After she raised the initial funds to get the much-loved, worldwide run brought to Gloucester, the January 2020 launch was a massive success with over 460 people taking part from all over the country.

By March 2020, COVID had caused New South Wales to go into lockdown.

Michelle attempted to get as many runs in as possible when lockdowns lifted but it was a continuous battle throughout the year.

Then the park flooded in March 2021, which impacts the ability to hold the run.

But the event pushed forward as soon as it was safe to run again until October 2021 when COVID struck again.

With the introduction of mandatory vaccinations when things reopened, Gloucester parkrun opted to wait until the start of 2022 to continue.

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Once again, flooding hit and the run was temporarily shutdown in late February.

This year, Michelle has relinquished the role of event director, passing it on to Jennifer Sage.

According to Jennifer, they've only been able to hold 43 parkuns in the past two years, less than half of the events that could have been held during that time.

"This has meant that we've lost that initial momentum. Runners have lost their mojo. And volunteers too perhaps," Jennifer said.

Despite the setbacks, Jennifer is keen to see the event continue.

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"There are many benefits for individuals and the community," she said.

"It's a chance to catch up with friends, make new ones, contribute through volunteering, start or maintain regular exercise, or a regular tempo run as part of a training program."

But she knows that consistency is the key to keeping events like this running.

"Given our experience in running the event the past two years, we want to make a few changes to attract more runners by setting up a wet weather course on sealed roads when the park is closed to traffic, as well as a shorter junior course (3km)," Jennifer explained. "We have a lot of children who love parkrun but find the 5km course too long and since they don't complete the entire course, their times are not recorded."

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By offering a shorter option for the younger runner, they could record their times and celebrate their achievements.

Getting more people involved is also vital to the event - to avoid volunteer fatigue.

"We would like to hear from anyone who is interested in volunteering in any of the roles - especially run director. We really need a core team of three to five people. At the moment, we only have two."

To learn more or get involved, message the Gloucester District parkrun Facebook page or email gloucesterdistrict@parkrun.com.