Albert Melbourne parkrun

If you’re thinking of coming along, do it. Walk, run, jog—parkrun is for everyone. And volunteering? Totally worth it, super easy and no long-term commitment. You never know what you might get out of it.

I’ve even managed to rally some non-runner mates to give it a go—and made a bunch of new friends myself over laps of the lake and post-run brekkies.

Last Saturday, a couple from the UK came up to chat and say congrats. They shared stories about their home parkrun and said how much they loved our course—just one of those lovely little moments that parkrun creates.

Life’s been a bit of a rollercoaster lately, but Albert Melbourne parkrun has been a steady, positive constant.

Becoming an RD felt like a natural step thanks to the endless support and wisdom of our regular volunteers. Big shout out to Joanne and Scott Watkins—the heart of Albert Melbourne parkrun—who work behind the scenes every week to make it all happen. Legends.

Last week, I hit my 25th volunteer credit and stepped up as Run Director for the first time. Volunteering more over the past year has brought so many great moments—new friends, top-tier breakfast spots in South Melbourne, and a front-row seat to the uplifting community that is parkrun.

Volunteer story - Catherine

I started showing up to #parkrun at Albert Melbourne parkrun in 2022, and the vollies cheering at the finish line caught my eye. It looked like a fun way to give back and meet people—I'd just moved to the area and was keen to connect.

I recently became an Event Ambassador (volunteer, of course!) and now support three more events. Visiting others during our break was a highlight!

Albert Melbourne regularly sees 900+ people—"the big one", they say—and I love being part of it in my red vest. ❤️🏃‍♀️

parkrun brings people together. Whether you’re new in town, living alone, or just keen to get moving—it’s community-powered and all volunteer-run.

The best bit? The friendships. I might not have many running mates outside parkrun, but now I’ve got people to chat to at races and over breakfast after the event.

In 2024, I joined the leadership team as a Run Director. I was nervous for my first briefing, but once the mic was in my hand, I was in my element. Huge thanks to Joanne and the team for the support—we laugh a lot and back each other every Saturday.

I first joined in 2016 but only ran occasionally. Things changed in 2023 when I started volunteering and loved it. Chatting with walkers and runners, seeing the community grow—it’s been the best part of my week.

Volunteer story - Jane

Hit 50 #parkrun volunteer credits last Saturday—hoodie and tee ordered, of course! 🎉

With the cleanup from the Grand Prix ongoing and requiring the cancellation of @albertmelparkrun.bsky.social we headed to #FrogHollow #parkrun and had an awesome pancake breakfast afterwards.

Photos from our #parkrun yesterday are now up in an album on our Facebook page.

www.facebook.com/media/set/?s...

If you plan on visiting another #parkrun during our pause, or are visiting #Melbourne for the F1 GP, please consider that there are over 50 parkruns across Melbourne and over 100 in Victoria. Many of the smaller events would welcome visitors so please don't everyone flood our close neighbours!

Our event will be CLOSED for the next 2 weeks due to the F1 Grand Prix. We will recommence on March 29 and we will need a lot more volunteers for then, so please let us know if you can help (albertmelbourne@parkrun.com).

We were very lucky to be blessed with absolutely perfect weather in Melbourne for #parkrun this morning. 966 participants and 50 volunteers enjoyed running on the Grand Prix course for the last time for this year.

Results:

www.parkrun.com.au/albertmelbou...

Best Cities for Running in the World From London to LA and in between, discover the best running cities in the world, alongside the benefits of running, and tips on reducing risk of injuries.

The top 10 cities in the world for #running:

Full Rankings:
www.comparethemarket.com.au/health-insur...

“Opposing” Joanne in the interview was David Crook, Sydney-based author of the definitive book about #parkrun in Australia, “On Every Saturday”.

Do you agree with Joanne or David? Let us know in the comments.

Which is the best city to run in? This morning, on ABC Radio Melbourne, our #parkrun Event Director, Joanne was interviewed about a recent survey that ranked Melbourne as the 4th best city in the world in which to run.

Listen to the interview, starting at 3:31:30:

www.abc.net.au/listen/progr...

As a special treat, later this afternoon, we’ll also be sharing a link to an interview Joanne gave after parkrun this morning, on ABC Radio Melbourne, highlighting how great Melbourne is for running. Keep an eye out for that post!

It was a stunning morning—everything ran smoothly, people enjoyed themselves and it was #parkrun at its best. So, thank you to everyone for responding so positively to this important conversation.

We truly believe that volunteering at #parkrun is fun and a great way to meet people, so we’re thrilled to offer this opportunity to so many.

We never say no to volunteers, so there’s always room for more! But we were overjoyed by the incredible response, especially because more than half of those who signed up to volunteer are doing so for the first time.

But this morning, we had to be upfront and say that, in order to go ahead, we need the community to step up and volunteer. Joanne’s speech at the start seemed to resonate, and as a result, we’ve completely filled all of our compulsory roles for next week and about half for the following week.

We’ve worked hard with Parks Victoria and the Grand Prix Corporation to make it possible for us to host parkrun over the Grand Prix period.

Today almost all of our run directors were volunteering, helping to make our event safe and well-organized for the one thousand people who take part each week. With the Grand Prix setup in place for the next few weeks, we need extra volunteers to ensure that our event remains safe.

What a morning! Today, we had 968 participants and 41 amazing volunteers at our #parkrun. But the reason we’re saying thank you is because of the incredible response to our honest conversation about volunteering.

Results:
www.parkrun.com.au/albertmelbou...

Another huge, beautiful morning by the lake. 1057 people participated and were supported by 47 volunteers at our #parkrun. A big thanks to the Crosbie Crew for providing some of the volunteers. If you’d like to join a running club, check them out.

www.parkrun.com.au/albertmelbou...