Coffs’ Medical professionals and undergraduates put their hand up for parkrun volunteer roster

IN a Coffs Harbour parkrun first, the volunteer roster was chock-a-block with CHUMS (Coffs Harbour Undergraduate Medical Society) members for last Saturday’s 7am event.

While many of the medical students already participate in parkrun, the whole community was encouraged to see them contribute in a volunteering capacity.

CHUMS students and doctors undertook a variety of roles, including marshals, timekeepers, barcode scanners, run director, tail walkers and photographers, each contributing to making parkrun a welcoming, safe, inclusive and enjoyable event for everyone.

The idea emerged from a conversation between a parkrun race director, Dr Helen Nevell, and president of the Coffs Harbour Undergraduate Medical Society (CHUMS), Ashleigh Geddes, who talked about bringing medical students and local doctors together to support an initiative that promotes community health and wellbeing.

“Many of our students, doctors and members of the wider medical community are already enthusiastic parkrunners, so it seemed a natural opportunity to give something back to an event we collectively enjoy and value,” Dr Nevell told News Of The Area.

Ashleigh Geddes embraced the idea and enlisted the help of fellow medical student and CHUMS sports representative Brad Chong to coordinate the student volunteers.

“I reached out to local doctors, including several with whom I regularly share Sunday long runs,” Ms Geddes said.

“We then approached Coffs Harbour parkrun event director Russ Crane and his wife and volunteer parkrun outreach ambassador Suzanne Crane, both enthusiastic supporters of the local parkrun community.

“They were immediately supportive, and together we arranged for CHUMS and local GPs to headline this week’s volunteer roster,” she said.

What began as a simple conversation has become a warm-hearted collaboration between the medical students, local doctors and the wider parkrun community.

The timing produced a coincidental benefit of allowing CHUMS to show its support for the national initiative from parkrun Australia and the Daniel Morcombe Foundation to hold this on the same day as “Parkwalk for Daniel Day” highlighting practical support for child safety in all walks of life.

Dr Nevell believes one of parkrun’s greatest strengths is its accessibility.

“It’s completely free, open to everyone and doesn’t require any particular level of fitness or experience.

“Whether you choose to run, walk, roll or volunteer, you’re equally welcome.

“There’s no pressure to perform, and the emphasis is on participation rather than competition,” she said.

What makes parkrun particularly special is the community surrounding it, Dr Nevell said.

“It’s an incredibly welcoming and supportive environment, where people from all walks of life come together each week.

“For many, the friendships, encouragement and sense of belonging are just as valuable as the physical activity itself.

“As healthcare professionals, we routinely encourage people to be more active and prioritise their wellbeing.

“parkrun is a wonderful example of how this can be achieved through an initiative that removes many of the financial and social barriers to participation, while making physical activity enjoyable and sustainable,” she said.

Dr Nevell, a longstanding advocate for parkrun, regularly encourages her own patients to pay a visit and participate.

“I once also jokingly told a cohort of medical students during orientation that parkrun attendance was compulsory to pass the course.

“Humour aside, I think it offers something particularly valuable to students navigating the demands of medical training: an opportunity to be active, decompress and build connections beyond the university and hospital environments.”

Dr Nevell said the morning at parkrun Coffs Harbour was a reminder that health is shaped not only by the care the medical profession provides in consulting rooms and hospitals, but also by the social connections, supportive environments and sense of belonging that helps people thrive.

By Andrea FERRARI