Parkrun: Cambridge Milton Country Park event to halt after 10 years
- Published
The Cambridge Parkrun had been held at Milton Country Park, in the village just north of the city, since January 2010
A country park said it would no longer host a weekly Parkrun that has been going for more than 10 years as it had become "unmanageably large".
More than 500 people used to attend Cambridge Parkrun at Milton Country Park before the coronavirus pandemic.
The charity that runs the park said "everything stopped" for the free 5km (3.1 mile) event at a time when many other people wanted to use the site.
Parkrun organisers said they were "very sad" to lose the venue.
The park would continue to host Cambridge Junior Parkrun, a 2km (1.2 mile) event for four to 14-year-olds, which restarted there on Sunday.
The 5km event had not restarted since Covid restrictions were relaxed.
The main Parkrun had started at Milton Country Park in January 2010, but Cambridge Sport Lakes Trust (CSLT), which runs the site, said it had to give staff and resource to it, and "pause all other programmed activities".
"Ultimately the event was becoming unmanageably large before the pandemic," it said.
"An event of this size, every week, overlaid on the needs of other park users became too much for the resources we have."
More than 500 people would take part in the Cambridge Parkrun
It said as the park was run by an independent charity, it did not have government income to maintain and operate the facility.
CSLT said the junior event "fits well with what we can manage" as there were fewer participants and the course had "less impact on the principal paths, habitats, and on other activities".
Cambridge Parkrun said a "wonderful community of people" had developed since it started, and thanked volunteers and runners.
"We would also like to thank Milton Country Park for letting us run in their beautiful environment for over 10 years," a Parkrun spokesman said.
"While this is not the outcome any of us wanted, please respect the decision."
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