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.

CENTRAL LAKES PARKRUN REVIEW

GETTING THERE

Today I took a trip up to Central Lakes to run the next Parkrun on my list. My GPS calculated the 50 minute journey to perfection. The event page suggests that one parks on Central Lakes Drive, but after looking at the map, I chose to drive around the lake to Joyner Circuit. I took exit 152 and drove past a retirement village, QUT Carboolture Campus, Central Lakes Shopping Village and St Columban’s College. This seems to be a very busy precinct with a very narrow access road. I wonder what this might be like during the week.

PARKING

Parking was excellent. I found street parking within 50 meters of the start.

TOILETS

There are no public toilets at the event and after a 50 minute drive, I was fortunate not to need to use this facility. The Parkrun event page says that the nearest toilet is at Central Lakes Shopping Centre but I can imagine how inconvenient this may be if you are running late or if you have small children.

THE COURSE

The course starts near the shelter adjacent to a children’s playground just north of the lake. At the start, I ran around the first lake and crossed a lovely little wooden bridge before running along the concrete pathway that led towards the Bruce Highway. There is a concrete path that runs on the outside of the estate. On the one side is a wooden fence that protects the residents from the noise of the highway. On the other side are the back yards of the suburban houses. The developer/council has planted indigenous wattles of various kinds along this route which makes it kind of special despite the constant drone from the traffic on the highway.

The pathway was ever so slightly undulating, but nothing to really slow you down. I reached the turnaround point and doubled back. The path is of average width and was sufficient to handle the numbers running that day. This was taking into account, running into oncoming runners on the return journey. There was only one person from the public on the course when we ran; an elderly fellow walking a dog which was not on a leash. This however was not a problem. After the race, I hung around a bit and chatted to a few folks and noticed that the pathways got a little bit busy before I left.

I am not really a fan of running past backyards but the trees along the route certainly broke up the suburban experience. The concrete path was even and in an excellent condition. It was mostly flat which made for a fairly quick time. Running around the lake was nice. Again, I am not a fan of running through the suburbs but the lake made it worth it. Developers are building some magnificent houses along O’Neill Street so it will be interesting to see what this looks like in the future.

Only one man has managed to run under 17 minutes on this course but I think this is because the elite runners would have probably run at events closer to the city.

VOLUNTEERS

This event has only been going since December last year so it really is still growing. We were welcomed by the run director and her team for the week. Her gentle spirit was just delightful. They were all decked out in newish-looking high-vis vests and the team looked really tight. There was a real sense of comradery amongst the volunteers as well as the local runners.

We were briefed on the course as well as the usual rules and we celebrated someone who had achieved her 50 milestone the previous week at another event. It was really nice that the run director remembered the milestone and even though the lady had chosen to run her event at another Parkrun, she was still celebrated on returning to her home event. I spotted the camera lady near the bridge and there was another volunteer plus child at the turnaround point. Another volunteer was positioned at the exit of the bridge and some juniors were enthusiastically taking photos at this spot.

What stood out for me was the encouragement that was meted out along the course. I was encouraged and congratulated more than a number of times. At one point, I got overtaken by a young lad called Toby. The reason I know this is because he was congratulated at the turnaround point as well as by almost everyone he encountered running the opposite way on the return journey. There was a lovely enthusiasm celebrated by the people running this event on this particular day.

I love how vollies are celebrated at this event. (Yes, they are called vollies! Only in Australia haha) There are a number of Facebook posts asking for help volunteering and I can imagine that with such a small local contingent, things may get a bit tight, but it seems to be working.

PHOTOS

The Facebook page is well-organized and there are photos for every week that this event has held which is quite remarkable. It was easy to find my picture amongst the shots taken which was pretty cool.

Click here for the Facebook page

THE ALL IMPORTANT COFFEE AFTERWARDS

The run director advertised the Coffee Club which is at the Central Lakes Shopping Village; a quick 600m walk from the finish. I caught up with Eric after the race. This was his 151^st Parkrun and his first at this event. By the time we finished, I needed to get home and I had a 50 minute drive ahead of me so I didn’t have a coffee on the way home.

OVERALL 

What I liked about this event was the out and back. I appreciated not having to run multiple loops. The drone of the traffic from the Bruce Highway was a bit strong, but I quickly got used to it. As I said before, I am not a fan of suburb running, but the thoughtful planting of indigenous wattles next to the highway broke up the views. The lack of toilet facilities close to the start is a negative but the biggest asset of the event has to be the vollies and the local runners. There is something special about this event. Everyone along the course was very encouraging. Maybe I was just experiencing the overflow from Toby’s well-wishers, but either way I ran that little bit faster as a result. So the Gary rating for this event has to be an 8.7/10. This fledgling event needs your support and for what it's worth, I can only encourage you to give this run a go. I enjoyed it.