(not)parkrun is here!

We’re excited to introduce you to (not)parkrun!

Whilst parkrun has been suspended we’ve been finding different ways to keep the parkrun community engaged: from quizzes to the School of parkrun, Instagram and Facebook Live interviews and warm-ups on YouTube.

Many parkrun events have also been creative in finding new ways to entertain and support their parkrun community but one question has been asked more than just about any other: can we organise a ‘virtual’ parkrun, for people to participate in in the absence of their usual Saturday timed 5k walk, jog or run?

Many people have come to us with a suggestion on how this could work, and it was one question we were frequently asked in our recent calls with 1,000 ambassadors and event teams around the world.

We gave it plenty of thought and realised there was something we could do. So we wrote some code and put our creative minds together to come up with a catchy name…

And we’re delighted to launch (not)parkrun!

What is (not)parkrun? Well, it’s not parkrun. It’s not about walking, jogging, or running at your regular parkrun location, and definitely not necessarily doing so on a Saturday morning.

And it’s not a replacement for parkrun, or in any way planning for a ‘new normal’ where parkrun events don’t exist (we definitely will be back).

(not)parkrun is an opportunity for parkrunners to submit a 5k walk, jog, or run, on a route of your choosing, wherever you are in the world and following appropriate guidelines for physical activity wherever you’re based.

It works a bit like the 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 fastest 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.

We’ve put together a simple guide and some FAQs here.

(not)parkrun is entirely separate to, and different from, parkrun. Participating in (not)parkrun does not count towards parkrun milestones and there are no volunteering opportunities at (not)parkrun – this is simply a walk, jog, run initiative.

parkrun events are welcome to promote it, but there’s no requirement to do so. If events have their own ‘virtual parkrun’ established they are welcome to continue organising that as well.

parkrun will be back. In the meantime, and just for fun, we invite you to participate in (not)parkrun.

Why not?

#notparkrunday