YARRABILBA PARKRUN REVIEW

GETTING THERE

I have been on a mission for the past nine months to run as many different Parkruns as possible. As a result, I am now in a position where I have to run events further from home. There are a total of 43 events that can be found from the Sunshine Coast to the border of New South Wales and today was the turn of Yarrabilba.

I drove down the Gateway motorway with the help of my GPS and I took the Winnetts Road turnoff. Loganlea Road meanders through farmland and acreage and I ended up on the Waterford Tambourine Road. Yarrabilba is a relatively new development seemingly in the middle of the farmlands. It was easy to find Darlington Parklands.  

PARKING

Parking was a breeze. I arrived early and parked in a designated street parking spot. There is also street parking all along the boundary of the parklands which is really good.

TOILETS

After a 40-minute drive, I needed the loo and Yarrabilba boasts some of the newest and cleanest unisex toilets I have seen so far.

THE COURSE

In a new suburb like this, it is obvious that a lot of thought has gone into the establishment of the community parklands. It has been expertly populated with indigenous dry sclerophyll forest plants as well as wetland species which forms part of the small creek that runs through the middle of the park.

After the briefing, about 70 people and a dog lined up at the start. We set off quickly, heading through the arbour and ran in a clockwise direction around the outskirts of the park along the wide concrete pathway. We returned to the start and then ran in the opposite direction for a further two full laps. Each lap culminated in running through the arbour again. On the fourth loop, we took a short cut along a wooden bridge, crossing the small creek and made a dash to the finish. The park is on an incline which meant that the return journey each time was a bit tough and it certainly showed in my results.

Personally, I am a fan of the full loop as well as the out and back course. Yarrabilba has four loops so I have to say, this was a little bit too much. Not that I got dizzy, but I got to view the start/finish way too many times and as for the arbour, it came at the top of the incline so unfortunately, it did not leave a good impression. Another observation is that I had a beautiful parkland view on the one side and residential houses on the other. The good news is that all of the properties are new and the facilities are crisp and very clean which is lovely, however suburb running isn't my favourite. 

Because Parkruns take place on public pathways, one has to share these facilities with the public. When there is a lot of congestion, it can lead to members of the public sometimes being bumped in the jostle of the race, particularly in the middle of the pack. At Yarrabilba, this is not a problem. When I arrived, the weekend children’s birthday party parents had already booked their spots close to the beautiful playground, the Bootcamp team was already in action and there were quite a few walkers and joggers already on the course. Whilst the Parklands seem to be well used by the public, the pathways are nice and wide (and extremely even) and the field relatively small so there is very little chance of runners being slowed down by this or of the public being bumped on the course. This is a definite positive.

This event has been run a total of 117 times and in all that time, only one person has been able to break 17 minutes. This could indicate course difficulty but because the event draws a relatively small crowd, this is not a really accurate since events closer to the city attract more elite runners. 

VOLUNTEERS

The run director was amazing. She seemed to know almost everyone and her vibrant personality made us feel very welcome. She used a megaphone and it looked like she and her team were the heart and soul of this event. She introduced families who had volunteered for different positions; something I found really encouraging. This seems like a really special community. The lady who took the photos has obviously taken many pictures before. She knew exactly when to dash to the finish to capture her picture of the winner.

The run director announced that today was her last time in this position after doing this for 18 months. What an incredible lady. She introduced the people who were going to take over from her in absentia and the entire group of runners congratulated her for her selfless service. I think the job she has done in building this community is remarkable and I was touched by the warm reception she received as well as her lovely soul.

PHOTOS

There were heaps of photos from today and the Facebook page has a well-organized bank of photos accurately recording the events from each week.

Click here for the Facebook page

THE ALL IMPORTANT COFFEE AFTERWARDS

The run director announced that a local coffee shop in walking distance of the start/finish was opening their doors as of next week and were giving a 50% discount to all Parkrunners who showed their barcodes for the opening. This is a scoop for the community and I only think it will add to the already vibrant group of people.  

I drove past Logan Village on the way home and spotted a bakery/coffee shop just off the main road which wasn't far from the event.

OVERALL 

Thank you Yarrabilba for a good day out. Whilst I loved the atmosphere brought about by the lovely people at today’s event as well as the parkland which is both new and beautiful, I am not a fan of the inclines or the multiple loops. As a result, I give this event a Gary rating of 7.5/10.