Helen Young started parkrunning three years ago after looking for local volunteering opportunities. Seeing how friendly and inclusive it was, she eventually took on the 5k course herself, and now she has set off to virtually run the perimeter of Sierra Leone in 5k chunks. My first parkrun was about three years ago. I…
Last weekend we saw 700 events take place across seven countries, with more than 62,000 participants enjoying the magic of free, community-led, outdoor, social physical activity opportunities. It is so encouraging to see these events welcomed back by local communities, and to see our COVID-19 Framework in action and working well. This COVID-specific framework…
While this is a challenging time for us all, it is wonderful to hear that Malena Mahat, from Presint 18, parkrun, has completed a total of 192 (not)parkruns! Malena describes the benefits for her, “My body and legs feel strong, and running helps maintain my body weight. I feel happy, with no stress. I…
It was fabulous to see 25 events return across South Africa last weekend, the seventh country to welcome back free, weekly, community events since lockdown began last March. Unfortunately a temporary lockdown in Victoria, Australia meant that 97 events were cancelled there, but in total 663 events did take place around the world, with…
Leon Bradley is a regular at parkrun, having completed 259 parkruns and volunteered on 124 occasions. He shares more about how parkrun has helped him learn new skills. After six years of parkrun, there’s much to write; my own development, as a man in his 70s, has been significant, to say the least: …
It was fantastic to welcome back ten events across the USA last Saturday, the sixth country to see events restart since the suspension of all parkruns worldwide last March. In total, 725 events took place last weekend, with just under 70,000 participants walking, jogging, running and volunteering, including nearly 3,500 people attending a parkrun…
Wendy Chilesh began parkrunning in 2013 as a way to ‘shed a few kilos’. Wendy believes her physical transformation through parkrun, which led to an early cancer diagnosis, is the reason she is still alive. I did my first parkrun in November 2013. I was motivated by my work colleague and I was also…
For the first time in 14 months more than 700 parkrun events took place around the world last weekend, with over 66,000 participants walking, jogging, running and volunteering, including 3,500 people who took part for the very first time. Every parkrun event that restarts represents another community reunited, and is a massive step forward…
‘It’s a combination of fear and determination. The fear of going back to where I was and the determination to not go back there’. Paul Webb has lost 80kgs, tackled social anxiety and made friends on a journey that’s taken him from first timer and volunteer to sub 30-minute parkrunner and Run Director. …
It was fantastic to see more than 70,000 people participate at 672 parkrun events around the world last weekend. Amongst these we were delighted to see 146 junior parkrun events in action in England, and the first junior event to resume in Wales. Before the end of this month, another 40 junior 2k events are…
