We hear of many motivations for starting a new parkrun event, but this is one of the most moving. Jenny Chambers was a lively and indefatigable member of her local parkrun community in England right up until her death in 2015. Thousands of miles away in Louisville, Kentucky, her daughter, Natalie DeRatt, was inspired to…
Black Combe parkrun in the UK became the first parkrun event in the world to launch inside a prison in November 2017. One of the participants that day was Alfy Kirkley (pictured left) who went on to complete 17 parkruns and set a new course record before his release in early March. As he left, Alfy…
It was winter’s last hurrah at parkrun USA this week, but that didn’t stand in our way. We adjusted routes, we shoveled, we traveled. We welcomed the newest member of the parkrun USA family, with the launch of Kensington parkrun, and looked forward to a host of new family members in the coming months. …
Every Saturday morning, you probably hear something like this at the pre-run briefing: “Remember, parkrun only happens because of the volunteers. Please thank the volunteers and sign up to help next week!” What we probably don’t say often enough is: “Please thank the Parks Department, who allow us to use the park, and who maintain…
Moving to a new city is an exciting undertaking with many unknowns along the way such as: where will you live, who will be your new friends, and when will it start feeling like home? For many people, the answer to that last question is when they find a new community to be a part…
While the season changes ever so slowly from Winter to Spring, the true treasure at the end of the rainbow is not gold, but the communities of parkrun USA. While we wait for the Spring colors to load, an abundance of green could be found on parkrunners celebrating the Saint Patrick’s Day holiday. …
Every week at parkruns around the world a special kind of runner (also known as the barkrunner) joins the pack. This week we catch up with one of those special runners: Foxy from Roosevelt Island parkrun. Foxy is an enthusiastic runner, but also is a regular volunteer, and recently took on the run director role for the…
I had another life once. It feels so long ago I can barely remember it. But I’m reminded by strangers when they ask about the Olympic tattoo on my back. See, in my “other” life, I competed for Australia in the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games in handball. It was an amazing time in my…
Most people involved with parkrun want to shout about it from the rooftops because they want everyone to know how much they like it — as an event, a community, a concept. But the culture and ethos of parkrun is more reserved and humble, reflecting the nature of its founder. parkrun is written as one…
It was a wild weather weekend, especially on the east coast as the “beast from the East,” aka the “bomb cyclone” aka a “nor’easter” brought strong winds and snow and there was flooding in the middle of the country. These conditions resulted in unwelcome presents left on the courses of a number of our parkruns….
