That’s what immutable, club stalwart Kevin Fry has become at the Saturday morning institution that is Parkrun.
He celebrated his 250th Parkrun last week and not one to steal the limelight, he deliberately volunteered on the week that long suffering friend, running enthusiast and fellow Parkrun sestercenturion Joy Furmidge was in New York, so that they would celebrate their immense achievement simultaneously.
They are only the 3rd and 4th people on the Isle of Wight to notch up this remarkable number of the nations favourite 5k. That’s 775 miles! That’s Land’s End to Inverness in case you were wondering, (but only if you go the long way!) Sorry Kev and Joy, you have another 20 Parkruns to do before you’ve made it to John O’Groats haha!)
And as if that wasn’t an achievement in itself, Kevin has also volunteered a staggering 280 times! Often taking the pre-race briefing, his infectious enthusiasm for running is as clear as the ever present smile on his face. He loves the community feeling that Parkrun has. “We are all one big family at Parkrun”. The friendly, family, community feel has always been the main thing that has drawn Kev back week after week since his first trot over the 5k distance back in 2011.
A chance conversation with an old school friend got a sceptical Kev to turn up and run for that first time, but in his own words he “was hooked”
For our ever growing contingent of newer members, or indeed if you are reading this but aren’t a member of the biggest running club on the Isle of Wight, Kev’s involvement at the Isle of Wight Road Runners goes way back.
“I took up running in 2001 after I gave up football” says Kev
In 2002 he found a small running club to share his journey with. They had about 10 members at the time, (unbelievable now!), but all had a huge passion for running. Kev quickly became hugely instrumental in shaping the club going forward. That infectious chat of his, helped draw in lots of new members, (some of which are still with the club today) His dedication, efforts and passion were rewarded with a well deserved honoury membership in 2013.
Kev congratulations on your milestone Parkrun. You are and always have been, an absolute credit to the Isle of Wight Road Runners. You always run with a smile on your face and helping hand for those around you. Your love for running certainly is infectious and that is exactly what sport at grassroots level is all about. You really do embody the true spirit of what it means to be a IWRR.
We are very proud of you xxx
Here’s to the next 250!!
