BRIGHTWATER PARKRUN

GETTING THERE

In my quest to run as many different Parkrun events as possible, I am now at the point of travelling further afield. This week was the turn of Brightwater on the Sunshine Coast. Brightwater is a fairly new residential area in between Mooloolabah and Caloundra and has a maze of waterways and canals on its doorstep. I took the Bruce Highway and exited onto the Sunshine Motorway and easily found the start.

PARKING

There is a limited amount of street parking right next to the start which is quite close to the road, but Brightwater State School boarders onto the public park and there were more than enough parking spaces that were really close to the start. Because I was following the GPS and I was running late as usual, I was a little bit unsure of where to go but I joined a trail of others who were making their way to the Parkrun which eased my fears of getting lost.

TOILETS

This is a relatively new development so the facilities were in excellent condition. They have six modern toilets which were clean and close to the start. 

THE COURSE

Before the start, the run director called all the first timers over so that he could go over the course. He had a collection of laminated course maps which was really helpful. He went over the course and then walked off to start the race briefing. He welcomed everyone including Parkrun tourists which included a couple from the UK. A special mention was made of locals who had supported Grill’d and in so doing, earned $300 for the event.

The course starts on the oval on what seems like a really wide start line. This converges onto a concrete pathway which winds around the oval. The first 800-900m’s are under trees but this opens up as you turn left and run along what I assume must be Brightwater Lake. The pathway is almost completely flat with possibly the most minor of undulations. The pathways are modern so they are comfortably wide enough to accommodate runners as well as members of the public. There were a couple of locals walking their dogs along the course as well as a few runners who were not part of the event, but there was more than enough room for everyone.

There are a few developments taking place along the route, but this didn’t impact on the run in any way. This is an out and back course which is probably one of my favorites after the full loop. At the far end of the run, you run around a small public oval where a marshal was standing to direct us. The run back was a bit challenging for me. I had gone out a bit fast and the route home became increasingly more hot. I realized that even though the course is next to water, the lack of trees and shelter actually makes this a very warm route when run in early March. I should imagine that running in the cooler months would be delightful.

VOLUNTEERS

This event was started in October 2014 and whilst the first race attracted 157 runners, they have struggled for quite a while to get over a hundred runners. The numbers have been steadily climbing and for the past two months, this has become a more popular event with numbers doubling if not trebling their original average. I can say that this is probably due to the lovely community spirit that is so evident. A bloke called Gary had built a custom-made board to collect the place tags and the support of local businesses has encouraged greater involvement. The Parkrunner of the week was awarded a $50 gift voucher from the Brightwater Hotel which I think is pretty cool.

Because this is an out and back course, there really is only need for two course marshals, a sweeper, a photographer and the people at the start/finish. Volunteers were encouraged to sign up but unlike many other events I have been to, very little fuss was made of this which indicates that they have people who are regular volunteers.

The people at the finish were very supportive and the scanners were friendly and efficient.

PHOTOS

When you go onto the Facebook page, the photos are well-organized and regularly uploaded. I didn’t actually see the photographer on the course but they were all there when I looked this morning. Well done.

Click here for the Facebookpage

THE ALL IMPORTANT COFFEE AFTERWARDS

The run director advertised the coffee venue for the post-run coffee and he said that they have even increased the number of tables available because of the support of the parkrun community. I didn’t catch the name of the coffee shop and it is not mentioned on the official Parkrun website, but everyone seemed to know the shop he was talking about which is really cool. Well done team.

OVERALL 

Overall, this is an event that is difficult to criticize. The course is quite fast and even though it was really hot because of the lack of shade along the route, it makes up for this with a lovely view of the water along almost the entire route. The vollies were amazing and the day was well worth the distance travelled. I wish these guys all the best as their Parkrun event continues to grow. They have something special going on here. I give this event a Gary rating of 9/10.