CHIPPENHAM’S inaugural junior parkrun took place on Sunday as young runners braved the elements to complete the course.

The organised event involved running two and a half laps of Monkton Park and a total of 62 juniors entered.

Valerie Light, one of the organisers, said: “parkrun is a great event as it’s free to enter and open to everyone no matter what their ability.

“It was great to see so many young runners turn up to the first event. Children from Chippenham were having to travel to Swindon before this so it will be a lot easier for them to enter parkruns from now on.”

The winner of the male event was Matthew Allday, who finished with a time of eight minutes and 17 seconds. Rohan Archer and Daryl Archer came second and third respectively.

The first female finisher was Lottie Brown, who completed the course in nine minutes and two seconds, with Molly Dunstone and Lola Harris behind her in second and third place.

Founded in 2004, parkrun was established to give amateur runners a free, competitive weekly 4km race at parks across the UK.

Every runner is given a barcode which links up to their unique page, giving details of the events they have competed in and their finishing times.

The junior spin-off provides a shorter version for younger runners, with a track half the distance of the adult event.

For more details, visit this website: https://www.parkrun.org.uk/chippenham-juniors/news/