Tags: volunteering
We are so excited to have parkrun events back across Australia in 2022, empowering communities to come together to enhance their health and happiness through walking, jogging, running, volunteering, spectating and supporting.
Society needs parkrun now more than ever.
Whilst our events were paused, many in the parkrun community have told us that their Saturday morning routines look very different now, and for some people, the motivation to return to walking or running may have disappeared.
If that first step back to walking or running at parkrun is a little challenging, we would love to support you and welcome you back to your parkrun community. Here are some ideas to reignite your parkrun routine:
Join your local parkrun team
Research shows volunteering is as beneficial as walking and running for your mental and physical health and is a great way to connect and have a positive impact on your local community.
If you’re feeling a little tired, unfit or have just lost your parkrun mojo, why not take the opportunity to lend a hand? You can:
If you would like to join your local volunteer team, we’d love to welcome you. With unlimited volunteer roles each week across over 400 events around Australia, there are many ways and locations to get involved. Simply check out the roster for the event you would like to visit by looking at their website, and send them an email or contact them via social media. And don’t worry if the roster is full, the event will happily create a role for you, such as a course marshal or scanner. You can find the future roster and the event’s email address on their website.
(not)parkrun
If you are not quite ready to return to parkrun on a Saturday or your routine has changed, then (not)parkrun may be for you.
(not)parkrun is an opportunity for parkrunners to submit a 5k walk, jog, or run, on a route of your choice, wherever you are in Australia.
It works a bit like a parkrun ‘Freedom run’ – an opportunity for you to self-declare the date and time of a walk, jog or run and at the same time represent your home parkrun. You can record up to one activity per day, with your best time each week included in a weekly results table.
There’s no need to re-register to take part in (not)parkrun, your existing parkrun profile will allow you to log and view your (not)parkruns.
Come spectate and/or join the community at the local cafe after parkrun
Whilst walking, jogging, running or volunteering are great ways to be involved in a parkrun event, we welcome anyone to come along to watch, cheer and have a chat at the event and/or join the community for the post cafe catch up. This is a great way to stay connected to your local community, continue friendships or make new ones. And when you do return to walk, jog, run or volunteer at parkrun, you’ll have some friendly faces to say hi to.
You can find every parkrun in Australia here.
Be kind to yourself and know that however you take part, we will always welcome you to parkrun.
A recent research paper published in the academic journal Psychology, Health and Medicine has highlighted the wide-ranging benefits of parkrun for those living with a mental health condition. The impacts were found to be greatest for those who walk or run, as well as volunteer. A team of researchers undertook a detailed analysis of…
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