This week I hit a milestone and ran my 50th parkrun. For those who don’t know, parkrun is a free, community/volunteer-run weekly 5k event that takes place every Saturday morning. Since the first event took place in London in 2004, parkrun has grown to encompass over 2000 locations in 23 countries.
I first started parkrunning at an event in Australia in 2019, and since then I’ve run at 10 different locations in three different countries. But most of my parkruns (38 out of the 50) have been at my local parkrun, Killarney House, a beautiful 3-and-a-bit lap looped run in the national park, and that’s where I ran my 50th on Saturday.
I’m a bit of a parkrun evangelist — if you mention that you’re thinking of getting into running, or that you’d like to get a bit more exercise, I’ll probably start singing parkrun’s praises. And I figure that my 50th parkrun means that it’s good timing to do that here as well. So here’s why I love parkrun and why you could, too.
fun fact: i have never looked good running in a photo ever 🙂
Anyone can join, anytime
Parkrun is completely free for participants and doesn’t require advance registration for any individual event — once you sign up once, you can run at any parkrun, anywhere. All you need to do is go to the parkrun website and register. Once you register, you’ll receive a barcode that you can print out or show on your phone to be scanned after you cross the finish line. That’s how your attendance at an event and your time are tracked.
It’s a great way to get involved
If you’re not a runner or walker, you can also get involved by volunteering! Parkrun depends on volunteers, so you can register to be a marshal, a barcode scanner, a timekeeper, or a number of other roles and become a part of this great and welcoming community. It’s definitely encouraged for runners to volunteer occasionally as well! I like to do the first timer’s briefing, where I explain the route to new participants or visitors and welcome them to our parkrun. As a bonus, it’s one of the volunteer roles where you still get to run as well.
Parkrun meets you where you are
One constant refrain at parkrun is that it’s an event, not a race. Whether you’re an Olympian or a couch-to-5k-er, you’re equally welcome and your participation is celebrated. At Killarney House, for example, finisher times usually range from just over 16 minutes to just under an hour. One of the most valued roles at parkrun is the tailwalker, whose job it is to be the final finisher, so you don’t have to worry that you’re “too slow” for parkrun. There’s also no pressure to maintain a certain pace; some weeks you might run, some you might walk, and sometimes you might do both.
You can meet parkrun where it is, too
There’s a whole group of people who are avid parkrun tourists, travelling to events around the world, whether just for the fun of it or to try to complete unofficial “challenges” like running a parkrun that starts with every letter of the alphabet. While one of the great things about parkrun for me is that I don’t have to travel far to reach my local event, which is convenient and better for my carbon footprint, I definitely like to check out the local parkrun if I’m visiting a new place anyway. Even if I’m not around on a Saturday morning, looking at the parkrun’s event page can be a nice way to find a fun, safe 5k route in a new town or city.
The stats are so satisfying
Because each individual parkrun event takes place on the same route, it can be fun to look back over your personal results and see how they change over time. If you’re on a fitness journey, you might enjoy seeing the times getting quicker as you go, or if you’re the kind of person who parkruns in all conditions (internal and external), it’s interesting to see the numbers go up and down week to week depending on the weather, how you’re feeling, etc. Less than a month ago, I ran my fastest parkrun in two years. This weekend, after two days of hiking, I was over a minute and a half slower. That’s the way it goes!
If you want to get involved, find your local parkrun HERE and sign up to run, jog, walk, or volunteer! As a note, there definitely are far fewer parkruns in the United States than in other countries that have the event, but numbers are growing all the time. And if you’re looking for an event that’s local to you, maybe it’s time to consider starting one!
thebestpossibletime 