Gold Coast Marathon: Family reunion at the 10km Run starting line

Every year members of the Parkes fly in from as far away as New Zealand — they’re here to enjoy the sunny Gold Coast. This year their plans might have gone a bit awry, but that didn’t stop them having a great day.

NEW Zealand-born Jarrod Parkes invites his family to the Gold Coast Marathon every year with the promise of sunshine and warm weather.

This year they got neither, but they were smiling all the same.

Three generations of the Parkes family — mum and dad Kendra and Jarrod, kids Cooper, 15, and Kennedee, 12, and grandparents Bruce and Jennie took to the Southern Cross University 10km Fun Run on Saturday morning.

The family have been competing for years now. Pics Tim Marsden

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Joining them were nine other family members.

“We sell it to the family that it’s nice to come over, it’s beautiful and warm and this year it rained for a change,” he joked.

“We’re all pretty chuffed with our efforts, it’s a chance for everyone to get together and it’s our fourth year doing it.”

Grandmother Jennie Parkes, 63, said there was a mix of competitive runners and “some just trying to finish” among the group.

Some of the group come from as far away as Sydney and New Zealand. Pics Tim Marsden

“This is the thing that brings us together every year,” she said.

“I used to be competitive but not now at my age, I’m retirement age. We’re walkers, in my younger years I was (a runner) but not now.”

It was eldest son Cooper Parkes who ended up taking home family glory on the day with a finishing time of 52 minutes.