PEGASUS Running Club are strong advocates of parkrun with members invariably running and volunteering at the Barry Island event along with those in Cardiff (at Blackweir and Grangemoor) and additionally supporting junior parkrun in Llandaff Fields on Sundays.

A takeover week is an opportunity to demonstrate that support more visibly by volunteering en-masse and wearing club colours.

Organisation was largely completed by Ian Thorne (co-event director for Barry Island parkrun) and Stephen Wood (event director at Grangemoor) with further Pegasus members making the majority of the 33 strong team, ably assisted by a handful others who were also keen to help out this week.

The club produced motivational signs for marshals to hold which injected a little bit of humour and provided some additional encouragement for the 99 runners who took part, including seven first timers, co-event director Lyn Evans, core team member Ben Butler-Madden, plus visitors from Gnoll parkrun in Neath and Thames Valley Park in Reading.

This week's pre-run announcements included congratulations to Justin who recently completed his 50th parkrun, having taken part in nine different locations, and a special welcome to three-week-old Lily who was being pushed around her first event by proud parents and avid parkrunners Sally and Richard Wilder.

As always there was a strong presence from Seriously Mad Runners, a social running group based in Barry welcoming runners of all standards. Also taking part were members of local clubs including Barry and Vale Harriers, Penarth and Dinas Runners, Women Running Penarth, San Domenico and Les Croupiers.

Another Richard, Richard Street who joined Pegasus Running Club back in 2012, was celebrating his 100th this week. Richard's son Robin and his fiancee Laura came along to mark the occasion with all three completing the course together.

Richard started running aged almost 57 in late 2011 with no previous experience other than a hatred of cross–country at school: "I don’t remember exactly why I started but I found it was something that I really enjoyed and haven’t looked back since."

His first parkrun was at the Blackweir event in Cardiff in April 2012, scraping in just under 30 minutes and he has since gone on to compete in races at every distance up to the full marathon. The heart of his running though has always been parkrun which he's continued to do as often as possible, achieving a personal best of under 25 minutes for the 5k distance.

Responding to a request for helpers to set-up a new parkrun in early 2015 Richard joined what was to become the core team for the nascent Barry Island event. He recalls: "Although I’d volunteered at other events I’d never had to fill a key role and the prospect of duties such as timing, scanning and tokens was terrifying but I’ve gone on to do and enjoy all of them, just as much as I enjoy being out on the course supporting the runners."

The core team of organisers like Richard find that their own running sometimes has to take second place to volunteering but parkrun provides so opportunity for so many, a wonderfully supportive community, a great deal of enjoyment and lots of new friends, that it's a delight to give something back. Richard's now volunteered at more than 50 events including 43 at Barry Island.

"I am very pleased to have had the opportunity to celebrate my 100th run in the company of my friends at Seriously Mad Runners and Pegasus RC who presented me with a lovely cake at the finish which we all went on to enjoy at Marco’s cafe to end a perfect morning."

Pegasus Running Club are based in Llandaff but have members across the Cardiff area as well as many members in The Vale of Glamorgan. The club participants in most local road running events, the Gwent Cross Country League and a variety of off road events.

They have strong links with other clubs and running groups including Seriously Mad Runners in Barry. More information about clubs can easily be found on Facebook or by visiting their websites pegasusrunningclub.org.uk, seriouslymadrunners.com

Barry Island parkrun started in May 2015 and since then 1,767 runners have 6,447 time and covering a massive 32,235 km. All parkrun events follow the same principles: register once at parkrun.org.uk and take your printed barcode along to any event.

The teams in Barry Island and further afield would love to see more people joining in are always on the lookout for more volunteers to lend a hand. Contact them via barryislandoffice@parkrun.com