More than 700 people took part in a special celebration at Fountains Abbey earlier this month as the weekly parkrun marked its 500th run.
Held on Saturday 19th July, the milestone event attracted a record turnout of 701 runners, joggers and walkers, making it the busiest parkrun in the event’s 11-year history.
Set in the stunning grounds of the Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal near Ripon, the event has become a fixture in the weekend routines of thousands of locals and visitors.
Since its launch in March 2014, more than 34,000 individuals have taken part, completing over 174,000 runs and covering more than 870,000 kilometres.
The course itself is a two-lap loop through the historic estate, passing the medieval abbey ruins, ornamental lakes and tree-lined paths.
It’s considered one of the most scenic parkrun locations in the UK, with many tourists describing it as a “bucket-list” event.
The milestone event saw people travelling from across Yorkshire and beyond to join the celebrations, with cakes, t-shirts and plenty of applause for those reaching their own personal goals.
As always, the event was made possible by a dedicated team of volunteers.
A total of 69 people gave up their time to help manage the 500th run, acting as marshals, timekeepers, barcode scanners and more.
In total, more than 1,700 volunteers have supported Fountains Abbey parkrun over the years, completing upwards of 12,500 volunteer shifts.
Fountains Abbey parkrun stalwart Lyn Silver said:
“Thankfully the rain held off and it was a great day to parkrun then have some delicious cake made by the very talented HG1 Cake Couture to celebrate the 500th event.
“Well done to all participants, many of whom gained PBs, may be partly due to numerous Ripon Runners volunteering in pacing roles today - so thanks to them.”
With the 500 mark now reached, organisers say they’re looking forward to welcoming new faces throughout the summer, with themed events and community milestones already in the works.
Fountains Abbey parkrun takes place every Saturday at 9am and is completely free to attend. Participants just need to register online and bring a scannable parkrun barcode.
More information can be found at www.parkrun.org.uk/fountainsabbey.
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