Parkrun founder’s milestone event

LAST Saturday, founder of Peppertree parkrun Adrian Hillyer celebrated two hundred and fifty runs with the group.

After first taking part in parkrun events in 2016, Mr Hillyer moved to Bacchus Marsh and said he grew tired of driving to events in Melton.

He decided to start a parkrun at Peppertree Park and the first event took place in February 2020 before the COVID-19 pandemic hit.

“I spoke to some people that I knew and they said ‘why don’t you start one?’,” he said.

“I clicked on the button start your own parkrun, went through the process of identifying a location and obtaining grants from the council and community bank.”

The club now averages 35 to 55 runners a week and there has been 184 runs since its establishment.

“It is really good because this last 12 months we’ve seen a little bit of growth,” said Mr Hillyer.

“It’s naturally grown, and it is self-supporting through the people who attend.”

Peppertree parkrun events take place every Saturday at 8am where participants can walk, jog or run five kilometres.

The events are run by volunteers, and Mr Hillyer has volunteered for more than 200 days alongside his 250 runs.

It is free to participate, and Mr Hillyer said it gives him a sense of purpose to get out of bed each Saturday.

“It’s just that community feel, no pressure, lots of encouragement,” he said.

“It’s good motivation as it’s the same time, same place, every week and you get out of bed, you turn up and your weekend can go on from there.

“There is no pressure in doing five-minute kilometres, you set your own pace and most people find motivation from the person in front of you.”

Anyone interested in joining Peppertree parkrun can register on their website.