parkwalk is a weekly fix for 62-year-old, Pete Monrad.
One thing he loves about walking at Whanganui Riverbank parkrun is challenging himself.
“There’s no pressure… except the pressure I put on myself,” he says.
Pete discovered parkrun last year. He has since clocked up around 60 parkwalks, including some whilst visiting other towns.
A Wanganui Harriers Club member for 20-something years, he was formerly a runner himself. But after his body refused to run anymore, he “graduated to walking” and hasn’t stopped for ten years.
”Walking makes me feel better. It’s addictive.”
Pete walks his Bastia Hill neighbourhood every morning and at weekends, enjoys the sociability of parkrun.
“They’re a friendly bunch – big people and little people, old, young. Everyone’s very supportive.”
Regardless of pace, Pete says that walking offers fresh air, a chance to unwind along a picturesque course, and an opportunity to meet new friends.
“Almost anyone can do it.”
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…
Five kilometres. 5,000 metres. 500,000 centimetres. 5,000,000 millimetres. 3.1 miles. However you think of it, parkrun is the same distance every week. However, some weeks it can feel a lot, lot longer! Here are five mental tricks you can use to make your weekly parkrun feel like a walk, jog or run in the…
