[also in English below]

Tampere parkrunin sadas juhlajuoksu veti paikalle lähes sata juoksijaa – 94 on Tampereen parkrun-historian viidenneksi suurin osallistujamäärä. Kun 13 mukana hääräillyttä vapaaehtoista lasketaan mukaan, sadan osallistujan rajapyykki ylittyi komeasti – olkoonkin, että neljä vapaaehtoista (Cristian Cardozo, Jyri Hänninen, Leena Heino ja Olli Ström) ehtivät tehtäviensä ohessa osallistua myös itse juoksuun.

Juhlajuoksun kunniaksi juoksijat järjestyivät startin alla numeron 100 muotoon, jonka Jarno Rekoniuksen ilmakamera ikuisti tulevienkin parkrun-sukupolvien ihailtavaksi. Myös ykkösen ja nollan muotoiset ilmapallot päätyivät aamupäivän mittaan monen valokuvan taustalle.

Vaahteramalja XL -tapahtuman vallattua Ratinannokanpuiston juhlaparkrun juostiin kesän mittaan jo tutuksi tulleella varareitillä, jonka lähtö ja maali ovat Ratinanrannan sataman luona. Startti tapahtui kymmenen asteen pilvipoutaisessa säässä kilpailunjohtaja Nina Haikosen käskystä tuttuun tapaan klo 9.30.

94 osallistujan joukkoon sopi varsin edustava otos Tampereen sadan juoksun mittaista parkrun-historiaa. Kärjessä viipotti miesten reittiennätyksen 15.57 haltija Jarkko Järvenpää kahdeksanteen voittoonsa hänelle vaatimattomalla ajalla 17.40. Päivän nopein ensikertalainen oli Mikko Moisio, joka tuli maaliin heti seuraavana ajassa 18.06. Nopein ennätyksensä parantaja oli ajalla 18.20 neljänneksi juossut Antti Mattila, joka oli ikätasoitetuissa tuloksissa koko porukan paras. Vakiokävijöiden ja ensikertalaisten lisäksi parkrun-turistejakin oli juhlajuoksuun tiensä löytänyt, etunenässä Ranskasta saapunut Etienne Goron, joka ylitti maaliviivan kuudentena ajalla 19.37.

Naisten kisassa nähtiin ykkössijasta poikkeuksellisen tiukka otatus, jossa Anni Lappela nappasi jo 21. voittonsa viisi sekuntia ennen Hanna-Leena Tuupasta ajalla 21.49. Naisten nopein ensikertalainen oli ajan 26.17 juossut Mathilde Paul ja kovimman uuden oman ennätyksen tekaisi Tanja Kuusela ajalla 26.46.

Parkrun-merkkipaaluja saavutti juhlajuoksussa moni, etunenässä Leena Heino, jolle parkrun oli jo sadas. Leena onkin juossut kahta lukuun ottamatta kaikki Tampereen parkrunit, ja kaksi poissaoloakin on tullut päivinä, jolloin hän on juossut parkrunin jossain muualla. Mitenkähän pitkään putki vielä jatkuu? Tampereen parkrunin seuraavaksi ahkerin kävijä, Elviira Heino, osallistui nyt 79. kerran. Jyri Hänniselle ja Cherry Marie Millerille päivän parkrun oli numero 60. Tuire ja Janne-Matti Koskinen taas saavat täyteen 70 seuraavassa parkrunissaan. 40. kertaa osallistuivat tänään Diana Laakso ja Antti Stenhäll. Petteri Haapamäki taas oli mukana 25. kerran, ja kymmenennessä parkrunissaan juoksivat Heidi Shipway, Mikko Nivala ja Joonas Kuisma.

Ensikertalaisia oli mukana kahdeksan ja uuden ennätyksensä heidän lisäkseen teki 22. Erityismaininnan ansaitsee sekunnilla ennätystään petrannut Erkki Tiilikka, joka oli mukana jo 64. kertaa.
Päivän nuorimmat juoksijat olivat alle kymmenvuotiaiden sarjassa maaliin tulleet Eleanora ja Oskar Untera, Sami ja Nora Siikarla sekä Tapio Howard.
Ikähaitarin toisessa päässä taas 80 vuotta täyttäneitä maaliintulijoita olivat Maija-Liisa Ström, Pirkko Hautamäki ja Seija Mäkiniemi.

Juoksun jälkeen arviolta 70 parkrun-osallistujaa kokoontui Sanna’s Cafe & Salad Bariin pullakahveille, jotka Tampereen kaupungin Liikkuva perhe -projekti juhlan kunniaksi tarjosi.

Yhteensä Tampere parkrunin historiassa tapahtumaan on osallistunut jo peräti 1145 juoksijaa, kun keskimääräinen yhden juoksun osallistujamäärä on ollut 51. Lisää juhlajuoksuja on tiedossa jo lähitulevaisuudessa, sillä 12. lokakuuta 2019 järjestettävän tapahtuman yhteydessä juhlitaan Tampere parkrunin kaksivuotista taivalta. Rikotaanko silloin yksivuotisjuhlissa saavutettu 127 juoksijan osallistujaennätys?

Mika P.

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The 100th Tampere parkrun attracted almost 100 runners. 94 is the fifth largest participant number in the history of Tampere parkrun. Including the 13 volunteers, the number of 100 participants was even exceeded – although four volunteers (Cristian Cardozo, Jyri Hänninen, Leena Heino and Olli Ström) had a chance to run themselves too.

To celebrate the anniversary, the runners formed the figure of number 100, which Jarno Rekonius' aerial camera captured for the delight of future parkrun generations. Balloons in the shapes of one and zeroes also ended up in the background of many photos this morning.

Because an American football event took over the Ratinannokanpuisto park, the parkrun was run along the reserve route, whose start and finish are at the Ratinanranta harbour. The weather was a balmy (plus!) 10 degrees Celsius and partly cloudy, when the race director Nina Haikonen started the event at 9:30 am.

Among the 94 participants was a fairly representative sample of the history of Tampere parkrun. The holder of the course record at 15:57, Jarkko Järvenpää, was fastest for the eighth time with (for him) a modest time of 17:40. The fastest first-timer of the day was Mikko Moisio, who finished next at 18:06. The fastest new personal best went to Antti Mattila, who finished fourth at 18:20 and he was also today’s best in the age graded results. Parkrun tourists had also found their way to the festive run, the fastest of them being Etienne Goron from France, who finished sixth at 19:37.

The women's race for the first place was exceptionally tight. Anni Lappela took her 21st win at 21:49, five seconds before Hanna-Leena Tuupanen. Women's fastest first-timer was Mathilde Paul at 26:17, while Tanja Kuusela set the fastest new personal best at 26:46.

Many parkrun milestones were achieved in the event, which was Leena Heino’s hundredth parkrun. Indeed, Leena has run all but two Tampere parkruns, and the two absences were when she was running a parkrun somewhere else. Now that’s commitment! Elviira Heino participated for the 79th time, while for Jyri Hänninen and Cherry Marie Miller, today’s parkrun was number 60. Tuire and Janne-Matti Koskinen will complete  70 park runs in their next parkrun. Diana Laakso and Antti Stenhäll participated for the 40th time today, while for Petteri Haapamäki it was parkrun number 25, and Heidi Shipway, Mikko Nivala and Joonas Kuisma ran in their tenth parkrun.

There were eight first-time finishers, and 22 more ran their new personal bests. Erkki Tiilikka, who broke his old personal best by one second, deserves a special mention, because it was already his 64th parkrun. The youngest runners of the day were Eleanora and Oskar Untera, Sami and Nora Siikarla, and Tapio Howard. At the other end, finishers in their 80s were Maija-Liisa Ström, Pirkko Hautamäki and Seija Mäkiniemi.

After the run, an estimated 70 parkrunners gathered at Sanna's Cafe & Salad Bar for coffee and bun, offered by the City of Tampere's Mobile Family project. Yay!

A total of 1145 runners have taken part during the history of Tampere parkrun, with an average attendance of 51. More festive runs will take place soon, as the event on 12 October 2019 will celebrate the two-year anniversary of Tampere parkrun. Will the local participant record of 127 from the one-year anniversary be broken then?

Mika P.

Today Tampere enjoyed a fantastic crossover of running events: our parkrun and the Tampere marathon. 

What is so lovely about this particular crossover is that it is more like a fusion of running events here in the city of Tampere. The marathon follows (part of) the parkrun route; many of the members of the Tampere marathon club run the park run, and very many of them also volunteer too. The very first time I was RD every other volunteer was from the Tampere marathon club. Wow! 

What’s more today our very own Event Director Johanna Riippi ran the full marathon, our most consistent participant Leena Heino (on 98 park runs all but two of them in Tampere) completed the half marathon, (congratulations!) and several of us who volunteer regularly at the parkrun were accepted as volunteers at the marathon helping at water stations, marshalling and (best of all!) giving out medals to all who ran the 10k, half or full marathon. What’s more the sun shone all day!

The parkrun was a great success too. Today Ulla was our fabulous RD and she and the rest of the volunteer team helped everything run very smoothly. Tampere parkrun is a fantastic “there and back beside the lake” course, relatively flat and with a nice mix of shade and sunny stretches. 

There were 54 participants today; 6 ran with us for the very first time 4 of whom ran their very first parkrun. Fantastic! We hope you enjoyed your parkrun today and that you’ll join us again very soon. 

Excitingly, 14 participants recorded a new PB (and a shout out too to Leena (previously mentioned) who used the park run as a warm up for the half marathon less than an hour later. Wow! 

There’s almost always a point on a Saturday morning (usually when my alarm goes off) that I genuinely wonder why on earth I’ve committed to running early on Saturday morning (yet again!) and today was no exception ... but as soon I arrived and met those who were volunteering or participating or later when I heard others cheering me on (especially across the finish line), I was reminded -and this is true week after week- that there’s honestly nothing I’d rather be doing ... parkrun is free, it’s so much fun, everyone is super friendly and it really is for everyone. (Walk, jog, run, interval run ... bring your dog, push a child in a buggy, someone in a wheelchair, run alone or alongside a friend ... you will find your place in the amazing parkrun family!)

On a personal note I’ve managed to run a parkrun every Saturday in August (in four different locations because of being on holiday). I love hanging out with the volunteers (wherever I participate) lending a helping hand with the set up /pack down as well as participating in the run itself. I was quite pleased with my time today today (not a PB) and very, very  happy to be back in my ‘home’ park run. I loved helping at the Tampere marathon too!

Hope to see you all again very soon!

Lorna from Turku, written on the Onnibus on my way home, one day we will have a park run of our own!)