Parkrun (stylised as parkrun) is a collection of
events for runners, walkers and volunteers that take place every Saturday morning at more than 2,000 locations in 23 countries across five continents.
Parkrun was founded by
Paul Sinton-Hewitt
Peter Paul Sinton-Hewitt CBE (born 1960) is the founder of parkrun.
He was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) "for services to Grassroots Sport Participation" in the 2014 Birthday Honours, and was selected as an Ash ...
on 2 October 2004 at
Bushy Park
Bushy Park in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames is the second largest of London's Royal Parks, at in area, after Richmond Park. The park, most of which is open to the public, is immediately north of Hampton Court Palace and Hampton ...
in London, England. The event was originally called the
Bushy Park Time Trial. It grew into a network of similar events called the UK Time Trials, before adopting the name Parkrun in 2008 and expanding into other countries. The first event outside the United Kingdom was launched in
Zimbabwe
file:Zimbabwe, relief map.jpg, upright=1.22, Zimbabwe, relief map
Zimbabwe, officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Bots ...
in 2008,
followed by
Denmark
Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...
in 2009,
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...
and
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
in 2011 and the
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
in 2012. Sinton-Hewitt was appointed
CBE
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...
for his services to grassroots sport in 2014. By October 2018 over 5 million runners were registered worldwide, now over 10 million.
Events take place at a range of general locations including parks, stately homes, forests, rivers, lakes, reservoirs, beaches, promenades, prisons and nature reserves. A Parkrun milestone T-shirt is offered for purchase to volunteers and runners who have participated in a specific number of runs or events. Runners can travel to and complete any Parkrun other than those on closed sites, such as prisons and military bases.
History
Parkrun was founded by
Paul Sinton-Hewitt
Peter Paul Sinton-Hewitt CBE (born 1960) is the founder of parkrun.
He was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) "for services to Grassroots Sport Participation" in the 2014 Birthday Honours, and was selected as an Ash ...
on 2 October 2004 at
Bushy Park
Bushy Park in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames is the second largest of London's Royal Parks, at in area, after Richmond Park. The park, most of which is open to the public, is immediately north of Hampton Court Palace and Hampton ...
in London, England. Sinton-Hewitt was born in
Zimbabwe
file:Zimbabwe, relief map.jpg, upright=1.22, Zimbabwe, relief map
Zimbabwe, officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Bots ...
and went to
Potchefstroom High School for Boys
Potchefstroom High School for Boys is a public English medium high school for boys situated in Potchefstroom in the North West province of South Africa. It is one of the oldest schools in South Africa.
Historical perspective
School history ...
in South Africa as a boarder.
He became a
club runner with a personal best marathon time of 2 hours and 36 minutes. In 2004, Sinton-Hewitt was suffering from
depression and unable to run due to an injury. He founded Parkrun because he wanted to continue to spend time with his running friends.
In a
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. The station replaced the BBC Home Service on 30 September 1967 and broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes from the BBC's headquarters at Broadcasti ...
interview he said that the idea for Parkrun came from his time in South Africa 20 years earlier where he had experienced competitive races that took place on the same course at the same time each week. The first event took place at Bushy Park, had 13 runners and three volunteers, and was managed by Sinton-Hewitt himself.
The
Bushy Parkrun
Bushy Parkrun (stylised Bushy parkrun) is a running event that takes place every Saturday morning at 9am in Bushy Park, Teddington, London. It was the very first Parkrun, founded by Paul Sinton-Hewitt in October 2004 under its original name Bu ...
was originally known as the Bushy Park Time Trial. Its results were timed with a
stopwatch
A stopwatch is a timepiece designed to measure the amount of time that elapses between its activation and deactivation.
A large digital version of a stopwatch designed for viewing at a distance, as in a sports stadium, is called a stop clock ...
and recorded on paper;
washers
Washer most commonly refers to:
*Washer (hardware), a thin usually disc-shaped plate with a hole in the middle typically used with a bolt or nut
*Washing machine, for cleaning clothes
Washer may also refer to:
*Dishwasher, a machine for cleani ...
, each one stamped with a finish number, were used as finishing tokens.
Over the next two years, the event took place every week with the number of participants and volunteers growing, and with new technology introduced to streamline the processing of results. The second Time Trial was launched at
Wimbledon Common
Wimbledon Common is a large open space in Wimbledon, London, Wimbledon, southwest London. There are three named areas: Wimbledon Common, Putney Heath, and Putney Lower Common, which together are managed under the name Wimbledon and Putney Co ...
in 2007; it was here that the model of having an identical structure at different locations began.
That year saw a further six events established.
They were initially known as UK Time Trials before the "parkrun" name was adopted. Five more locations were added in 2008, including the first Parkruns in
Scotland
Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...
and in
Wales
Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...
.
The first event outside the UK was launched in
Zimbabwe
file:Zimbabwe, relief map.jpg, upright=1.22, Zimbabwe, relief map
Zimbabwe, officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Bots ...
in 2008, though this event no longer operates.
The longest-running Parkrun outside the UK was launched in
Denmark
Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...
in 2009. In 2010, there were 30 new events added including the first in
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland ( ; ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It has been #Descriptions, variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares Repub ...
.
In 2011 parkrun began in
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...
and
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
, both of which have seen significant growth in event numbers, and in 2012 Parkrun USA launched. Junior Parkrun started at Bushy Park in 2013.
Sinton-Hewitt was appointed
CBE
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...
in 2014 for his "services to grassroots sport".
By 2015, more than 80,000 people were gathering in parks across the world each week to run, jog and walk a Parkrun – more than twice the number who take part in the annual
London Marathon
The London Marathon (also known as the TCS London Marathon for sponsorship reasons) is an annual marathon held in London, England. Founded by athletes Chris Brasher and John Disley in 1981, it is typically held in April, although it moved to Oct ...
.
In 2016, 1.1 million different people completed a Parkrun and 142,000 people volunteered.
In 2017 "Parkrun Global Limited", the organisation which supports global Parkrun events, became a UK registered
charity
Charity may refer to:
Common meanings
* Charitable organization or charity, a non-profit organization whose primary objectives are philanthropy and social well-being of persons
* Charity (practice), the practice of being benevolent, giving and sha ...
.
By 2018, approximately a quarter of a million runners took part weekly in 1,500 events, spread over 20 countries.
Parkrun events were closed from March 2020 due to the global
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
.
They resumed in England on 24 July 2021.
Permanent event closures are rare.
Zimbabwe
file:Zimbabwe, relief map.jpg, upright=1.22, Zimbabwe, relief map
Zimbabwe, officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Bots ...
was the first country to host a Parkrun outside the UK; the event started in 2007 but closed several years later. Parkrun Elliðaárdalur closed in 2012 due to operational difficulties in the winter, and Hillerød Parkrun in Denmark closed in 2013.
Camp Bastion Parkrun was hosted at a military base in
Afghanistan
Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the Durand Line, east and south, Iran to the Afghanistan–Iran borde ...
, which shut in 2014. More frequently, Parkruns have formally closed at a location, but have relocated to a venue nearby and changed name,
such as when changes to the layout of the adjacent car park by
East Lindsey District Council cut the course in half, forcing the closure of the Parkrun.
In 2022, due to
war invasion, Parkrun banned its website for users from
Russia
Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...
and ended support for all its events there. The local running Parkrun community separated from the international community and continued weekly events at the same venues under the local brand "5 вёрст" ("5 versts").
In 2022 Parkrun changed its rules to ban dogs running with owners where a waist-harness was used; participation was instead restricted to running with one dog on a short, hand-held lead. This was due to research that showed that where participants use waist harnesses, there was an "increased risk of serious incidents, particularly trips and falls, compared to when using handheld leads." A spokesperson said "More than 10% of incidents at Parkrun events involve dogs, and as such we have spent significant time considering the nature, frequency, and severity of dog-related incidents."
In 2024, statistics were removed from the Parkrun website, including course records, most first finishes, sub-17 minute men and sub-20 minute women, age grade records and category records. In a statement to the
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...
, Parkrun stated that this was as a result of investigations by a global working group looking at how their events could be less "off-putting" to potential participants. Parkrun also stated "
e havespent many months now making detailed investigations and recommendations. What was clear is that there was a disconnect between the performance data displayed so prominently on the site, and our mission to create opportunities for as many people as possible to take part in parkrun events – especially those who are anxious about activities such as parkrun, but who potentially have an enormous amount to gain." A petition was created on
Change.org that called for the changes to be reversed, on the basis that they provide "motivation and inspiration" to participants.
Event outline
Participation
All Parkruns are in length and are free to enter. Anyone can take part, including walkers as well as runners. Participants include parents with their children, pensioners, people with their dogs, wheelchair users, people pushing
prams, and club and casual runners, although not all courses are suitable for all participants.
Beginner runners, older adults and overweight people are common.
Visually impaired runners and walkers are also able to participate, with the aid of trained guides.
They usually take place at the same time, at the same place, on the same course, once per week. There is no formal procedure before the run, with participants asked to arrive shortly before the start time and wait near the starting line.
A run director will make announcements giving safety instructions and community news before beginning the run. Participants run or walk the course and are directed by marshals along the correct route to the finish line. As each runner enters the finish funnel, a volunteer records their finishing place and time. The results are uploaded to the Parkrun website, which also generates a number of statistics.
The results available are: finishing position for both male and female runners, finish time, whether a personal best time has been achieved, the total number of runs completed by an individual, their age grade result and their position in relation to other veteran or junior runners.
To have a time recorded, runners are asked to register on the Parkrun website, print out a personal ID that includes a
barcode
A barcode or bar code is a method of representing data in a visual, Machine-readable data, machine-readable form. Initially, barcodes represented data by varying the widths, spacings and sizes of parallel lines. These barcodes, now commonly ref ...
and bring it to each event. Alternatively, they can download the barcode or QR code to a phone app or fitness or smart watch. Registration needs to be done just once, with the barcode valid for any subsequent Parkrun in the world. Runners can still participate without registering, or if they forget to bring their personal barcode, but they will not have their time or participation recorded. If the runner does not have a barcode, their position on the finishers table will be recorded with the name "unknown" and no time. After passing the finish line, each runner is handed a "finish token" corresponding to their position. This is later scanned alongside their personal barcode, if they have one, to link their result with their Parkrun profile.
''
The Daily Telegraph
''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a British daily broadsheet conservative newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed in the United Kingdom and internationally. It was found ...
'' reported that "what's clever is that it’s not a race against everyone else but a timed run", and that trying to improve your personal best time is a great incentive even for slower runners.
The paper further explained that the success of the events is down to them being free and weekly, because it allows people to get into a routine.
An article in ''The Daily Telegraph'' said that a drop in
gym
A gym, short for gymnasium (: gymnasiums or gymnasia), is an indoor venue for exercise and sports. The word is derived from the ancient Greek term " gymnasion". They are commonly found in athletic and fitness centres, and as activity and learn ...
usage can be attributed to a backlash against gym membership fees combined with the popularity of events such as Parkrun and
fitness tracking devices.
Parkrun locations
Events take place in a range of locations and are not restricted to parks. Venues include
city parks,
country parks
A country park is a natural area designated for people to visit and enjoy recreation in a countryside environment.
United Kingdom
History
In the United Kingdom, the term ''country park'' has a specific meaning. There are around 250 designated c ...
,
national parks
A national park is a nature park designated for conservation (ethic), conservation purposes because of unparalleled national natural, historic, or cultural significance. It is an area of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that is protecte ...
, the grounds of
stately homes
image:Blenheim - Blenheim Palace - 20210417125239.jpg, 300px, Blenheim Palace - Oxfordshire
An English country house is a large house or mansion in the English countryside. Such houses were often owned by individuals who also owned a Townhou ...
, castles, forests, rivers, lakes, reservoirs, beaches,
promenade
An esplanade or promenade is a long, open, level area, usually next to a river or large body of water, where people may walk. The historical definition of ''esplanade'' was a large, open, level area outside fortification, fortress or city walls ...
s, prisons, racecourses and
nature reserves
A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, funga, or features of geolog ...
. The runs have different degrees of difficulty, with hilly runs harder to complete than those that are flat. The running surface varies, with many city park Parkruns being run on
tarmac footpaths, closed roads, grass or a mixture of all three, while forest and country park Parkruns are more likely to be on
trails
A trail, also known as a path or track, is an unpaved lane or a small paved road (though it can also be a route along a navigable waterways) generally not intended for usage by motorized vehicles, usually passing through a natural area. Ho ...
. Runs that take place in hotter countries often start early in the morning to avoid excess heat.
Volunteers
Each Parkrun event is run entirely by
volunteers
Volunteering is an elective and freely chosen act of an individual or group giving their time and labor, often for community service. Many volunteers are specifically trained in the areas they work, such as medicine, education, or emergenc ...
, who are integral to its not-for-profit status. There are several different volunteer roles at each Parkrun event. Every event has a "volunteer" web page, with the same basic information about how to get involved as a volunteer, as well as crediting those who have made the effort in the most recent week. At the outset of Parkrun, the central organisation sought to simplify the volunteering process to allow new events to be set up with a low number of volunteers; this simplification now allows new volunteers to assist with minimal training.
Each event has a core team, who has received sanction from Parkrun HQ and the location owner to stage the event. The individual roles are typically filled by different volunteers each week and include: a run director who manages the event, making announcements and starting the run; course safety checkers; timekeepers; marshals; barcode scanners who scan finishing tokens; event setup and close down volunteers;
pacers and tail walkers.
According to Steve Flowers at the
University of Kent
The University of Kent (formerly the University of Kent at Canterbury, abbreviated as UKC) is a Collegiate university, collegiate public university, public research university based in Kent, United Kingdom. The university was granted its roya ...
’s business school, Parkrun is an example, along with Wikipedia, of what he calls "people’s innovation", which ''The Guardian'' explains as being "driven by users rather than producers, by volunteers rather than professionals". Volunteer roles such as timekeeping and barcode scanning use a free, downloadable app to assist with the data collection and compilation.
Several surveys and academic studies have shown a net beneficial effect on health and wellbeing experienced among those who volunteer regularly at Parkruns.
Junior Parkrun
Junior Parkrun (stylised as ''junior parkrun'') is a spin-off event that provides a event for children aged 4–14, held on Sunday mornings. Parents and guardians are allowed to run with their children but are not eligible for a placed finish. Dogs can be brought to the event but are not allowed to run with their owners. Juniors who have completed 11, 21, 50, 100 or 250 junior runs are awarded a coloured wristband.
Junior Parkrun takes place on Sunday mornings. When it was first launched, it was run monthly, on the first Sunday of every month; most events now take place weekly.
Milestone clubs
The number of runs by each participant at all events is posted on the Parkrun website. "Milestone clubs" are available when a runner has completed a sufficient number of events; milestones are available at 25, 50, 100, 250 and 500 runs, and members can, if they so wish, order a colour-coded t-shirt to commemorate their achievement. The t-shirts are coloured purple, red, black, green and blue, respectively.
Juniors – those under the age of 18 – can claim a white T-shirt when they complete 10 runs, and there is a purple t-shirt for people who volunteer 25 times. The milestone and volunteer t-shirts were free until September 2021, at which point they became chargeable. At this time, additional volunteer t-shirts were introduced, to align with the milestone t-shirts: 25 (purple), 50 (red), 100 (black), 250 (green), 500 (blue) and 1000 (yellow).
Parkrun tourism and challenges
Runners, when they sign up on the Parkrun website, are asked to pick a "home Parkrun", usually the one they live closest to and are likely to frequent most. Parkrun tourists are broadly defined as anyone travelling to a run that is not their home Parkrun. Tourism can involve running in a neighbouring park, town, region or even country with some runners travelling to a different run every week.
Parkrun challenges involve completing a number of different runs in a particular way which are personally meaningful but not officially recorded. These include "Londone" which is completing all of the Parkruns in
London
London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
. The "alphabeteer" is running a Parkrun beginning with each letter of the alphabet and light-hearted challenges such as the
Bee Gees
The Bee Gees
were a musical group formed in 1958 by brothers Barry Gibb, Barry, Robin Gibb, Robin, and Maurice Gibb. The trio was especially successful in popular music in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and later as prominent performers in ...
-themed "Stayin' Alive" which is completing three runs beginning with B and three beginning with G. A
Google Chrome
Google Chrome is a web browser developed by Google. It was first released in 2008 for Microsoft Windows, built with free software components from Apple WebKit and Mozilla Firefox. Versions were later released for Linux, macOS, iOS, iPadOS, an ...
and
Firefox
Mozilla Firefox, or simply Firefox, is a free and open-source web browser developed by the Mozilla Foundation and its subsidiary, the Mozilla Corporation. It uses the Gecko rendering engine to display web pages, which implements curr ...
extension details further challenges such as "Groundhog Day" which is running the same time at the same Parkrun location in two consecutive weeks and "Regionnaire" which is to complete all of the Parkruns in any region.
Individual running records
* Female record holder:
Ciara Mageean on 23 December 2023 with a time of 15:13 at Victoria Park Parkrun in Belfast, Northern Ireland.
* Male record holder:
Nick Griggs on 9 November 2024 with a time of 13:44 at Victoria Park Parkrun in Belfast, Northern Ireland.
*
Age-graded record holder:
Fauja Singh on 31 March 2012 (the day before his 101st birthday) with a time of 38:34 and an age grading of 179.04% at Valentines Parkrun,
Ilford
Ilford is a large List of areas of London, town in East London, England, northeast of Charing Cross. Part of the London Borough of Redbridge, Ilford is within the Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county of Greater London. It had a po ...
, London, England.
* Global record holder for highest number of runs: Darren Wood with 921 runs (as of 23 November 2024).
* Global record holder for the highest number of different events: Paul Freyne with 707 different Parkrun locations (as of 23 November 2024).
Funding
Parkrun events are free of charge to participants and run principally by volunteers. Parkrun income comes from sponsorship and grants, with commercial income from apparel, wristbands, and accessories. Parkrun Global Limited receives all funds; it is a registered charity in England and Wales and in 2022 it reported income of £5.5m with expenditure of £4.3m.
Reception

A 2013 article in ''
The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
'' noted the rapid growth of Parkrun and suggested this was mainly due to its simplicity and accessibility: runners register online once, turn up at any event, and run.
Inclusivity is also a factor,
as participants have a wide range of running abilities, from fast
club runners to those walking, a wide range of ages from children running with their parents to the elderly; also allowed are wheelchair users, those pushing
buggies and people running with their dogs.
Commenting in ''
The Independent
''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...
'' in 2018, chief sports writer
Jonathan Liew said: "parkrun is not simply one of the biggest sporting events in the world, but one of the most important, largely because it entirely upends what we have long been told sport is about."
He discusses how sport has become ever more something the public pay to watch, packaged ever more expensively, with the sports people's lives tipping over into
light entertainment
Light entertainment encompasses a broad range of television and radio programming that includes comedies, variety shows, game shows, quiz shows and the like.
In the UK
In the early days of the BBC, virtually all broadcast entertainment would b ...
, concluding: "parkrun offers something entirely different: community, opportunity, the outdoors, the simple pleasure of sport and people. In so doing, it has resurrected a vision of sport that has been in recession for a generation."
Research
The ''
Journal of Public Health
The ''Journal of Public Health'' is a quarterly peer-reviewed public health journal. It was originally established in 1892 as the ''Journal of State Medicine'' by the Royal Institute of Public Health and has undergone several renames during its ...
'' reported in a 2013 study of 7,308 parkrun participants that the events attracted people who described themselves as non-runners, with women, older adults and overweight people well represented. It added that participation problems have been minimized, with no upper age limit, no special equipment and no cost. And while some participants ran before a parkrun, some are new to exercise, and parkrun offered the opportunity and support to become active on a continuous weekly basis.
A 2015 qualitative study by the
University of Loughborough
Loughborough University (abbreviated as ''Lough'' or ''Lboro'' for post-nominals) is a public research university in the market town of Loughborough, Leicestershire, England. It has been a university since 1966, but it dates back to 1909, when L ...
found that runners attending a parkrun for the first time were typically motivated for
weight loss
Weight loss, in the context of medicine, health, or physical fitness, refers to a reduction of the total body mass, by a mean loss of fluid, body fat (adipose tissue), or lean mass (namely bone mineral deposits, muscle, tendon, and other conn ...
or an improvement in their
physical fitness
Physical fitness is a state of health and well-being and, more specifically, the ability to perform aspects of Outline of sports, sports, occupations, and daily activities. Physical fitness is generally achieved through proper nutrition, modera ...
.
On the other hand, there were a range of motivations for runners to continue regularly taking part, with runners wanting to beat their
personal record A personal record, or a personal best (abbreviated to PB), is an individual's best performance in a given sporting discipline. It is most commonly found in athletic sports, such as track and field, other forms of running, swimming and weightlifting ...
time, reach a certain number of runs and join a milestone club, enjoy being outdoors, make new friends through volunteering, and meet up with existing friends or family.
Community
Health initiatives
Parkrun endeavours to promote health and wellbeing through a number of initiatives. Its mission statement is "a healthier and happier planet". In the UK, Parkrun has partnered with the
Royal College of General Practitioners
The Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) is the professional body for general (medical) practitioners (GPs/ Family Physicians/ Primary Care Physicians) in the United Kingdom. The RCGP represents and supports GPs on key issues including ...
in order to promote healthy living through increased physical activity, socialisation and mutual support.
In Ireland, the long-running ''
Operation Transformation'' TV show has partnered with Parkrun on several occasions, encouraging viewers to join local Parkruns that held special Couch-to-5k programmes to coincide with the series.
Relations with local authorities
Most events are run with the support and sometimes the sponsorship of local authorities. A notable conflict occurred at Little Stoke Parkrun. Parkrun does not set up events where charges would apply to the organisers or runners.
[ Little Stoke Parkrun had begun with the council's permission in November 2012. In April 2016 the responsible parish council in ]Stoke Gifford
Stoke Gifford is a neighbourhood and Civil parish, parish and Wards and electoral divisions of the United Kingdom, electoral ward in the South Gloucestershire district, in the ceremonial county of Gloucestershire, England. Formerly a separate ...
, Bristol, England, voted to charge runners a fee to participate. Despite an online petition and support from the Minister for Sport, the council would not change its decision, so the Parkrun was permanently cancelled. In April 2017 the British Government proposed that, in future, local councils in England would not be allowed to charge for Parkruns in a public park.
Events around the world
Australia
The first Australian Parkrun event was held at Main Beach, on the Gold Coast, on 2 April 2011. ABC News ABC News most commonly refers to:
* ABC News (Australia), a national news service of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation
* ABC News (United States), a news-gathering and broadcasting division of the American Broadcasting Company
ABC News may a ...
, remarking on Parkrun Australia, said "there are competitive runners aiming to win but there are just as many people running for the fun of it. If people want to race each other, that's fine, they can, but if you want to walk that is fine too. Everyone is welcome, from kids to grandparents, it's one of the few sporting events that a family can do together." The 1,000,000th runner completed Parkrun in Australia in January 2024.
Germany
The first three parkruns in Germany were Georgengarten parkrun in Hannover
Hanover ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the States of Germany, German state of Lower Saxony. Its population of 535,932 (2021) makes it the List of cities in Germany by population, 13th-largest city in Germany as well as the fourth-l ...
, Küchenholz parkrun in Leipzig
Leipzig (, ; ; Upper Saxon: ; ) is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Saxony. The city has a population of 628,718 inhabitants as of 2023. It is the List of cities in Germany by population, eighth-largest city in Ge ...
and Neckarau parkrun in Mannheim
Mannheim (; Palatine German language, Palatine German: or ), officially the University City of Mannheim (), is the List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, second-largest city in Baden-Württemberg after Stuttgart, the States of Ger ...
, when they all hosted their first event on 2 December 2017. When Aachener Weiher parkrun started in Cologne
Cologne ( ; ; ) is the largest city of the States of Germany, German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with nearly 1.1 million inhabitants in the city pr ...
, it became the first parkrun in the alphabetical list of all parkruns.
Ireland
The first run in Ireland was at Malahide Castle to the north of Dublin on 10 November 2012. The rollout of Parkruns in Ireland was assisted by funding from the government's Department of Health
A health department or health ministry is a part of government which focuses on issues related to the general health of the citizenry. Subnational entities, such as states, counties and cities, often also operate a health department of their o ...
with the aim of empowering local communities and encouraging individuals and families to lead active lives. The record attendance was at St Anne's Parkrun on 30 September 2023, when there were 911 runners.
Japan
Parkrun was introduced to Japan
Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...
on 6 April 2019, by the Futako-Tamagawa Parkrun event in Tokyo
Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...
. There are now 24 events held every Saturday morning in Japan.
Lithuania
The most recent country to host Parkrun events is Lithuania, with the launch of Parkrun Vingis in Vilnius, on September 21, 2024, with 223 participants in attendance.
New Zealand
The first event was at Lower Hutt
Lower Hutt () is a list of cities in New Zealand, city in the Wellington Region of New Zealand. Administered by the Hutt City Council, it is one of the four cities that constitute the Wellington#Wellington metropolitan area, Wellington metropoli ...
on 5 May 2012. Cornwall parkrun in Auckland started on 28 July 2012. As of December 2024, there were 56 parkrun events around the country taking place every weekend, with more locations being added all of the time.
Poland
The first Polish Parkrun took place in Gdynia
Gdynia is a city in northern Poland and a seaport on the Baltic Sea coast. With an estimated population of 257,000, it is the List of cities in Poland, 12th-largest city in Poland and the second-largest in the Pomeranian Voivodeship after Gdańsk ...
on 15 Oct 2011. Poland has the first Parkrun to cross the border of another country: Cieszyn
Cieszyn ( , ; ; ) is a border town in southern Poland on the east bank of the Olza River, and the administrative seat of Cieszyn County, Silesian Voivodeship. The town has 33,500 inhabitants ( and lies opposite Český Těšín in the Czech Repu ...
Parkrun starts in Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...
but crosses into the Czech Republic
The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...
before returning to Poland. The record attendance was at Tczew
Tczew (, formerly ) is a city on the Vistula River in the Pomeranian Voivodeship, in northern Poland, with 59,111 inhabitants (December 2021). It is the capital of Tczew County and the largest city of the ethnocultural region of Kociewie within th ...
Parkrun on 13 May 2023 when there were 1774 runners.
Russia
Parkrun in Russia began simultaneously at Kolomenskoe Parkrun and Severnoe Tushino Parkrun on 1 March 2014. Parkrun Yakutsk Dohsun took place in Yakutsk
Yakutsk ( ) is the capital and largest city of Sakha, Russia, located about south of the Arctic Circle. Fueled by the mining industry, Yakutsk has become one of Russia's most rapidly growing regional cities, with a population of 355,443 at the ...
, which has an average daily temperature of .
All Parkrun events in Russia are currently cancelled due to the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine
On 24 February 2022, , starting the largest and deadliest war in Europe since World War II, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, conflict between the two countries which began in 2014. The fighting has caused hundreds of thou ...
.
South Africa
Parkrun South Africa was started and promoted by ultramarathoner Bruce Fordyce. The first Parkrun took place at Delta Park in Johannesburg on 12 November 2011 and had 26 participants. It is now one of the larger Parkruns, regularly drawing up to 1200 runners and attracting tourists as the first one in the nation. The world record attendance was at North Beach, Durban
Durban ( ; , from meaning "bay, lagoon") is the third-most populous city in South Africa, after Johannesburg and Cape Town, and the largest city in the Provinces of South Africa, province of KwaZulu-Natal.
Situated on the east coast of South ...
, which saw 2527 runners on 20 January 2018.
United States
The first parkrun event in the United States was in Livonia, Michigan
Livonia ( ) is a city in Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. A western suburb of Detroit, Livonia is located roughly northwest of downtown Detroit. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 95,535. Originally organized as ...
on 2 June 2012. there are 78 active events.[
]
Festive and special events
There are festive and special events which do not necessarily occur on a Saturday. Each country chooses its own special event days, which are held optionally by local Parkrun teams – i.e., they will not be run at every Parkrun location. Generally, where such special events are held, they are Parkruns on Christmas Day, New Year's Day, and/or national holidays in their respective countries.
List of Parkrun event countries
Parkrun is held in 26 of the 28 different countries and territories listed below as of 31 May 2025.
Some nations' Parkrun events are suspended:
‡ Parkrun events in France were suspended from July 2022 due to legal issues regarding medical certification.
¶ Parkrun events in Russia were suspended from March 2022 due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine
On 24 February 2022, , starting the largest and deadliest war in Europe since World War II, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, conflict between the two countries which began in 2014. The fighting has caused hundreds of thou ...
. Parkrun CEO Russ Jefferys explained the suspension, saying the war "directly conflicts with our charitable objective of promoting health and happiness across the world" and that Parkrun volunteers "should not be put in a position in which they are forced to justify why parkrun events remain open or have to explain their personal politics in a country where that would put them at risk".
List of junior Parkrun event countries
The following table lists countries which host junior Parkrun as of 28 August 2022:
See also
*Outdoor fitness
Outdoor fitness consists of exercise undertaken outside a building for the purpose of improving physical fitness. It contrasts with exercise undertaken inside a gym or health club for the same purpose. The activity may be undertaken in a park ...
*5K run
The 5K run is a long-distance road running competition over a distance of . Also referred to as the 5K road race, 5 km, or simply 5K, it is the shortest of the most common road running distances. It is usually distinguished from the 5000 me ...
Notes
References
Further reading
*
*
External links
* {{Official website, https://www.parkrun.com/
2004 establishments in England
5K runs
Athletics competitions in England
Organisations based in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames
Recurring sporting events established in 2004
Road running competitions
Running events
Parkrun
Parkrun (stylised as parkrun) is a collection of 5K run, events for runners, walkers and volunteers that take place every Saturday morning at more than 2,000 locations in 23 countries across five continents.
Parkrun was founded by Paul Sinto ...
Sports events cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic
Trail running competitions