A Flying Start: Saddle River County parkrun Celebrates Successful Inaugural Launch!

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Saddle River NJ, After months of dedicated planning and community preparation, the Saddle River County parkrun officially kicked off its inaugural event! Energy was high as 73 participants crossed the finish line on a beautiful, humid Saturday morning, including 41 first-time parkrunners taking on their very first 5K event.

The debut event brought together community members, volunteers, and parkrun tourists from across the region and country to celebrate health, fitness, and local connection.

Highlights from Launch Day

A Warm Welcome to Visiting Runners

The Saddle River team was thrilled to host visiting runners from neighboring events, including:

• Evergreen parkrun (NJ)

• Veterans Park parkrun (NJ)

• Peace Valley parkrun (PA)

Special recognition goes to Frances and Bill Post, who traveled all the way from Chicago to participate in Saddle River’s inaugural run!

A massive thank you also goes to the team at Branch Brook Park parkrun, who generously canceled their event for the morning so their runners and volunteers could come out and lend their support. Additional thanks to the De Novo Harriers for providing hydration along the course.

Course Records & Tutu Traditions

In true parkrun tradition, participants sported tutus to mark the 22nd of the month.

Setting the inaugural benchmarks on the course, Aaron Ng and Karen Kellaher crossed the finish line first, becoming Saddle River County parkrun’s very first male and female course record holders!

Post-Run Celebrations at Gotham City Diner

Following a smooth morning on the course, runners and volunteers gathered at Gotham City Diner in Fair Lawn to share breakfast, chat, and celebrate the new community tradition.

Reminders for Next Saturday’s Event

To help keep upcoming events running smoothly, organizers remind participants of two key details:

1. Don’t Forget Your Barcode (#DFYB): Remember to bring your personal barcode every week so all finishing times can be recorded accurately.

2. Return Finish Tokens: Three finish tokens were accidentally taken home after the event. If you have one, please return it next Saturday so it can be reused!

Thank You to Our Volunteers

This inaugural launch was made possible by an incredible team of dedicated volunteers:

• Run Director: Gemma Dunhill

• Timekeepers: Tom Haines, Sophie Han

• Finish Tokens: Carol Quinlan

• Barcode Scanning: Ada Pelzer, Caroline Pitchley, Kim Diaz

• Tail Walkers: Alice Pelzer, Jason Pelzer (Course Check)

• Marshals: Kim Diaz, Justin Smith, Lily Zodiatis, Paras Zodiatis, Sophie Zodiatis

• Photographers: Paras Zodiatis, Shaun McMahon

Join Us Next Saturday!

Saddle River County parkrun is officially underway every Saturday morning. Whether you run, jog, walk, or volunteer, all skill levels are welcome to join the community. See you on the trail next week

Tags: #SaddleRiver #parkrun #NJRunning #BergenCounty #FairLawnNJ #Community5K #HealthyLiving #SaddleRiverParkrun