A charity that runs free, volunteer-led 5km events every Saturday morning (and 2km junior events on Sundays) in parks and open spaces across the UK.
Parkrun organises free, timed 5km events that take place in parks and open spaces on Saturday mornings. You can run, jog, walk or volunteer, and you register once and bring a barcode to any event. Results are recorded for each person, but the events are not races against others. Junior parkrun is a 2km event for ages 4 to 14, held on Sunday mornings. Wikipedia lists 871 UK locations and 478 UK junior locations, though the date of those figures is not shown. The founder, Paul Sinton-Hewitt, wrote in a 2019 blog that its best-kept secret is that it is 'not really about the running at all'.
The first event took place on 2 October 2004 in Bushy Park in south-west London with 13 runners and a small number of volunteers, started by Paul Sinton-Hewitt, a club runner who was injured and missed the social side of running. It stayed a single event for two years. A second event followed at Wimbledon Common in 2007 once numbers passed 300, and volunteers in Leeds, Wales and Scotland then asked to copy the model. Mr Sinton-Hewitt received a CBE in 2014 for services to grassroots sport. Parkrun became a registered charity in 2017. Wikipedia quotes its mission as 'a healthier and happier planet'.
The organisation's headquarters is in Richmond, London, and Wikipedia names Russ Jefferys as chief executive. Events are held in public parks and open spaces across all four nations, usually with a local café nearby for the post-run chat. Local authorities support many events. The Royal College of General Practitioners works with parkrun on promoting healthy living, and parkrun has said its events are open to families, walkers, people with prams, wheelchair users and visually impaired runners with guides.
Volunteering is central to the culture. Every event is run entirely by volunteers in roles such as run director, timekeeper, marshal, barcode scanner and tail walker (the person who walks at the back so nobody finishes alone). Milestone T-shirts celebrate 25, 50, 100, 250 and 500 runs and 25 or more volunteer sessions, so taking part is rewarded as much as speed. Parkrun said in 2024 that it removed some performance statistics because they were out of step with its mission to include people who feel anxious about taking part.
Because the events are volunteer-led, the paid team at head office is small compared with the size of the activity. We could not find a staff number or a list of head office departments. The organisation runs a large online system for results and registration, supports thousands of volunteer-led events, builds partnerships with local councils and health bodies, and runs communications and community support, so there is work in technology, events, partnerships and communications. It is also a good example of how you can start with volunteering.
Website: www.parkrun.org.uk
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