 2014 (event number 9).
Today's full results and a complete event history can be found on the Pakenham parkrun Results Page.