Running – and parkrunning – across America!

Björn Suneson is a man who loves to run – far! This amazing 75 year old is currently embarking on a record breaking 8th run across the USA, more than anyone else in history.
 
And has there been a parkrun on the way? Of course!
 
Björn Suneson will become the second oldest person to ever complete the challenge of running across America when he reaches the East Coast within a couple of weeks.
 

 
Björn’s passion for running started a bit later in life, in his mid-30s. Since then, he has clocked up over 200,000 km. He started the longer adventures in his mid-50s, with the first USA Coast-to-Coast trip completed in 2007, at the age of 59!
 
As well as completing long distance challenges, Björn enjoys nothing more than taking part in a parkrun on a Saturday morning and has taken part in all the currently existing Swedish parkruns. Currently, he’s aiming to capture the 75-79 age category records at all the Swedish parkrun events, and he’s making a pretty good job of it!
 

 
Björn said: “I got curious when I first heard about parkrun, and after my first parkrun I was immediately hooked! I first took part in 2017 at Haga parkrun, Stockholm and it is the place I visit the most. Personally, I think that parkrun is among the best things that has happened in the running world in Sweden in recent years.
 
I have made many parkrun friends through all the events, so far 87 parkruns, some of which are abroad, including Denmark, England and the USA. I usually go to parkrun as a test run before competitions. I especially appreciate the age-adjusted results because, as a pensioner, I can compare my results with everyone else.”
 

 
So far, Björn has completed over 13 weeks of his latest USA adventure, and is making good progress, currently making his way through Pennsylvania. It’s a reminder that the USA is a big place!
 

 
Björn had his sights set on paying a visit to Mansfield parkrun, Ohio, which he visited on his last Transcontinental run in 2019, much to the amazement of his fellow parkrunners!
 

 
We’re glad to report that he’s been able to follow his schedule, which meant that he was just in the right place at the right time on Saturday morning for parkrun and completed his second ever Mansfield parkrun! And we’re glad to see that he remembered his barcode so he didn’t have to run back home to find it….
 
You can read more about Björn’s trip on his blog, where he documents his daily progress across the continent. From everyone at parkrun, we wish Björn the best of luck and a safe journey!
 
#loveparkrun