Finding confidence with parkrun

parkrun has helped me find the confidence to pursue goals I never even dreamed could be possible.

According to my Facebook memories, a year ago today I ran my first parkrun at Parramatta in just over 35 minutes.

Just getting to that point was a huge achievement for me as earlier in the year, I’d been critically ill and spent 7 weeks in hospital fighting for my life. As I recovered, I made a commitment to reclaiming my life, and by the time I lined up for my first parkrun start with my 9-year old daughter in tow, I’d lost 65kg.

Fast forward to today, I’ve now lost 83kg, run 33 parkruns (plus a couple where I forgot my barcode!), my PB is 28.16, and in the past twelve months I’ve gone from someone who struggled to run 5k to completing 4 half marathons and two marathons.

I can’t tell you what an integral part of those achievements parkrun has been. I’ve met friends through parkrun who have become training buddies, and we’ve covered countless long run miles together, a lot of them incorporating our local parkrun course.

I love that when we line up on the start at parkrun, no matter our pace, we’re all equals, joined by a common love of running. Some weeks I run fast and chase a PB, other weeks I bring my kids and help pace them to PBs, and some weeks I just show up for a cruisy little 5k jaunt.

So thank you parkrun team for all the work you do behind the scenes. You really are changing lives, I’m proof of that!

Emma Fahy Davis