Hamilton Park, Waipahi Highway, East Gore, 9710
Type of Course – Two loops
Shoes Required – Road
Things to know
There are toilets located by the playground, 400 metres from the start and as you enter the park.
The course is not permanently marked.
There is parking suitable for motorhomes (not overnight).
Low risk of cancellation
Note: 9am start in New Zealand Standard Time (winter), 8am in New Zealand Daylight Saving Time.
Cafe: Cafe Ambience, 51 Main St.
Location of start: The event starts at Hamilton Park.
Getting there by public transport
There is no public transport in Gore, but a taxi could be taken (03) 2089444.
Getting there on foot
From the centre of town (the trout) go over the bridge and follow State Highway 1 to the last right-hand turn. This is Hamilton Park. As you enter, turn right (stay on tar-sealed section) and go right to the end. This is the start point. Coming from the north, take the first left.
Getting there by road
From the centre of town (the trout) go over the bridge and follow State Highway 1 to the last right-hand turn. This is Hamilton Park. Park beside the playground for the start point or turn right down towards cricket pavilion for end point.
Coming from the north, take the first left off State Highway 1. This is Hamilton Park. As you enter, turn right (stay on tar-sealed section) and drive right to the end. This is the start point.
Stats
First run: February 12, 2022
Inaugural attendance: 56
Record attendance: 64 (05/03/2022)
Course records
Women: Kimberley Iversen 19:52 (05/03/2022)
Men: Adam Clayton 16:06 (05/03/2022)
The story behind Hamilton Park parkrun…
Bridget McLeod, founding event director
I was a teacher at Glenfield College in Auckland and did Cornwall Park parkrun once, that was in 2012. I remember at the time thinking it was such a great initiative.
There were no boundaries, no barriers. It stuck with me that it was great. Then we moved to Gore. I’m from the south; I grew up in the Catlins.
The fact that Balclutha had a parkrun is what got me started. I thought if they could do it we could do it a little bit better!
I thought it would be great to have parkrun in Gore, we’ve got great parks and we’ve a great community.
It’s a beautiful town with amazing things here. I thought parkrun would be another jewel in our crown.
I started the process in June 2019 and envisioned it starting in the spring. The first delay was the structure of parkrun.
I started under Noel and Lian but then I didn’t hear anything for a while until Geoff McMillan, the South Island Event Ambassador got in touch and I had to start all over again.
I spent the summer trying to find a 5km course that started and finished in the same place. At that time I had a dog, a 4-year-old, a 2-year-old and a pregnant belly.
I finally got a course, and then it flooded and my course was taken out.
Then there was the pandemic.
parkrun was on hold to everyone but I couldn’t get down to Hamilton Park to see where it was at. When I eventually got there you couldn’t even access the park. It was annihilated.
I had two other courses rejected as they didn’t meet the road requirements and we couldn’t get anything else to work so then it was a waiting game, waiting for the park to be fixed.
There were lots of suggestions for other places but I wanted a course I would be proud of.
My husband Mike is the athlete in the family. He went for a run one day and said Hamilton Park was open and it was awesome and this should be our course.
We shot down there and we got the course really easily.
It’s simple, intuitive and way easier than the first course. Things came together pretty quickly from there.
Invercargill parkrun Event Director Liz Henry donated a defibrillator through her business Mee & Henry Law Ltd and we had two test events with 25 and then 35 people.
It was great having people from other parkruns in their shirts, it helped the locals understand more what parkrun was about, including earning milestones.
It was neat to show the bigger picture of parkrun and how it can help you. You can meet locals and make all these connections.
While in Gore…
Hokonui Moonshine Museum
Ice sports at Southland Ice Rink
Gore Streets Art Trail
Fly fishing
Country Music Festival (May/June), Moonshine Festival (February) and the Hokonui Fashion Awards (July)