VIDEO: Jersey Parkrun founder gives runners new challenge

Friday 26 January 2018

The man behind Jersey Parkrun is now giving runners a new challenge, with a better view of the island’s picturesque scenery.

Keen runner Paul Burrows brought over the international phenomenon of ‘Parkrun’ in September 2015, enabling people of all ages, sizes and fitness levels to race against the clock in on a track around Les Quennevais sports field and the railway walk.

But after two years, Paul has now decided to sprint out in a new direction with a much rockier terrain.

He’s launched ‘Trail Monkey’, a series of 5km and 10km races along the island’s cliff paths, organised and safely marked so runners can “just concentrate on running” and enjoy the experience of being ‘off-road’.  

Pictured: Paul Burrows (left) is used to braving the elements for Park Run.

“Having been a keen runner for quite a few years now, I set up Trail Monkey primarily because of the explosion in the popularity of running on the island over the last couple of years. A friend of mine used to do the trail races in a similar format, and this was my introduction to the beautiful trails Jersey has to offer. I thought it would be good to resurrect these races, so Trail Monkey was born," Paul told Express.

“I am lucky in that having previously organised parkrun in Jersey, I know what goes into organising a race. I also remember what it is like to both someone starting out and how that feels and also what people looking for a challenge would want out of a race.”

Each ‘series’ includes three races spread over three months, with each race located in a different part of the island. And it’s already proving popular, with the first race this Sunday fully booked.

The event is not just a chance to have fun, enjoy the scenery and get better at running – there are also trophies up for grabs for those who have signed up for all three races within the Trail Monkey Winter series.

Video: A sneak peek of one of the Trail Monkey courses.

But Paul’s plans to challenge the island’s runners don't stop there. He’s also looking at organising some other alternative ‘off-road’ and night-time runs, as well as some longer-distance races in future, as he says he has “identified a demand for people who want to take their running to another level, people who have done parkrun and maybe a 10km and are looking at the next challenge; either a half marathon or marathon."

"Drawing on my own experience in preparing for these races, I am going to be taking on some coaching clients over the coming months, and look forward to working with people of all abilities and ages to help them achieve their running challenge goals," he said.