So this week the Parkrun newsletter popped into my inbox and I saw that they are celebrating their 9th birthday. When it started they had 13 runners, and now they have over 630,000 runners registered. That is some impressive growth. They are all over the UK (check the website to find one near you) and they have spread into Europe, Australia, New Zealand, North America and South Africa.
I am a relative newcomer to Parkrun- my first one was in March this year- and I don’t manage to go every week (in fact today was my 8th one, plus 3 times volunteering) but I love it and now really look forward to it starting my Saturday.
Just why do I love it so much? When my Dad first mentioned it to me, I mentioned it to Andy who basically said “I could have run a 5K and be home and showered before you have even got to the start”. Which is a good point. But then I started running with Sweatshop and found that I loved running with other people- it helped me speed up a lot, and helped me to run without a podcast or music. My Dad mentioned it to me again, and it came at the perfect time as I was all signed up to marathon talk’s Jantastic, and the third challenge was to predict a time- I had chosen a 5K time of 27.00 (although I had somehow entered 27 hours not minutes as my prediction)- so I went with my Dad and brother in the pouring rain– I managed 27.12 so I was pretty close to my prediction, and got a 5K pb to boot!
I love the whole ethos of Parkrun. Run by runners and volunteers. It is free to enter, welcomes club runners, joggers, people new to exercising, families, children, some courses are wheelchair /running buggy accessible… basically it is inclusive to all.
I love that it is a run and not a race. The people who come at the front are the first finishers and not the winners.
I think that runners are really friendly, and I love that the volunteers (and fast finishers) cheer everyone on. My local one is a large event, and when I have helped there is some community aspect there as there is a core of people who know each other well, and from what I have heard, smaller events are really friendly and everyone gets to know everyone else.
I love the feeling of starting Saturday off with short sharp exercise- it is done in half an hour and by 10am I can be home and out of the shower, full of energy for the rest of the day.
I love that there are children involved- some of them run, some of them stand by the side and cheer the runners on- it is great for them to see some positive role models, and enjoy being out in the fresh air.
I also really love the timing system and all the stats. The timing is so clever, and later in the day/ over the weekend, you get a text (or email, or both, or just check the website) with your placing, time, whether it was a pb, how many Parkruns you have completed and more!
I was not sure that I would continue to go, because I tend to like having a long run on a Saturday morning, but I have managed to fit it into my running routine. I find that I need a rest day after a long run, but I am OK to run the day before, so some weeks I have been to Parkrun on Saturday, and then done a long run on the Sunday. I have not run the day before a race (although I did today, as tomorrow the 10 miles are the same distance to some of my half marathon training runs), but then if I am around those days are a good day to be a volunteer.
I would love to get my 5K pb down even further. A few weeks ago I managed 26.50, which I was so exited by! But I want to go faster and would like to go at least once a month.
I also want to earn my 50 t-shirt. It will take me a few years, but it is the sort of thing that has no shortcut. Paul who blogs at Father Fitness recently completed his 50th Parkrun, which is a fantastic achievement.
Some other bloggers who have bitten the Parkrun bug are Lara, Lauren, Anna, Mary, Catherine, Claire and Steph to name quite a few (apologies if I missed you off)- check them out if you want to be enthused further with the whole concept!
Post Parkrun pumpkin pancakes (love some alliteration) are the best too. I used the last of my Orgran Buckwheat pancake mix, some egg replacer and a big tbs pumpkin puree, plus soya milk. I cooked the apples in gingerbread syrup, and added some cinnamon at the end, and then topped the pancakes with a few Beyond Dark chocolate chips.
So happy birthday to Parkrun, long may it continue.
If you go to Parkrun, what do you love most about it?
If not, would you be tempted?
I’d love to do a Parkrun, but the closest one to me is 45 minutes from where I live. I should start one close to me, huh? 🙂
Good plan! My closest is about 25 mins away so not too bad- too far to run to though!
I absolutely love Parkrun, think you summed it up perfectly Maria!
Argh sorry I missed you off! Glad you love it too!
I would love to try a park run, I know there are a few locally. I’m not sure when I’ll ever be in a position to run again without worrying about the stress to my hormones, but I’d like to think that when I do I’ll start with doing a few park runs!
They do encourage people to walk or walk/run too, so there is always that option. I think they are as relaxed as you want them to be, so hopefully you will get to one at some point.
Great post, I love the inclusivity of Parkrun, it’s so great to see such a broad spectrum of people all out for the same reason on a Saturday morning. I’ve only done 3 (2 in Cardiff, 1 in Dublin) but I am definitely going to keep going once we move to London there’s a fair few there to check out. It’s not something I’d do every week but a few times a month for sure. I’ve definitely noticed a big difference in my speed, next goal is to get under 25 mins.
A great goal indeed!
You will be spoilt for choice in London- there are loads!
Thank you for the mention 🙂
The thing I like about our parkrun? Well, for one, it’s really pretty. I’ve looked up a couple of other parkruns on the website before, but I reckon that for scenery, Killerton is in a league of its own. I also love that it isn’t competitive but gets you used to running with other people (a useful skill!) and it is welcoming and encouraging, even to the people at the back like me!
Liiiittle bit excited for my link up there!
Excited to do Parkrun again this Saturday, determined to go under 30 mins!
I love Parkrun. I love the community most of all. Loads of my running club go there and it’s like a little social every Saturday. It’s only 4 miles away so I can run there and back and make it a long run if I fancy (or just run there and Ben drives me back). It’s literally 10 minutes away in the car and it’s in a lovely location. I use them as either a ‘shakeout’ run before a race or as a speed session. I love seeing the improvements! We’re quite lucky as we have three near us, all around 20 minutes away.