Nambour parkrun the Nation’s toughest, if course set to Plan B

Fluffy the resident emu escorts her human Nambour parkrunners to the start line.

While Maleny Trail parkrun may be the newcomer, Nambour has its own much-loved weekly event.

Nambour parkrun is a beautiful 5km course through the natural bush in the Parklands conservation park. 

Along with the newly formed Maleny Trail parkrun, the Nambour version is part of the worldwide phenomenon of free, timed, weekly 5km runs that you are welcome to walk, jog, run or race with others every Saturday at 7am.

“It’s a beautiful run and, with our course having about 180 metres of elevation, we were considered the toughest parkrun in Queensland,” said Event Director Melisa Taylor. 

“Although an event in Western Australia appears to have stolen the ‘toughest in Australia’ title from us, unless we are using our Plan B course which has 200 metres elevation.

Melisa said numbers were solid but small compared to other events on the Coast as Nambour’s trails and hills were not everyone’s cup of tea.

“But we do have a very friendly welcoming bunch of regular park runners and volunteers,” she said. 

“The event belongs to the community and we rely on everyone to volunteer at least three times a year to keep it running smoothly.

“And we do have a lot of people that volunteer more, as well as volunteers who don’t run but  participate just to be part of our community!”

This week runners achieved their 50th, 100th and 150th runs.  

One person has completed 200 runs and is the first person over 80 to ever do so in the world.

• For more info see the website www.parkrun.com.au/nambour or email nambour@parkrun.com.