Thread by @daveslate

1/50 This may be ambitious but I’m tweeting my run report for @DrumpCparkrun ‘s 50th event. Wish me luck?

2/50 arrival at car park, beautiful of cold morning. #drumpellier #event50 #loveparkrun

3/50 Find my fellow volunteers though I think Marshals had already gone out on the course, including David on his 40th stint in #50events #drumpellier #loveparkrun

4/50 Frontrunner passed while I’m still catching up on initial tweets. #loveparkrun #drumpellier #50th

5/50 Dougie welcomes the first timers and visitors. #50th #drumpellier #loveparkrun

6/50 Female front runner passes us on the woodland path. Light rain has come on.

7/50 Dougie giving the main briefing before the start. #50th #drumpellier #loveparkrun

8/50 Half way in and passed the scene of last week’s obstruction and reroute. #50th #drumpellier #loveparkrun

9/50 Can’t believe how hard it is to Tweet and do interval training! Already 2/3 of the way round. May have to do catch up tweets in the cafe! #50th #drumpellier #loveparkrun

10/50 rain heavier now but I’m so glad I decided to complete that form (back in April 2018 I think!) on parkrun.com/about/start-yo… and discovered lots of new friends and likeminded souls who wanted to set up and be part of @DrumpCparkrun #loveparkrun #50th #drumpellier

11/50 From here on in all tweets being written retrospectively from a warm house… the rain got a bit heavy and then it was the last bit to the finish, the tidy up, and the cafe and chat! #50th #drumpellier #loveparkrun

12/50 Very thankful to today’s fellow volunteers and all who step up to fill the roster, enabling us to go ahead safely and giving everyone a time and position, each week…. #50th #drumpellier #loveparkrun #lovevolunteering

13/50 …especially our course marshals today. They cheers us on, keep us on track, and also gather in signage after everyone including tail walker, has passed for a second time.

14/50 And those who come early to help with setup, putting signage, cones & tapes up in the first place. Often unseen, but a good way to volunteer and get a run in too. And first time helpers are welcome, though learning our setup is helpful too. #50th #drumpellier #loveparkrun

15/50 Some participants may be ahead, peeling off for the finish, others may be farther back and heading onto the second lap, yet still working hard and earning a PB, and others still participating and not keeping an eye on their times. #50th #drumpellier #loveparkrun

16/50 A repeat for this photo with our marshal point 1, as it shows the swans who are sometimes an obstacle when doing course setup - last week one had a bit of an encounter with another park user’s dog during setup…and the finish in the distance. #50th #loveparkrun #drumpellier

17/50 I like being Tail Walker as it’s a chance to chat sometimes with those who are walking it, or ‘Jeffing’/interval training it. Also a chance to cheer on a number of the front runners as they pass. And take pictures of course!

18/50 Though it does mean if you faff around too much with your phone you’ve got a bit of catching up to do now and again! #50th #drumpellier #loveparkrun #whosefingeristhat

19/50 Also means you have time to spot the latest ‘water features’ on the route… #50th #drumpellier #loveparkrun

20/50 No idea what this picture was supposed to be of… still I’ve got another 30 tweets to do so it’s going in! #50th #loveparkrun #drumpellier

21/50 We’re so #blessed to have a great park and facilities so handy. A notable landmark in the #Crannog play area near our start and finish, a loch to run round and trees to enjoy - and this is just a fraction of what #drumpellier Country Park has to offer. #loveparkrun #50th

22/50 The staff are so helpful whether of the centre, the countryside rangers, or the cafe. #50th #drumpellier #loveparkrun

23/50
so a big thank you to @nlcpeople for your ongoing support and partnership. #50th #loveparkrun #drumpellier

24/50 @parkrunUK ’s model of events is to raise an initial one-off setup fee, and then ongoing support is free. It’s easy to forget, but we are thankful to our sponsors, small and large, who stepped up with funds and support for our launch nearly 2.5 years ago. #50th #loveparkrun

25/50 So on the ‘half way’ tweet, a thank you to those who supported us back then… from big firms and funds to local shops, listed here parkrun.org.uk/drumpelliercou… #loveparkrun #50th #drumpellier

26/50 back to the run, it was good to encourage a last push on the finish section, keeping on past bench & bin to our cones and finish on the play park path. Thanks to our finish area volunteers: timers, scanners, number checker & funnel manager. #50th #drumpellier #loveparkrun

27/50 As Tail Walker I got token 123 (though it would turn out I actually finished 122nd!).
Keeping results straight isn’t always easy - Timers click the times over the line, Finish Tokens hands out the position, Scanners match up the token with personal barcode. #loveparkrun

28/50 So someone crossing the line but refusing a token, or getting out of sequence in funnel between timer and tokens, or ducking under the tape, or crossing the line a second time, can all cause challenges when results processing. #loveparkrun #50th #drumpellier

29/50 That’s all without factoring in human error, rain falling on the timers’ phone screens, an accidentally dropped token or two stuck together… however we can usually resolve most issues. And if not, everyone will get 59:59 and there’ll be another run next week! #loveparkrun

30/50 But this week, back in the cafe, RD Dougie processing while Jules (next week’s RD) looks on. Apart from getting onto the hotspot for internet, and sorting one or two position issues, everything worked out and results were in before we left the cafe. #loveparkrun #50th

31/50 One of the many things I love about the #parkrunfamily is how everyone ‘mucks in’ at the end. Even when weather is miserable there are always plenty of folk to take down, put away, and ensure there is little to no sign we were ever there. #loveparkrun #50th #drumpellier

32/50 Here’s my own options from the cafe, normally just a roll and sausage with brown sauce and a cup of tea, I pushed the boat out and went for a scone and jam too!
The empire biscuits are also highly recommended, and all very reasonable. #loveparkrun #50th #drumpellier

33/50 So my result comes in and in fact is pretty quick for a Tail Walk in my experience, because it was very much intervals of running and walking. #loveparkrun #50th #drumpellier

34/50 There were three completely brand new parkrunners, well done and hope you come back next week!
#50th #loveparkrun #drumpellier

35/50 There were 13 other first time visitors (or tourists) to Drumpellier, some with just a few events under their belts, and others part of the ‘100 Club’. Also including Adam Cassidy, joining the 25 Club with us! #loveparkrun #50th #drumpellier

36/50 Another first time visitor was first finisher, Donough Mc Brearty, on a 3 event tourism ‘streak’ - congrats and are you going to try and keep that going? There are now 59 events in Scotland, and more on the way - though some are more accessible than others. #loveparkrun

37/50 We also had returning tourists, including two I had met recently at #Oriamparkrun - but again I failed to get names or a photo (and couldn’t even see them at first in the cafe when my glasses had steamed up!) - sorry! & thanks for returning! #50th #loveparkrun #drumpellier

38/50 Meanwhile our first female finisher Jennifer Grewar was also a returning tourist, and just 1 Dec outside her course PB here! Well done… next time you’ll get it! #50th #drumpellier #loveparkrun

39/50 or even 1 sec! #needaneditbutton In total 18 people ran faster on our course than they had done before, congratulations! It’s not always about the times but if that’s your aim or motivation it’s great when you can challenge yourself. #50th #drumpellier #loveparkrun

40/50 For others the achievements are less measurable though equally if not more important - getting out the door, overcoming anxiety or concerns about speed or appearance, or social interaction. @parkrun is for everyone, including #walkers #volunteers & #supporters #loveparkrun

41/50 As well as Adam mentioned earlier, Steven Bissett and Laine McGowan joined the still fairly new ‘25 Club’, a great milestone to achieve at our #50th and half way to your own ‘50’s. #loveparkrun (photo from @parkrunUK blog) #drumpellier

42/50 Congratulations also to William Braceland who joined the 50 Club at our #50th ! No new members of the 100 or 250 clubs (though I see two folk on 99) but well done to Fay McArthur on an ‘arbitrary’ (ie not an official T-shirt milestone) but impressive 350 runs! #loveparkrun

43/50 Who thought doing a #runreport via 50 tweets was a good idea…? We’re nearly there folks.
#50th #loveparkrun #drumpellier

44/50 Volunteers are amazing! And today’s team I’m sure RD Dougie would agree was no exception. Often volunteering is a family affair with several couples, or parents and children taking part. Or one volunteering while the other runs. But no matter whether you volunteer alone…

45/50 … or with others, you’re all stars for being part of #teamcrannog today. Likewise thanks to all those who have volunteered over the previous 49 events, on our initial and restart ‘test events’ or supported in any way #loveparkrun #lovevolunteering #50th #drumpellier

46/50 But there’s no letup! RD Jules needs you next week, I’m on the following week and then there’s our Christmas Day run before we take a break for NYD (other events will be available). Please email [e-mail] to book your slot now. All roles fun and easy!

47/50 If you achieved a new volunteer club today, congratulations also - that information is sometimes harder to find. #loveparkrun #50th #drumpellier

48/50 If you’ve followed me this far, thank you! #runreport writing doesn’t have to be done this way, and it’s another of the roles you can do along with getting a walk/jog/run (though I suggest you do it afterwards, based on today’s experiences!). #loveparkrun #50th #drumpellier

49/50 If you’ve never parkrun before, why not check out parkrun.org.uk/register to get your own ‘A number’-you don’t even have to print it although that is recommended,to have a note of ‘ICE’ details; we can now scan from phone screens. Contact us with any questions. #loveparkrun

50/50 Well I made it! Below is the ‘journalist report’ with stats from our first 50 events. Here’s to the next 50, hopefully without a “pause”. Thanks to Jacqui Cowan (previous) and David Murray, fellow co-EDs. Dave Slater A438007. #loveparkrun #50th @DrumpCparkrun