Rory Fairfoot has been beating assumptions of his learning disability since he first started going to parkrun with his dad in 2012. After hitting his 250th milestone, mum Jenny writes how parkrun has helped build his confidence and independence over the last decade. My son Rory and I have been going to parkrun since…
On the first day our parkwalker role was introduced, Shuhei Sumitani joined for his first parkrun. Since that parkrun in October, Shuhei has found confidence in the parkwalker role. Event Director Mariko writes how Shuhei has become a part of the wonderful parkrun community. When I met Shuhei, I was at the parkrun…
Alfie Grice was born with a rare birth defect that means he has severe developmental and learning difficulties. His dad, Mark, tells us how important parkrun has been for Alfie, and the special moments they have experienced together as a family in their local park. My son Alfie, aged six, was born with ACC…
This is our little boy Louis, who has Down’s Syndrome, volunteering at Peterborough parkrun and giving one of the runners a ‘high five’. For us however, the photo has great poignancy as the woman is not just any runner – her name is Dr Yong and several years ago she saved Louis’ life. Louis…
21-year-old Adam Sefton recently took part in a 5k race without anyone from his family running alongside him. Without knowing Adam you could be forgiven for wondering why this was such an enormous achievement, so we asked his mum Fiona to explain. My son Adam has a learning disability. This means he doesn’t have…
Darren Fawke joined parkrun for the same reason many people do. He had never exercised regularly but was motivated to become fitter and healthier. In this highly personal blog, Darren reveals the part that parkrun played in introducing him to a whole new family. As he calls it, his ‘running family’. Having special needs,…
