Completely new to junior parkrun?

If you’re nervous about joining your local junior parkrun, here are some helpful tips for new starters.

Find a junior parkrun near you. It’s easy to locate your nearest junior parkrun: visit our events page, and then click the light blue juniors symbol. Or perhaps a friend or neighbour has recommended a particular event.

Register in advance. We ask you to register your child for safety reasons: their parkrun profile includes emergency contact details, and having everyone registered really helps parkrun’s operating processes go smoothly on the day. Each child aged four and above needs their own barcode. It’s really easy. Just go to the registration page. If you can’t access the internet, we’ve set up our system so that someone else can register for you.

Don’t forget the barcode! Once you’ve registered your child/children, they can take part in any parkrun, anywhere in the world. You’ll be sent their barcode, which you’ll need to bring along. On the parkrun website, you’ll find products including wristbands and key tags which can be personalised with their barcode, and all profits go back to supporting parkrun.

Get there before the start. It’s best to arrive at the event 10-15 minutes early. There’s always a first-timers’ welcome briefing for anyone taking part in their first parkrun or attending an event for the first time. This will explain all about the course and how to get your finish token at the end of the event.

The run director talks to everyone at the start area. They say hello, remind everyone how parkrun works, highlight anything you might need to be aware of on the day, and celebrate any milestones and wristbands.

Then it’s time for the warm-up! junior parkruns have a short warm-up before the start. The warm-up is always loads of fun.

In the start area, wait for “3, 2, 1… Go!” Then off they go! junior parkrun isn’t a race: walk, jog, run, skip, hop around as much of the course as you like, say hi to the marshals – basically, just enjoy yourself. Remember, only those aged 4-14 can go through the finish funnel and take a token, but grown ups are very welcome to join in the 2k alongside the children and young people too.

At the end of the 2k, there’s a finish funnel where a volunteer will give out a token. Take the token and your barcode to one of the scanners. This creates a record of your attendance that day. If you volunteer there’ll be a record too.

We can’t wait to see you at a junior parkrun soon. And why not tell us all about it! We’d love to hear your response, on our feedback form.

Find out more on our website.

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