From Aziemore to Adelaide, Seattle to Shingashigawa, if you walk past a park at 9am this weekend you may well witness scores of walkers, joggers and runners celebrating the 20th birthday of one of the 21st century’s feel-good sporting stories. The event? Parkrun.
From the humble begins of 13 runners and three volunteers at London’s Bushy Park in 2004, Parkrun has become a genuine global phenomenon. The 5km timed events (they’re not known as races) are held in parks, woodlands, hills, beaches and open spaces across the globe on Saturday mornings for adults (5km) and Sunday mornings for juniors (4–14-year-olds, 2km). You can also bring a buggy (depending on the course conditions) or a dog, if it’s attached to a handheld lead by your side.
At the last count, some 3,395,615 finishers have crossed one of Parkrun’s 288,840 finish lines since the Zimbabwean-born runner Paul Sinton-Hewitt created the event two decades ago. That period has included 58,464,910 parkrun finishes, with the 45,9171 volunteers vital to the series’ ongoing success.
What's an average Parkrun time?
Parkrun’s inclusivity is highlighted by its average finishing time, which has increased from 22:17mins in 2005 to 29:22mins in 2018 and over 32-minutes in 2023. The ‘no one finishes last’ ethos has always remained, but a competitive edge at the front of the field has always existed for those chasing PBs (personal bests). The two fastest recorded parkruns are Ciara Mageean, who clocked a 15:13min time in Belfast, Northern Ireland, in 2023, and Andrew Butchart, who broke the tape at Edinburgh, Scotland, with a 13:45min finish, also in 2023.
What are the benefits of Parkrun?
The benefits stretch beyond the physical. Research conducted by Staffordshire University in England has shown that parkrun boosts mental health, including a sense of achievement and connecting with others. Chrissie Wellington, a four-time Ironman triathlon world champion and parkrun’s Global Lead for Health & Wellbeing, has firsthand experience of the series’ benefits. “We need to encourage people to be more active, to connect with nature and to socialise for both physical and mental wellbeing,” she told us back in 2021. “And parkrun provides exactly that.”
- What muscles does running work?
- Trail running guide: what it is, benefits, what to wear, and getting started
- 10 most beautiful Parkrun routes in the UK
In terms of funding, parkruns are still free of charge to participants as they’re principally run by volunteers. The income comes from sponsorship and grants, with commercial revenue from apparel, wristbands and accessories also contributing.
Parkruns around the world
The first international event was in Zimbabwe in 2007, with Denmark the next country to adopt parkrun in 2009. The series now encompasses 833 international events in 23 countries, including South Africa, Namibia, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Malaysia, Canada and the USA, with Paul Freyne having completed parkruns in 695 of those locations.
The last 20 years haven’t always been plain sailing for parkrun’s organisers, however. In 2016, the Stoke Gifford Parish in Bristol, England, voted to charge runners a fee to participate. The council wouldn’t budge from that decision and the event was cancelled, with the British Government soon proposing that local councils in England wouldn’t be allowed to charge for parkruns in public parks.
The Covid-19 pandemic witnessed worldwide parkruns put on hiatus in March 2020, before returning in June 2021 in Northern Ireland. Parkrun events in France are also currently suspended due to legal issues relating to medical certificates in the country.
Controversy followed in 2024 when Parkrun removed the event statistics from their website – including course records, most first finishes, sub-17-minute men and sub-20-minute women, age-graded records and category records – in a bid to make the series even more inclusive. This led to a petition with over 15,000 signatures to reverse the move to no avail.
With the average finishing times of Parkrun now being over 30-minutes, the lack of online statistics will matter little to the majority of runners this weekend. Fresh air, physical and mental benefits, socialisation and perhaps a post-event slice of birthday cake will be the more pressing priorities.
As for the future of the series, countries including Spain, Portugal, China, India and Brazil aren’t currently hosting Parkruns. So, here’s to another 20 years of inclusivity, expansion and empowerment. Happy birthday, parkrun.
How to take part in Parkrun
Our top tips for completing your 5km adventure
- To get started, simply set up your account at parkrun.org.uk. Ideally print your barcode before arriving, but plenty of events now have barcode scanners that will read your phone.
- Invite a friend! Walking, jogging and running is made much easier with company. Just remember to keep to your own speed.
- The beauty of parkrun is their variety. No course is the same. This does mean that the terrain can vary from flat concrete paths to hilly muddy trails, however, so aim to understand the terrain and likely weather conditions before picking your footwear accordingly. We’d recommend sturdy and comfortable trainers for the Parkrun completers over speedy competers out there.
- Parkruns are held 52 weeks a year, with special events around the Christmas period. Aim to dress accordingly. A lightweight jacket that you can stash in a pocket is one of our recommended kit buys.
- After the 9am horn/whistle/bell is sounded, a host of runners at the front will disappear in pursuit of a personal best time. Don’t attempt to follow them. Keep at your own pace and your heart rate under control. If you want to improve your time each week, the aim is to ‘negative split’, which is when you complete the second 2.5km faster than the first. Save some energy for a finishing straight sprint!
