Emmie Bijzet, an 83 year old great-grandmother from Brackenfell, became the first woman in her age category to complete 100 parkruns at Bellville parkrun. She started parkrunning in August 2016, encouraged to participate by her children. Emmie was very close to her 100th parkrun when lockdown started in March 2020. When Bellville parkrun re-opened…
We’re celebrating ten years of parkrunning in New Zealand! On May 5, 2012, 89 people, including volunteers participated at the very first event on the Lower Hutt riverbank. Lian and Noel de Charmoy introduced parkrun to New Zealand after visiting their dear friend and parkrun founder Paul Sinton-Hewitt at Bushy Park in London. The…
On Saturday 4 June, we would love for parkrun events to come together and celebrate togetherness, gratitude, and all things community – the beating heart of parkrun. Of course, parkrun events are already a fantastic way of uniting people, but why not extend the togetherness with a delicious post-parkrun picnic? For Thank You…
I had a brain tumor removed in May 2017. After my operation I was stuck in a wheelchair and needed to learn to walk from scratch. When parkrun started at Groeneweide parkrun, Franskraal, in Gansbaai I start to take part by walking the course. I completed 14 walks then lockdown came and parkruns…
Transitioning from military to civilian life can be challenging, and parkrun provides a perfect opportunity for people to connect with their local community, make new friends and create a network beyond the defence force. Thousands of people around the world in all stages of their military life take part in parkrun, including Liz, an…
In 2019, my daughter kept asking, “Dad, why don’t you come and join me on a parkrun?” She explained the basics of what it was all about. I told her that I didn’t run, I was too old. I was 59 years old. I had not done any running since I was 17. Plus, I…
This Freedom Day, why not join your local parkrun to run, jog, walk or volunteer? You may think that parkrun is just for Saturday mornings, but each parkrun country around the world is able to host one additional event on a day of their choice. And the best part? When this day falls on…
Let me extend an invitation to you to take just four minutes out of your busy schedule, maybe during a coffee break, to find out why a parkrun is more than just a Saturday morning run or walk. At present I am a very inexperienced parkrunner, having only completed my 19th parkrun on 12…
All around the world children and young people take part in parkrun events with their families. The UK, Ireland and Australia even have a junior parkrun series, which is 2k on a Sunday. The first junior parkrun took place 12 years ago this month. What better time to take a closer look at families…
Three years on from the launch of parkrun Japan, there are now 29 events spread over a country that is made up of more than 7,000 islands. Events in the region even helped with the 2011 tsunami recovery project. Haru is the Japanese word for spring, a time of year that symbolises new…
