So, here we all are, on Rye Meadow, beside the River Thames in Abingdon, getting everything ready for the morning's parkrun . .

None of the jobs are very difficult . . any equipment you may need is provided . . the worst that can happen is that you have to walk or jog a little over a kilometre to get to your marshalling point . . and you probably won't need a shower when you get home afterwards. Plus everyone's really friendly . .

Exactly how many volunteers does it take to put up one of these sail things?

It's a short walk down to the start . . and it's best to be there before 9 o'clock so that you hear about the course and find out who the tail runner is . . important stuff like that . .

Once parkrun is under way . . the volunteers come into their own, making sure that the runners keep safe and follow the correct course, and doing their best, technology permitting, to ensure that everyone's time is recorded . .

Here's some of the equipment that makes the results happen . .

This week's tail runner . . and the tidy up begins . . whilst two unregistered runners find out more about parkrun . .

And less than two hours after the first of us arrived . . Rye Meadow has been tidied up . . and a little while later, you'd never know we'd been there . .