The Wyndham Vale parkrun encourages residents to walk, jog or run five kilometres, but Maria Lodola-Price is insistent it’s not a race.
Every Saturday between 8-9am, people converge at Presidents Park to partake in the timed event.
“You might compete with yourself and set your own goals, a certain time you want to reach, but it’s not competitive against each other and everyone is actually very encouraging,” Ms Lodola-Price said.
“The idea is just to get people active in their neighbourhoods and meeting other people.
“Whether you want to walk, run, or volunteer, it’s all great and it’s very much celebrated.”
After joining a parkrun in Point Cook at the encouragement of a friend, Ms Lodola-Price and her husband decided Wyndham Vale needed a parkrun of its own, and the couple have been event directors since the group’s inception in 2016.
“I had gone to [my first] parkrun kind of thinking it’s going to be all these elite runners, and I wouldn’t be able to do the full 5km,” she said.
“[But] there were people of all different abilities, and there were lots of walkers as well, and people of all ages, and everyone was super encouraging.
“You get to help people achieve their goals that sometimes they didn’t think were achievable… because it’s weekly and usually you go to your local one closest to your home, you get to become part of a community and become friends with people who live near you.”
Details: wyndhamvale@parkrun.com
