07/09/2026
ONCE UPON A PARK RUN: The Tale of 125 Adventurers
Once upon a Saturday morning, in a kingdom beside the sea known as West Coast Park, there lived a mischievous dragon called Haze.
For many days, Haze had drifted across the skies, puffing smoky clouds and causing the people of the kingdom to peer nervously at their weather scrolls and air-quality crystals.
“Will the dragon visit us tomorrow?” wondered the runners.
“Will he spoil our parkrun adventure?” asked the walkers.
The volunteers looked skyward and waited.
But when dawn arrived, something magical happened.
The Hazy Dragon, perhaps distracted by a plate of kopi and kaya toast elsewhere, wandered away. The skies remained clear, the air stayed kind, and although the morning wrapped itself around everyone like a warm, damp blanket, the kingdom was ready.
And what a kingdom it was.
From near and far came 125 adventurers. Some arrived from neighbouring lands, while others journeyed from distant parkrun realms from across the globe, bringing stories of their own running kingdoms and adding a touch of travelling magic to our little corner of Singapore. New faces were welcomed as though they had always belonged, and old friends greeted one another with smiles that needed no introduction.
At the centre of it all stood the Run Director, Sarah, Keeper of the Barcode Scrolls and Guardian of the Finish Tokens.
Now every fairy tale needs heroes, and Sarah was fortunate to have an entire fellowship of them.
There were marshals who guarded the twists and turns of the course. Timekeepers who captured precious seconds in their enchanted devices. Barcode scanners who transformed mysterious black-and-white squares into official results. Finish token bearers, tail walkers, funnel managers and photographers all played their part.
So smoothly did they perform their magic that many of the 125 adventurers barely noticed the work being done around them. The kingdom simply flowed.
And that, of course, is the greatest magic of all.
As the clock struck 7:30, the adventure began.
Some adventurers flew from the start as though enchanted boots had been slipped onto their feet overnight. Others settled into a comfortable rhythm, enjoying the journey and the company along the way. Some came in search of a personal best, some for a Saturday morning catch-up, and others simply to see where the path would take them. Whatever their quest, there was a place for every adventurer at West Coast Park.
The park sparkled with life.
Feet pattered across pathways.
Laughter echoed beneath the trees.
High-fives were exchanged like precious treasure.
Even the heat and humidity, determined to make themselves the villains of the story, could do little to dampen the spirits of the adventurers. Kilometre by kilometre, the kingdom cheered them onwards.
And then, almost as quickly as it had begun, the quest was complete. One hundred and twenty-five finishers crossed the line. No dragons appeared. No magic spells were needed. Only a community of wonderful people choosing to spend a Saturday morning together.
And, as all good fairy tales should, our adventure ended with a feast.
The adventurers gathered at the finish, swapping stories, celebrating achievements both large and small, before making their way to the great golden arches of McDonald’s, where runners, walkers, volunteers and visitors feasted together, cups of coffee were raised, tales from the morning grew ever more heroic, and new friendships were forged around the tables.
And so another chapter in the fairy tale of West Coast Park parkrun came to an end.
The Hazy Dragon had been defeated. The volunteers had worked their magic. The visitors had been welcomed as friends. And 125 adventurers left with fuller hearts — and, thanks to McDonald’s, rather fuller stomachs — than when they arrived.
And they all parkran happily ever after… at least until next Saturday.
This Saturday marked West Coast Park parkrun #399 — meaning that next week, our little kingdom reaches the rather magnificent milestone of 400 parkruns!
This week, 125 people ran, jogged and walked their way around, all made possible by our wonderful band of high-vis heroes:
Sarah BOOYSEN, Ben KIGGELL, Jamie MORRISON, Shiori EDA, Jamie MUNCER, Jennifer SUMNER, Agnieszka BANAS, Florence MUNCER, Daphne WHEAL, Ray BOOYSEN, Niki PERRYMAN, Jackson LIM, Chris MCMORRAN, Simon TYERS
No fairy tale can function without its heroes, and no parkrun can happen without its volunteers. Thank you for giving your time, your smiles, your encouragement and, occasionally, your ability to point enthusiastically in the correct direction!
Want to see how our 125 adventurers fared? The official results from West Coast Park parkrun #399 can be found on the West Coast Park parkrun results page.
https://www.parkrun.sg/westcoastpark/results/2026-09-05/
And with that, the book closes on Chapter 399…
Next Saturday: Chapter 400!
