Parkrun

Parkrun is a series of 5-kilometre (3.1 mi) events for runners, walkers, and volunteers that happen every Saturday morning at more than 2,000 locations in 23 countries across five continents.

Parkrun was started by Paul Sinton-Hewitt on 2 October 2004 at Bushy Park in London, England. The first event was called the Bushy Park Time Trial. Over time, it grew into a network of similar events and was named Parkrun in 2008. It then spread to other countries, beginning with Zimbabwe in 2008, followed by Denmark in 2009, South Africa and Australia in 2011, and the United States in 2012. By October 2018, over 5 million runners were registered worldwide, and now that number has grown to over 10 million.

These events take place in many different kinds of places, such as parks, stately homes, forests, rivers, lakes, reservoirs, beaches, promenades, prisons, and nature reserves. Runners and volunteers who take part in a certain number of events can buy a special milestone T-shirt.

History

Parkrun was started by Paul Sinton-Hewitt on 2 October 2004 at Bushy Park in London, England. The first event had only 13 runners and three volunteers. It was called the Bushy Park Time Trial at that time.

Over the years, more events were added in many places. By 2015, over 80,000 people were joining parkrun events each week around the world. In 2017, Parkrun became a UK charity. Events stopped for a while during the COVID-19 pandemic but started again in 2021. In 2022, Parkrun made new rules about dogs to keep everyone safe. In 2024, some performance statistics were removed from the website to make the events feel more welcoming to everyone.

Event outline

Parkrun events are 5 kilometres long and free for anyone to join. People of all ages and abilities can take part, including runners, walkers, and even those using wheelchairs or pushing prams. The events happen every Saturday morning at the same time and place, once a week. There are no special steps needed before joining; participants just arrive a little before the start and wait near the beginning. A run director gives safety tips and news before the run starts. People then run or walk the course, guided by volunteers to the finish line. When they finish, a volunteer records their time and place. These results are shared online, showing each person's finish time, if it was a personal best, and how many runs they have done.

To have their time recorded, runners can register online, print a special code called a barcode, and bring it to the event. They can also save the code on a phone or watch. If they forget, they can still join but won’t have their time recorded. After finishing, runners get a token that matches their place, which helps connect their result to their online profile.

Parkrun events happen in many different places, not just parks. They can be in city parks, country parks, national parks, stately homes, castles, forests, rivers, lakes, beaches, promenades, prisons, racecourses, and nature reserves. The courses can be easy or challenging, and the surface can be tarmac, grass, or trails. In hot countries, runs often start early to stay cool.

Every Parkrun depends on volunteers who help with many jobs, like giving instructions, keeping time, scanning barcodes, and more. These volunteers make the events possible without any charge. There are special events just for children called Junior Parkrun, where kids aged 4 to 14 run 2 kilometres on Sunday mornings. Parents can run with them but won’t get a finish place. Kids who complete certain numbers of runs get special wristbands.

Runners can earn special shirts for completing certain numbers of runs, like 25, 50, 100, and more. There are also fun challenges, like trying different Parkrun locations or running the same time in two weeks in a row. The events are supported by sponsorships and sales of clothing and accessories, all managed by a charity.

Reception

In 2013, a writer for The Guardian talked about how quickly Parkrun grew. They said this happened because it is very simple and easy for everyone to join. People can sign up once online and then just show up at any Parkrun event to run or walk. Everyone is welcome, no matter how fast they run, their age, or if they use a wheelchair, push a stroller, or run with their dog.

In 2018, a sports writer for The Independent, Jonathan Liew, said that Parkrun is not just one of the biggest sports events in the world, but also one of the most important. He explained that Parkrun is different because it is about being together, having chances to play outside, and enjoying simple sports with other people. It brings back a feeling of sport that many people have missed.

Research

A study in 2013 in the Journal of Public Health looked at 7,308 Parkrun participants. It found that many people who join Parkrun are not usual runners. Women, older people, and people who might carry extra weight were all part of these events. The study said that Parkrun makes it easy for everyone because there is no age limit, no special gear needed, and it costs nothing. Some people had run before, but others were trying exercise for the first time. Parkrun gives them a chance to stay active every week.

A study in 2015 from the University of Loughborough found that people who tried Parkrun for the first time often wanted to lose weight or get healthier. But people who kept coming back had many reasons. They liked trying to beat their own best time, doing many runs to reach a special number, enjoying the outdoors, making new friends by helping out, or meeting up with friends and family.

Community

Parkrun works to help people stay healthy and happy. It encourages people to be more active, spend time with friends, and support each other. In the UK, Parkrun works with the Royal College of General Practitioners to promote healthy living.

In Ireland, Parkrun has worked with the TV show Operation Transformation to help people get fit. They offered special programs to help beginners run longer distances.

Most Parkrun events get help from local governments. However, there was a problem at Little Stoke Parkrun. In 2016, the local council in Stoke Gifford, England, decided to charge runners to take part. Even though many people asked them to change their mind, the council did not. Because of this, the Parkrun event had to stop. Later, the British Government suggested that councils should not charge for Parkruns in public parks.

Events around the world

Parkrun events have spread around the world, with many countries now hosting their own runs.

The first Australian Parkrun started at Main Beach on the Gold Coast on April 2, 2011. In Germany, the first three events began in Hannover, Leipzig, and Mannheim on December 2, 2017. Ireland's first run was at Malahide Castle near Dublin on November 10, 2012, supported by the government's Department of Health. Japan joined in on April 6, 2019, with the first event in Tokyo's Futako-Tamagawa Park. Lithuania most recently began hosting Parkruns in Vilnius on September 21, 2024. New Zealand's first event was in Lower Hutt on May 5, 2012, and now there are 56 events across the country. Poland's first Parkrun was in Gdynia on October 15, 2011. In Russia, Parkruns started in 2014 but are currently cancelled due to the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine. South Africa's first Parkrun began in Johannesburg on November 12, 2011. The United States held its first event in Livonia, Michigan, on June 2, 2012, and now has 96 active locations.

Festive and special events

Sometimes, Parkrun events happen on special days that are not Saturdays. Each country decides which special days to celebrate, and local Parkrun teams can choose to hold events on these days. These special events might include running on Christmas Day, New Year's Day, or other national holidays in their country. Not every Parkrun location will have these special events, but many do to make the holidays even more fun!

List of Parkrun event countries

Parkrun takes place in 26 of the 28 countries and areas listed below as of 31 May 2025.

Some countries have pauses on their Parkrun events:

• Parkrun events in France stopped in July 2022 because of legal problems about health checks.
• Parkrun events in Russia stopped in March 2022 because of the conflict in Ukraine. The leader of Parkrun said this fight goes against their goal to help people stay healthy and happy everywhere, and volunteers should not have to explain why events are still happening in a place where it could be dangerous.

List of junior Parkrun event countries

The following table shows the countries that host junior Parkrun events as of 16 August 2025: