November marks the fifth anniversary of the first parkrun on the custodial estate. We look back at the growth of the initiative and the impact that is having on so many lives and outline our hopes for the future. Five years ago this month saw the groundbreaking launch of Black Combe parkrun at HMP…
Ian Gregory made some ambitious plans to commemorate his father and achieve an array of parkrun milestones at Daventry parkrun this Autumn. Back in 2015, I was quite a heavy drinker and a lot heavier than I am now. At the beginning of that year, my dad was diagnosed with Parkinson’s. I…
Nicola Doward plucked up the courage to join her husband and daughter at parkrun, reassured by them that she would be welcomed, not be judged. Nicola tells us her inspiring parkwalk story. On 19 August 2022, I gathered all of my courage and registered for parkrun. At just under 30 stone, the three ‘M’s…
Tara Gray needed to find a counterbalance to her stressful work role, ideally some enjoyable, sociable activity. Initially she couldn’t run for 30 seconds, but, after finding a local running club and then parkrun, Tara is now looking forward to working her way up to a full marathon. In the spring of last…
A family health scare encouraged Dave Adcock to try and lead a healthier life. Remembering running only as a form of embarrassment from his school days, he was surprised to discover a love for parkrunning with his son. This is his story. I was very overweight and unfit as a child and was often…
Heidi Morrison was just 17 years old when she first became seriously ill. After initially responding with ‘no chance’ when encouraged to parkrun by a friend, once she finished the first one she was hooked. Here, Heidi tells us how she is using her experiences to encourage other people to benefit from being more active….
Charlotte Proud has a rare genetic disorder called Osteogenesis Imperfecta. She credits the accessibility of parkrun for enabling her to fall in love with running. This is her story. I first heard about parkrun when I was studying for my Sports degree at University. I was regularly coaching and refereeing football, voluntarily, but not…
A Mile in Her Shoes (AMiHS) charity works with women with complex needs, to help them get back on their feet through the power of running and outdoor exercise with the goal of a parkrun to aim towards. Here, Celia Roberts, a trustee of the charity, explains more. We are a small grassroots charity,…
The discovery of parkrun helped Jack Kelly process the grief of losing his father. That parkrun ‘buzz’ inspired him to keep going, and he’s not showing signs of stopping. My girlfriend (who is now Mum-to-be with our first child), was really into running and inspired me to try and start, but running just didn’t seem…
My name is Dr Carolyn Ee and I am a GP, researcher, health and wellbeing advocate and runner who is based in Sydney. No matter where we are in the world or how we’ve been impacted by COVID-19, many of us will have experienced some disruption to our sleeping routines. Firstly, this isn’t…
