A new flat and fast parkrun featuring a picturesque lake will be up and running soon.
The Sunshine Coast’s 13th parkrun is expected to launch at Bli Bli within the next few months.
The 5km course will start and finish at the Perrin Family Park within the Parklakes 1 estate.
Participants will go through 300m of bushland, complete four laps of the lake and return through the trees.
Organiser Michael Lassman said the mostly concrete course was designed to be flat and fast with scenic views.
“People will like it because they will run through the bush and then run around the lakes,” he said.
“They might be able to see black swans there. It’s a dead flat course. There are no hills and there is a fair bit of shade. It’s achievable for most people.
“Some people will love the fact it’s a four-lap course and others will hate it, but whether you are fast or slow, you will feel like part of a group.”
He said the event should attract participants from far and wide.
“A lot of people try to do a different parkrun each week,” he said.
“People will come and do the run and they could spend money at local businesses, and some will stay the night, so it should boost the local economy.
“But ultimately, we’re hoping a lot of locals will come.
“They can ride their bikes or walk to the event, to keep traffic down at car parks.”
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Mr Lassman said there will be some car parking available at Little Sprouts Early Learning centres on Parklakes Drive and nearby Camp Flat Road, and some limited street car parking.
He said he did not want the event to become overwhelmed with participants.
“Initially, we will probably have crazy numbers but I’m hoping it will land between 100 and 150,” he said, before comparing it to two parkruns less than 10km away.
“Nambour, which is the toughest one in Australia, gets between 80 and 100 (participants) and Mudjimba gets about 300.
“I’m more nervous about it being too popular than not popular enough.
“We have limited parking and if we have too many people, they could start parking in crazy spots and upset some of the locals.
“A lot of runners don’t like multi-lap courses so that should keep numbers down.”
Mr Lassman, a local truck mechanic and regular parkrun participant, started planning for the local event in late 2024.
“I just decided to do it for some reason. I don’t start work until 1pm and I wanted to do something useful with my spare time,” he said.
“Finding a suitable course was quite a challenge — 5km with no roadways or road crossings or driveways. I thought I found a good course, starting at Good Samaritan school, but the council wasn’t happy with it.
“I had thought about doing laps around Parklakes 1 before, using the soccer club as a starting point, but the club uses it on Saturday mornings. But then someone suggested to start it at Perrin Family Park. So, we measured it and filmed it and got council approval.”
Some trial events will be held before the event starts in earnest. Mr Lassman could not say, at this stage, exactly when the first event will be held.
Several people have nominated to be volunteers, while many soon-to-be regular participants should volunteer a few times a year.
Parkrun stalwart Ralph Jones was involved in the creation of the new event and will be part of the run director team.
He took part in what is believed to be the Sunshine Coast’s first parkrun, at Kawana in 2012, and has notched almost 630 parkruns.
Businesses and locals have helped to raise $7500 to go towards insurance, administration, and equipment.
Parkruns are free 5km events, for walkers and runners, usually held at around 7am on Saturday mornings. The events are particularly popular on the Sunshine Coast, a region renowned for active lifestyles.
