To celebrate our 18th birthday, we’re taking a look back through the first 18 years of parkrunning! The beginning On Saturday 2 October 2004, 13 runners and five volunteers turned up to Bushy Park in Teddington, London, for a free, timed, 5k run, known then as the Bushy Park Time Trial. Paul…
As part of the parkwalk campaign this October, we are introducing a brand new volunteer role – the parkwalker! It has been created to demonstrate that walking at parkrun is both encouraged and valued. Why “parkwalker”? Inclusivity and participation, rather than speed, has been a key principle of parkrun since day one….
Broken Hill Racecourse parkrun in outback Australia is more than 300 kilometres from its closest parkrun. Maria Kelly, who has volunteered as a course marshal 58 times, explains why spending her Saturday mornings cheering parkrunners through the desert, while being surrounded by native wildlife is a highlight of her week. I’m a 54-year-old woman…
This October marks 18 years since parkrun’s founder, Paul Sinton-Hewitt, shouted “Go!” at the very first parkrun event. We’d like to make this 18th anniversary one to remember by dedicating the whole month of October to something extra special… parkwalk at parkrun! Paul’s vision was that parkrun would be open to everyone, no…
What is the parkwalk campaign in a nutshell? This is a global campaign to celebrate and promote walking at parkrun, to coincide with parkrun’s 18th anniversary (the first event took place in Bushy Park, London in October 2004). It’s called parkrun, not parkwalk! Why are you focusing on walkers? The name ‘parkrun’…
695,890 people across the world know how wonderful it can be to volunteer at parkrun. Getting some fresh air and vitamin D, meeting new people, being with family and friends, getting active, problem solving, team building, and gaining life skills are just a few examples of why volunteering comes with incredible physical and mental health benefits….
Beck was diagnosed with stage four lung cancer just a week after completing a half-marathon. For her, attending parkrun makes a huge difference to her outlook and mental health, and it gives her an all important hour in the week to forget that she has cancer. As someone who has never smoked, she wants…
Last Saturday, parkrun Founder Paul Sinton-Hewitt completed his 500th parkrun and joined the 500 milestone club. That’s 10 years worth of continual weekly parkruns, 2,500 kilometres covered, and countless coffees with old and new friends. Quite the achievement. Whereas many may choose to celebrate such a milestone at the familiarity of their home event,…
Macey’s family had long been encouraging her to visit her local parkrun, and after a health episode she finally put on her shoes and joined in. Macey explains the positive impacts parkrun has had on her life and why she has never looked back. My parents and brother had been trying to convince…
As Paul Sinton-Hewitt hits his 500th milestone, we take a look back at how milestone clubs came about. The start When parkrun Founder Paul Sinton-Hewitt started Bushy Park Time Trial back in 2004, he had no idea that nearly 18 years later, not only would people still be showing up, but that the…
