Takuto Muguruma is the Event Director of Momoi harappa koen parkrun in Japan. After discovering parkrun while studying abroad, it was his dream to set up a parkrun when he moved back to Japan. In 2014, I was studying sport development management for a Masters degree overseas and my tutor asked me, “Is there parkrun in Japan?” This was…
Last weekend we welcomed back a further 29 2k events in England, taking the total number of junior parkruns to 79 with over 8,000 people walking, running and volunteering with us once more. With the addition of these events, we were delighted to see a post-COVID record attendance globally, with over 66,000 participants at…
We all know that exercise is good for us, don’t we? But why exactly? And if that’s the case, why aren’t we all doing more of it? In recent years, one of the most widely talked about books has been ‘Hjärnstark’ by the psychiatrist Anders Hansen (In English the book has the title ‘The…
It was fantastic to see 48 junior parkrun events return in England on Sunday, with over 4,000 children crossing the finish line, of which over 1,000 were attending for the very first time. We’re immensely proud of all those event teams who successfully delivered the first parkrun events in England for 13 months, and have…
The situation with regards to COVID-19 (Coronavirus) continues to be somewhat turbulent in nearly every parkrun territory. Whilst some of the parkrun family are experiencing a challenging time at the moment with increasing lockdown restrictions, others are beginning to see the green shoots of recovery. In South Africa, the Government recently amended the…
Whilst, this week, there are no significant changes that impact the 22 countries in which we operate, we are delighted to confirm that we expect 52 junior parkrun events to restart in England on Sunday 11 April. As we continue to work through the reopening checklist with our junior teams, and receive the necessary…
Writing this on the one-year anniversary of the UK going into lockdown, it’s difficult to comprehend the challenges we’ve all faced over the last 12 months. And it’s quite remarkable to know that, wherever you are in the world as you read this message, you will undoubtedly have been impacted negatively in some way. …
Ever since January 2007, when Darren Wood became the first individual to complete 100 parkruns, milestone t-shirts (actually it was a fleece to begin with) have been awarded to recognise individual participation at parkrun. Celebrating persistence and consistency, milestone t-shirts have become immensely popular, and are an important motivating force, encouraging parkrunners to return…
Major Kate Philp, a former Royal Artillery officer, lost her left leg below the knee on duty in 2008. Now a member of a parkrun core team, she talks us through her inspirational parkrun journey. “Is there somewhere safe I can leave my leg, please?” This probably isn’t the question that many Volunteer Coordinators are faced…
This week marks exactly one year since we closed all parkrun events globally in response to the COVID-19 (Coronavirus) pandemic. The announcement we made on 18 March 2020 was the start of what would become a weekly update: a commitment to provide regular news and insight, to offer transparency in our decision making…
