Helen Bates completed her first parkrun on International Women’s Day in March 2020, which marked quite a moment in her recovery from the stroke she suffered in 2018. I heard about parkrun through my Dad. He retired in 2019 and after a 40 year break, he decided to start running again. He completed his…
Clare Jones got to the point where she could barely walk due to osteoarthritis. She assumed she would never be able to run. Then, her physio recommended more exercise! I had convinced myself that I couldn’t run, even though it was something I had always wanted to do. About two years ago I…
After giving running a ‘proper try’ at parkrun, Rebecca Coulson-Parker now considers running an essential part of her busy life. I heard about parkrun from colleagues and friends who were already parkrunners. I had been considering giving running a ‘proper try’ for a while, but was worried I’d embarrass myself if I turned up…
Helen Morgan only got to try parkrun once before we went into lockdown in 2020, but it was enough to spark her new found love of running which she shares with her dog Cookie. I first heard about parkrun from my friend Carol Dean. She was already parkrunning in Kettering and encouraged me to…
Ken Barker and his wife, Carol, have kept up their Saturday morning routine every week since parkrun events were paused. (not)parkrun has given them a further incentive to keep it up. When my step-daughter, Harriet, started parkrunning she introduced it to Carol, my wife and her Mum, and I. This was back in 2014….
Jo Stanford rediscovered her love of running outdoors at Havant parkrun having spent 20 years exercising indoors at the gym. As a teenager I ran for Portsmouth & Fareham run club where my favourite events were 800m, 1500m and cross country. I stopped running when I got a job which required me to work…
Following the publication of the Government’s roadmap for exiting lockdown, we are excited to share our plans to restart both junior and 5k parkrun events across England. In line with the latest guidance on the lifting of restrictions across England, and operating within our already approved COVID-19 framework, we currently expect that: junior…
Lockdown 3.0 has given us a chance to redefine our comfort zone and what this means to us. Many have taken up baking, some may have reignited their creative flair and taken up art, whilst others may have upped their fitness game and taken on a new challenge. This could be taking part in…
At the start of 2021 we launched The parkrun Resolution. An eight week New Year campaign to inspire, motivate and share some positivity. As the campaign draws to a close, we look back at the past eight weeks. There has been expert blogs, a video series from expert running coach Martin Yelling, an abundance…
Grainne Stephens has a message for anyone who thinks they could never complete a 5k – you can. Encouraged by her mum, she’s now a regular at Waterworks parkrun. This is her story. I started the Jog Belfast Programme in January 2018. In summer of 2017 I became very unhappy with the way I…
