24/05/2026
๐๐ฅ๐จ๐ฐ ๐๐๐๐ค & ๐๐จ๐ฅ๐ฎ๐ง๐ญ๐๐๐ซ ๐๐ฉ๐ฉ๐ซ๐๐๐ข๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง โ
๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ @ ๐๐๐ข๐ซ๐ง๐ฌ ๐ฉ๐๐ซ๐ค๐ซ๐ฎ๐ง, ๐๐/๐/๐๐
Another glorious week celebrating our slower-stepping legends, our hi-vis heroes, and the magnificent humans who voluntarily wake up at ridiculous hours to stand around in tropical humidity yelling things like โKEEP LEFTโ and โDONโT FOLLOW THE BIN CHICKENโ.
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๐ ๐๐๐ โ ๐๐๐ง๐๐ฒ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ก๐๐ง
โข 272 @ Cairns. Fairly loyal. Could still lift his game.
โข PB: 26:24
โข PLUS a staggering 241 recorded vollie creditsโฆ though frankly, authorities estimate the true number somewhere between 700 and โevery parkrun since Federationโ.
Sandy is the mysterious dawn creature seen every Saturday, dragging witches' hats through the darkness before the rest of us have located our left sock. He sets up the course, packs it down, cleans the gear, lovingly stores the equipment, and somehow still smiles at everyone like he has not just spent 3 hours wrestling signage, snakes, shopping trolleys and rogue backpackers.
Rumour has it Sandy once fought off a crocodile using only a damp finish token and a pool noodle. Another story claims he survived 9 days in the Daintree living purely off bananas and parkrun jelly snakes after taking a wrong turn during the course pack-down in 2021. None of this is confirmed. Most of it probably should not be repeated in public.
If Cairns parkrun ever accidentally launches into the Coral Sea, Sandy would calmly retrieve it, hose it down, alphabetise the cones and still ask if anyone needed help packing up. Absolute superstar.
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๐ค ๐๐๐ โ ๐๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐๐๐๐๐ฒ
โข 148 @ Cairns. 98.6% faithful. Acceptable standards.
โข PB: 26:56
Kelly has quietly become one of Cairns parkrunโs stealth achievers, appearing week after week looking far too fresh for someone voluntarily exercising in Far North Queensland humidity.
Sources suggest Kelly may actually be powered by iced coffee and passive-aggressive determination. She has mastered the art of pretending she is โjust taking it easy todayโ moments before accidentally overtaking 17 people on the Esplanade.
Her remaining 1.4% of non-Cairns appearances are currently under formal investigation by the Loyalty Committee.
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๐ค ๐๐๐ โ ๐๐๐ซ๐ฒ ๐๐๐ฅ๐๐๐ฒ
โข 117 @ Cairns. Only 78% faithful. Occasional Glenoma wanderer.
โข PB: 25:56
โข + 4 vollie-credits. Champion effort!
Gary continues to divide his affections between Cairns and Glenoma like some sort of athletic double-agent. One week he is here smiling politely at everyone, the next he has vanished into the Tablelands chasing cooler weather and suspiciously good bakery items.
Gary runs with the calm confidence of a man who absolutely knows where every public toilet on the Esplanade is located. His pacing style has been described as โsteadyโ, โcontrolledโ, and โmildly terrifying when he suddenly accelerates near the finish funnelโ.
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๐ค ๐๐๐ โ ๐๐ข๐๐ก๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ ๐๐๐ง๐ฌ๐ฌ๐๐ง
โข 79 @ Cairns. Bit of a tourist.
โข PB: 27:07
Michelle has now ticked over the magical 100 milestone after years of expertly balancing fitness, fun and strategic parkrun tourism.
Michelle gives off the energy of someone who arrives calm and organised while the rest of us are still panic-searching for our barcode in the carpark. She also possesses the supernatural ability to look completely composed in every milestone photo while everyone around her resembles overheated swamp creatures.
A magnificent century, Michelle!
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๐๐ ๐๐๐ โ ๐๐๐ซ๐ค ๐๐จ๐ซ๐๐๐ง
โข 25 vollie-credits across 5 different roles
โข PLUS 200 parkruns, mostly at Cairns!
Now THIS deserves a proper celebration.
Mark has officially entered the purple hi-vis halls of greatness with 25 volunteer credits, proving he is not just fast enough to disappear into the distance during runs, but also generous enough to give back to the chaos factory we call Cairns parkrun.
Whether marshalling, barcode scanning, funnel managing or generally looking like he actually knows what is happening, Mark has become one of those dependable legends every parkrun secretly relies upon.
Experts believe Mark can now deploy a finish funnel in under 14 seconds and identify missing tokens purely through scent. There are also unverified reports he once barcode-scanned 43 people while simultaneously carrying a coffee and solving a domestic dispute near the public toilets.
Absolute purple-shirt royalty.
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๐ ๐๐ โ ๐๐๐ข๐ฆ ๐๐ฐ๐๐๐ฎ๐ค๐
โข 14 @ Cairns. Only 56% faithful. Frankly concerning.
โข PB: 36:28
Obim has officially reached the big 25 after expertly spreading his talents across multiple parkruns like a wandering athletic nomad.
Nobody is entirely sure where Obim will appear next. One minute Cairns, next minute elsewhere, probably smiling politely while stealing another eventโs post-run snacks.
Nonetheless, we are delighted whenever he returns home to paradise.
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๐ ๐๐ โ ๐๐๐ฒ ๐๐ข๐ซ๐๐ฒ
โข 3 @ Cairns. An astonishing 88% traitor rating.
โข PB: 38:01
Ray continues his long-running commitment to barely attending Cairns while somehow still remaining weirdly famous here.
Kewarra Beach apparently sees more of Ray than we do, which frankly feels personal at this point. Still, whenever he DOES appear, he brings the cheerful energy of a man who has accidentally wandered into the wrong family BBQ but decided to stay anyway.
A quarter-century of parkruns, Ray. Even if most of them were elsewhere.
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๐๐ค ๐๐ โ ๐๐๐ญ๐๐ซ ๐๐ฎ๐๐ค๐ฅ๐๐ฒ
โข First official step into the glorious hi-vis universe!
โข Achieved after only FOUR parkruns!
Peter has wasted absolutely no time becoming one of the team, proving that at Cairns parkrun you do not need years of experience, elite fitness or emotional stability to become a volunteer.
Four runs in and already stepping up in hi-vis like a seasoned professional. Outstanding stuff, Peter. We fully expect you to be directing traffic, solving international crises and operating the stopwatch within a month.
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๐ธ Got your milestone pics? Drop them below!
๐ฏ 8 more legends ticked off another BINGO square!
๐ข Slow Week rolls onโฆ steady feet, sweaty hugs and tropical nonsense.
โจ Keep being kind. Keep showing up. Keep being YOU.
โ Helen
๐ธ Sofia
