University of Waikato, Gate One, Knighton Road, Hamilton East, Hamilton 3240
Type of Course – Multi loop course with a mix of scenery
Shoes Required – Road
Things to know
There is ample free parking at the university with space for motorhomes. The course runs around the beautiful park-like grounds and lakes of the University of Waikato. It passes campus art works and the Gallagher Academy of Performing Arts. It also also provides attractive campus garden, tree and lake vistas.
Free parking is located in Gate One, Knighton Road.
Toilets are available at the Village Green shops
Forgot your barcode? Email unirec@waikato.ac.nz before 3pm on the Friday prior to the event. You will need to collect the printed barcode from UniRec reception. They open at 7am on Saturday mornings.
Permanently marked
Nearest showers at UniRec, towel hire available
Low risk of cancellation
Cafe: Jack’s Coffee Lounge, 1/31 Cambridge Rd, Hillcrest
Location of start: The Village Green
Getting there by public transport
The Clockwise Orbiter bus arrives on Knighton Rd right by the University of Waikato. You can enter through Gate 2A and follow the path past Unirec gymto the village shops. Follow the marked signs. Go to www.busit.co.nz for timetable information.
Getting there on foot
Enter the University of Waikato campus at Gate Two off Knighton Rd, follow the path past UniRec towards the shops. Just before the shops turn left to the Village Green, the meeting point is under the shops shelter.
Getting there by road
Turn off Knighton Rd into Gate One and enter the car park on the left. The start at the Village Green is approximately 150m from the car park
There is no charge for parking on campus on the weekend.
Stats
First run: November 7, 2020
Inaugural attendance: 190
Record attendance: 190 (7/11/2020)
Course records
Women: Hannah Oldroyd, 17:38 (15/5/2021)
Men: Ben Bidois, 16:07 (3/4/2021)
The Story Behind University of Waikato parkrun…
Nicola Clayden, event director and UoW sport development manager
Launching parkrun came about as part of our Living Campus Project, which is a programme of work designed to make the campus a more user-friendly space for the community.
Lots of ideas were thrown around. It’s a beautiful campus with walking tracks, feature gardens and art. One idea was to make a designated distance track for running and walking.
We’ve got Lex Chalmers on campus, he’s been involved with Hamilton Marathon Clinic and Hamilton Lake parkrun.
Lex has been the driving force behind the University of Waikato parkrun and development of the course – he’s measured it out too many times to count!
Lex is the passion and I’m the doer, together we’ve made it happen. My role involves looking at ways to get students and staff active, and parkrun ticks all the boxes.
We’ve been working on this for the last year, and with Covid-19 thrown in as well, it’s been quite a long process. We are definitely excited to see it come to life now.
Student involvement
The University of Waikato also encourages students to get involved in volunteering, through Work Integrated Learning and the Employability Plus Programme.
Setting up parkrun presents a great opportunity to volunteer, to give back to the local community and to gain some experience for their CV.
We hope we get some really passionate people involved who will thrive in the parkrun community. For students, involvement is great.
We know that when they are involved in something other than their studies, there are positive benefits for their wellbeing and development.
The fact it’s a global organisation and there’s an international running community beyond Hamilton is really cool.
While at the University of Waikato…
After parkrun you can explore the 65 hectare University of Waikato campus.
There are three small community gardens on campus, as well as a Rongoā Māori medicinal garden, a threatened plant garden, over 6,000 mature trees and a diverse native bird life, including tui and a resident ruru..
The University also has a vast native fern collection hosting more than 70 New Zealand ferns, including three mature Kahikatea stands.
Check out the Gallagher Academy of Performing Arts for any weekend performances.
Local Bites Food Market is on campus every Saturday from 4pm.
About University of Waikato
As one of New Zealand’s leading institutions for teaching and research, the University of Waikato has 12,500 students and 1600 staff across two vibrant campuses in Hamilton and Tauranga,
The University’s diverse and welcoming student community includes a strong Māori and Pacific Island presence (29% of the domestic student population), along with 2,500 international students from more than 70 countries.
The University has a further 670 students at its joint institute with Zhejiang University City College (ZUCC) in China.
Students at Waikato enjoy quality learning experiences and smaller class sizes, flexible degree structures, work-integrated learning to ensure they are industry ready, and supportive research supervision from internationally acclaimed academics. The University also delivers world-leading research, particularly in the areas of environmental sustainability, cyber security and safety, physical and mental health, and indigenous wellbeing.