Parkrun on hold: Post-flood repairs are underway

GEORGE NEWS - The George parkrun has been cancelled until further notice due to extensive damage to parts of the course in the forest after the floods on Monday 22 November.

According to liaison officer Wayne Ryder, their core team completed an in-depth survey of the total damage last Wednesday.

"The worst is that both bridges have been washed away. These both need to be rebuilt before we can think of relaunching another parkrun," said Ryder. "Therefore, all future parkruns will be cancelled until further notice."

They managed to recover the first bridge which was lodged nearby, and both sections of the second bridge have been found downstream.

"We will advise when we are ready to commence the next parkrun." Ryder said the maintenance teams are currently working on a recovery plan together with other trail groups to try and rebuild both bridges by 11 December.

"It will take a lot of materials and physical labour to construct new support structures to fasten the bridges back together in such a way that many hundreds of avid parkrunners can once again get back over the streams in safety."

A section of the second bridge was discovered 250m downstream by Malherbe van der Westhuizen (left) and Len Clark.

The cost of the reconstruction work has not been determined yet. While other trails in the Witfontein forest area have suffered substantial damage, the parkrun trail remains mainly intact.