Callum Olden leads Brockenhurst parkrun field home again, while women’s leader Katherine Charles set a new parkrun personal best.

A bumper crowd at this Saturday’s Brockenhurst parkrun saw a familiar face lead the men across the line while the leading women posted a personal best.

Callum Olden crossed the line first for the 25th, leading home the field of 241 participants, while Katherine Charles led the Brockenhurst parkrun women home in a sub-20 minute parkrun personal best (PB).

Olden of Southampton AC was just three seconds away from his Brockenhurst PB in 16:34, ahead of Alistair Smith (17:13) and Adam Jundi (17:33) in second and third.

Women’s leader Charles first ran this event in 2015 as a member of New Forest Runners but is now a Reading Roadrunner. It was her 89th run at Brockenhurst, and impressively, she ran a parkrun PB of 19:54 on her 166th parkrun to lead the ladies home for the third time.

There were four first-time visitors from the Bean family, with M11 Mikey leading the juniors home in 22:16, while W11 Abigail Sheather was the first girl home.

New Forest Runners’ W60 Camilla Pearse set the event’s highest age grade score, while Jundi set the highest male score.

Mulitiple-time international medallist, Barbara Walton of Hardley Runners, continued her chief car park marshal duties while 20 others helped make the event possible. They were Maxine Slade, Charles and Rosanna Fox, Ellie Monks, Kit Morris, Katrin Pritchard, Michael McCabe, Mike and Hilary Bruce-Burgess, Keith Mitchell, Luisa Holt, Stewart Chanter, Oliver Eveleigh, Jack Prince, Vivienne Baxter, Christopher Potter, Michael Gargaro, Thomas Newsom, Olivia Longley, and Mick Anglim.

Results: 1, Callum Olden, 16:34; 2, Alistair Smith, 17:13; 3, Adam Jundi, 17:33; 4, Graham Jones, 17:59; 5, Anthony Murphy, 18:39; 6, Matthew Forster, 18:43; 7, Ben Lombard, 18:55; 8, Graham Miller, 19:30; 9, Andrew Milchard, 19:40; 10, Ben Brearley, 19:49.

Ever-growing junior parkrun needs help

NEW Milton junior parkrun needs volunteers to help the event to run smoothly.

Junior parkrun is a free 2km walk, jog, or run for four to 14-year-olds every Sunday at 9am.

Anyone interested should contact New Milton event director Penny Malcolm at purplepidjin@hotmail.com

– alternatively, to take part, register your child once at parkrun.org.uk/register/?section=form