By Marissa Tiel

On a cool Saturday morning in early December, a group clad in spandex and running shoes begins to gather on the Okanagan Rail Trail near Clement Avenue. It91裸聊视频檚 a small crowd at first but as the clock nears 9 a.m., more join in.

They mill around, chatting with friends and staying warm in the crisp morning air.

Before long, more than 50 people have gathered on the path and run director Bill Justus, clad in a leather jacket begins a countdown. With a ceremonial 3-2-1-go, they91裸聊视频檙e off on the 122nd Okanagan parkrun.

Since August 2016, runners have been meeting in Kelowna for Canada91裸聊视频檚 first parkrun, a free five-kilometre event that now takes place in more than 20 locations across the country.

The parkrun movement began in the United Kingdom, and Justus, a former military man, was tipped off from a friend who91裸聊视频檇 moved across the Atlantic. She told him he had to bring the event to Canada.

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91裸聊视频淎nd I went, 91裸聊视频榙o you know how many 5Ks there are?91裸聊视频�91裸聊视频� says Justus. 91裸聊视频淎nd she said, 91裸聊视频榥o, it91裸聊视频檚 different.91裸聊视频� And I said, 91裸聊视频榟ow is it different?91裸聊视频� It inspires people like you inspire people.91裸聊视频�

Intrigued, Justus flew to the U.K. and took in a parkrun. What impressed him wasn91裸聊视频檛 so much the 5K run itself, but the community it generated.

91裸聊视频淚 could see the writing was on the wall that if we were91裸聊视频揵ecause I am the age that I am, closer to 60 than 50 and the tail end of the baby-boomer generation91裸聊视频搕hat if we were going to keep our next generations out of drugs and injections and all the other medical interventions we have to do to keep people living longer, physical activity had to happen,91裸聊视频� says Justus. 91裸聊视频淚91裸聊视频檝e used running as an antidepressant my whole life; stress reliever. I91裸聊视频檝e been fit, happy. I don91裸聊视频檛 think I look like most 60-year-olds. Running is a testament to that. It91裸聊视频檚 been very good to me.

91裸聊视频淚 really wanted to give that to Kelowna.91裸聊视频�

Doctors in the U.K. are now prescribing parkrun to their patients.

But getting parkrun to Canada wasn91裸聊视频檛 all that simple. The organizing committee in the U.K. questioned whether the event could happen over the winters in Canada. Justus countered, saying the Brits run in the rain; Canadians run in the snow.

Then came convincing the municipality.

91裸聊视频淲hen I first went after Kelowna, I got no. No you can91裸聊视频檛 be on their runway, no we won91裸聊视频檛 keep this parking lot open for you,91裸聊视频� says Justus.

But he succeeded and the first parkrun took place on Aug. 20, 2016. It began at Truswell and Lakeshore Roads and more than 100 people showed up.

Attendance shrank a bit after the inaugural event, but within a few months, parkrun had outgrown their location. They moved to the rail trail behind Parkinson Recreation Centre and remain there today, with a slight modification to their starting location. Now an average of 57 people attend each Saturday.

For all its events, Justus has only missed four parkruns91裸聊视频搘ell, five. He helped set up the Regina event one Saturday and forgoed his attendance in Kelowna.

91裸聊视频淚t91裸聊视频檚 part of my life. It91裸聊视频檚 part of who I am,91裸聊视频� says Justus. 91裸聊视频淚t feels weird if I91裸聊视频檓 not here.91裸聊视频�

The parkrun is a free five-kilometre event.

91裸聊视频淩unning should be a pair of running shoes and that91裸聊视频檚 what this is,91裸聊视频� he says.

Participants are asked to register online. They get personalized barcode that they bring to the event. It91裸聊视频檚 their ID and how they get their times recorded.

This weekend, Bob Ferch will use his barcode for the 100th time. He91裸聊视频檚 expected to be the first Canadian to reach 100 parkruns.

91裸聊视频淚91裸聊视频檓 pretty excited about it,91裸聊视频� says Ferch after wrapping up his 99th parkrun. 91裸聊视频淚 was hoping to be the first to 50 and I didn91裸聊视频檛 quite make it so I was determined to be the first to 100.91裸聊视频�

Ferch hasn91裸聊视频檛 missed a Saturday this year. He says there a quite a few other regulars and the event has a family feel.

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91裸聊视频淚t builds a community of moms and dads going by with their strollers, elderly people getting out for the exercise,91裸聊视频� says Justus. 91裸聊视频淭here91裸聊视频檚 no expectations to go fast. There91裸聊视频檚 no expectations to run the whole thing. You can walk.91裸聊视频�

That91裸聊视频檚 not to mean the event can91裸聊视频檛 be competitive.

91裸聊视频淭here91裸聊视频檚 races within races here and it91裸聊视频檚 a run, it91裸聊视频檚 not a race,91裸聊视频� says Justus. 91裸聊视频淏ut there are people out here that want to go faster this week than they did last week or they want to beat their buddy or they want to catch somebody they91裸聊视频檝e been chasing and you91裸聊视频檒l see guys come in here and they91裸聊视频檒l be going blazing fast as they come through the finish line.91裸聊视频�

New attendees like Madelaine Sumner are always welcome. She took part in her second parkrun earlier this month after urging from a friend.

91裸聊视频淚t91裸聊视频檚 really fun and it91裸聊视频檚 a great community,91裸聊视频� she says. 91裸聊视频淚t91裸聊视频檚 great to see people outside.91裸聊视频�

The sun is starting to shrink shadows as the first runners cross the finish line. They catch their breath on the crunchy grass and cheer as the rest of the field trickles in.

91裸聊视频淚t is infectious. It is mind-bending. It is life-changing and it91裸聊视频檚 enjoyable,91裸聊视频� says Justus of parkrun. 91裸聊视频淵ou91裸聊视频檒l make friends you never know existed.91裸聊视频�

carli.berry@kelownacapnews.com
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