MAYBE it’s because I loved Wacky Races that I like the Bolton parkrun so much.

You might think the two don’t have much in common. Well, to me they have.

One is a group of madcap racers, some of whom are a little bit bonkers. The other is Wacky Races.

I’ve been writing about Bolton parkrun pretty much since I started doing it three and a half years ago.

I have always felt the need to explain what it is because of the relatively modest numbers of people doing it.

That need is fast disappearing as its popularity grows.

It is, for those who still don’t know, an organised five kilometre run/walk/stroll/crawl through Leverhulme Park which is free, marshalled and fast becoming an institution.

And don’t think calling it bonkers is harsh. That’s just what it is at times, and they wouldn’t have it any other way.

How else would you describe blokes turning up in the middle of winter and running the woodland course in mankinis?

Or hundreds jogging through the park in full Santa Claus outfits? Or dressed as elves, wearing tutus or in a cardboard box? Yes, a cardboard box (which hands out sweets to fellow runners, no less).

Then there are those who do the run – which takes place at nine o’clock every Saturday morning – then go off and get married a few hours later. There have been two of those so far.

Oh, and not forgetting the speedwalker, the unicyclist, those running while pushing prams with wide-eyed tots inside, and running with – or being dragged along by – dogs on leads.

Yes, bonkers is most definitely one word which could be used.

Genius is another. It gets people covering five kilometres on their legs and loving it – who’d have thought that was possible when we were back doing cross country at school?

A week on Saturday will mark the event’s fourth anniversary and it just keeps getting bigger.

Last week’s run attracted a record attendance of 333, the first time numbers had surpassed 300.

It was an incredible 43 runners more than the previous highest, which was set only three weeks earlier and was in itself a healthy 13 more than the record before that.

Part of the beauty of it is that it is free. Another is that it is totally inclusive. It doesn't matter what your age, shape, fitness level or reason for doing it is, parkrun (yes, lower case 'p' – I told you it was bonkers) is loved by all.

And that is all thanks to the race directors who make it all possible. So, on behalf of Bolton parkrunners everywhere, thanks Rowan Ardill, Alistair McArthur, David Ardill and Andrew Patterson for making the madness possible.