Ealing's Walker Celebrates Running!

Ealing Half Marathon race director Kelvin enjoys double whammy

The mastermind behind The Ealing Half Marathon, Kelvin Walker,celebrated a unique achievement at Gunnersbury parkrun on Saturday (19th November) as he notched up both his 100th run and his 200th stint as a parkrun volunteer.

Parkrun, a series of free timed 5k events that take place every Saturday morning in parks across the UK, was founded by Paul Sinton-Hewitt in 2004. Participants earn t-shirts when they reach milestones such as 50, 100 or 250 runs, and everyone is encouraged to volunteer at their local event a few times a year, with a milestone t-shirt available to those who have volunteered 25 times. Kelvin has taken this further than most over the five years since Gunnersbury parkrun was launched, volunteering as run director on 47 occasions and taking on a variety of other volunteer roles from barcode scanning and timing to equipment setup and tail running.

A popular member of the Ealing running community, Kelvin was joined by friends from Ealing Eagles Running Club, Gunnersbury parkrun and Pitshanger junior parkrun – an event he also helped to set up – as he took on the role of tail runner to chalk up his 200th stint as a volunteer and, simultaneously, complete his 100th parkrun. 

Arlene Gallagher, part of the team that brought parkrun to Gunnersbury Park in 2011, praised Kelvin for his dedication. “I could never have got the Gunnersbury parkrun event off the ground without his help and support,” she said. “Kelvin is so welcoming and often talks about the interesting people he has met while tail running at the back, which fits with the parkrun ethos. It’s not a race and anyone can take part.”

Sandra Courtney, Kelvin’s Ealing Half Marathon colleague, said: “Kelvin brought Gunnersbury parkrun and Pitshanger junior parkrun to the masses. His passion and dedication to helping improve other people’s lives through health and well-being always amazes me and I’m very proud to work with him in creating the Ealing Half Marathon. It’s great to see him achieve this milestone today.”

There was also praise from Kelvin’s wife, Claire, who commented: “I’m so proud of Kelvin, and so is our daughter Esme, Kelvin’s dad and sister, and the rest of the family – we are all immensely proud of what he has achieved. He’s very passionate about parkrun and everything it has achieved both locally and internationally, and I know he’s very proud to have played his part in making Gunnersbury parkrun and Pitshanger junior parkrun such a success.”

The event also saw a record turnout at Gunnersbury parkrun, with over 470 people running, jogging and walking the 5k course on a bright and chilly morning.

Afterwards, celebrations of Kelvin’s milestone achievements continued at Old Actonians sports club, where runners enjoyed an array of specially made cakes.

22nd November 2016