High volume of runners head to city for parkrun events - plus the latest from Havant, Fareham and Lee-on-the-Solent

Portsmouth welcomed more than 800 parkrunners to various parts of the city for the latest instalment of the 5k events last weekend.
Runners set off in the Southsea parkrun on the seafront last month Picture: Mike Cooter (010122)Runners set off in the Southsea parkrun on the seafront last month Picture: Mike Cooter (010122)
Runners set off in the Southsea parkrun on the seafront last month Picture: Mike Cooter (010122)

The trio of city courses - at Southsea, Portsmouth Lakeside and the newly launched Great Salterns - saw 824 runners reach the finish point at the respective events.

Southsea's seafront course continues to prove greatly popular with 404 finishers on Saturday.

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Just once in six stagings of the Southsea event in 2022 have finishing figures been below the 400-mark, with 351 runners making it around the 5k distance on January 8.

Parkrunners set off in the newly launched Great Salterns event earlier this month Picture: Alex ShuteParkrunners set off in the newly launched Great Salterns event earlier this month Picture: Alex Shute
Parkrunners set off in the newly launched Great Salterns event earlier this month Picture: Alex Shute

Chineham Park Running Club first-timer Sean Lewis needed no time to adapt to the new surroundings, making it back as the first of the 404 finishers (18mins 13secs).

Another new visitor to the Southsea course, Welsh-based Sarn Helen Club runner Kenneth Caulkett, followed on from Lewis in a time of 18:48.

Liv Taylor was the first female to make it home, 12th overall, on her maiden venture to take on the Southsea event (20:41).

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Elsewhere in the city, Portsmouth Lakeside had more than 200 finishers for the fourth week in succession.

James Baker was first home in what was just the third staging of the Great Salterns parkrun on Saturday Picture: Ian Hargreaves (150220-6)James Baker was first home in what was just the third staging of the Great Salterns parkrun on Saturday Picture: Ian Hargreaves (150220-6)
James Baker was first home in what was just the third staging of the Great Salterns parkrun on Saturday Picture: Ian Hargreaves (150220-6)

Conrad Young was the first of the 229 runners who completed the course in a time of 17:44.

Haywards Heath Harriers' Abby Ross recorded a personal best course time of 21:13 as she was the first female home in what were the second highest finishing numbers for a single event at Portsmouth Lakeside since the turn of the year.

In the third staging since starting last month, parkrun enthusiast James Baker was first home (17:14) at the Great Salterns course.

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While in what was her 391st completed parkrun, Shell Smith was the first female to make it around the 5k distance in a time of 22:20.

n Gosport Road Runners' Nikki Moxham was eighth overall and led the way for the female finishers in the Lee parkrun (19:29).

Darren Langridge (18:31) was the first of the 382 runners who managed to make it around the course.

Thomas Wallace certainly knows his way around the Fareham parkrun 5k, making it home first for the fifth time in the previous six events in a time of 17:30.

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Olivia Campbell recorded a personal best course time of 20:13 as first female and fifth overall, with 221 runners completing the latest staging at Cams Hall Estate.

Havant had 165 finishers in their latest parkrun event, as Victory Athletics Club pair Paul Mitchinson (19:08) and Joanne Stanford (21:44) were the first male and female finishers.

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