Weekend Roundup - Saturday 3 October 2026

🏃 Parkrun

parkrun turned 22 this weekend 🎉 and the sun turned up for the party, with glorious autumn sunshine at every event. 25 of us were out across 10 venues, from Southampton up to Lancashire and across to Cardiff.

Kath Biddle made her first visit to Cardiff parkrun, getting the legs moving in the Welsh capital the day before her big run on Sunday (more on that below).

Jamie Dobson had a brilliant morning at Clarence, taking a new course PB in the sunshine 👏 Stephen Crowe was out on his regular Saturday course too and ran well on a beautiful morning.

11 of us headed to Heaton Park. Laura Tomkins and Aaron Stones led the way for the group, crossing the line together, and both earned age category honours: Laura finished 2nd in hers and Aaron 3rd in his. Mark Taylor was in great form, and Dale Richards and Paul Jenkinson both put in strong runs. Michael Aiken ran round with his wife Laura and their son Owen, who took a new PB, and Lucie Tighe had lovely company too, running round with her daughter Grace. Jacqui Warden had a great outing, Chris Grayshon ran well on a lovely morning in the park, and Steve Sweeney and Anna Swailes rounded off a big turnout with a good effort in the sunshine. Aaron, Mark, Lucie, and Michael and Laura all did this with the Manchester Half to come the next morning.

Derek and Fiona Case made their first visit to Huddersfield parkrun and both had a great morning trying out a new course.

Andrew and Alison Whitehead went all the way down to Southampton for their first visit to Itchen Valley Country parkrun, a course that runs over trail paths and grass through Itchen Valley Country Park.

Hannah McCandless had a fine morning at Lytham Hall, and Tracy Wroe joined her there for her own first visit to the course.

Julie Smith flew the flag at Oldham and made the most of a beautiful autumn morning.

Paul Cox and Paula Crosland both made their first visit to Pendle parkrun at Holt House Playing Fields in Colne, a varied course mixing grass, tarmac, trail and stone paths. Paula finished top of her age category 👏

Martyn James had a great outing at Sale Water in the sunshine.

Ros Dines ran well at Worsley Woods and made the most of the autumn sunshine.

🏅 Races

A big Sunday of racing, with members out in Manchester, Cardiff, Northumberland and Accrington.

Sunday 4 October

Around 32,000 runners took to the streets for the Manchester Half. It started and finished on Talbot Road by Trafford Town Hall, and the route headed into the city centre before coming back through Stretford, Sale and Chorlton. We had a brilliant turnout of 12: Aaron Stones, John Bradford, Mark Taylor, Chris Mihalyi, Neil Naisbitt, Michael and Laura Aiken, Josh Young, Fabia Slaughter, Lucie Tighe, Kerry Evans and Charlene Leyden. Well done all 👏

The 23rd Cardiff Half sold out again this year. It started outside Cardiff Castle and passed the Principality Stadium and Penarth Marina, then crossed the barrage into Cardiff Bay past the Norwegian Church and the Wales Millennium Centre, looped Roath Park lake and finished at the civic centre, with live music and community cheer stations along the way. Kath Biddle took it on, rounding off a weekend in the Welsh capital that started at Saturday's parkrun.

Kielder Marathon weekend is billed as Britain's most beautiful, with trails winding through the forest around Kielder Water in Northumberland. Paul Cox headed north to take on the half and was rewarded with some of the finest scenery in the country.

Accrington Road Runners' popular 10k starts and finishes at Altham, mixing rural and town roads. It climbs Burnley Road for 2 miles, then comes down to the finish on a long descent. Nick Coleman flew the flag for us and had a great morning out in Lancashire.

What a weekend: a 22nd birthday party at parkrun in the sunshine, then 3 half marathons and a 10k from Cardiff to Kielder. 💜🏃‍♀️🏃‍♂️