Unbeknown to the many indulging in their hallowed weekend lie-in, an organised running revolution is swiftly gaining pace across the UK. Every Saturday at 9am (9.30am in Scotland) tens of thousands of amateur runners are ditching the duvet in favour of lacing up their trainers and pounding their local park over 5km.
This is parkrun, a non-profit running movement that began in south-west London in October 2004. Its founder, Paul Sinton-Hewitt, was running a half-marathon until a serious knee injury forced him from the track. With his injury taking nearly a year to heal – and not one to sit around – Sinton-Hewitt turned to organising a timed 5km run for 13 friends in Bushy Park, west London. There were no signs, no race numbers and no entry fees, special kit or minimum time required.
The concept quickly caught on and in 2007 a further six parkruns were established. By the time the mayor of London provided £130,000 to fund another 20 parkruns across the capital in 2010, the phenomenon was up and running.
The parkrun bug has spread across the world: parkrun fields events across 10 countries, including the US, South Africa and New Zealand. On a recent Saturday there were 210 events (165 in the UK) and 26,476 runners, with 5,421 new runners.
The success of parkrun can largely be attributed to its simplicity and accessibility. The concept is the same as it was in 2004; runners of any ability register online, turn up at their park, and run. An eclectic blend of wheelchair users, children, walkers and runners in fancy dress, with buggies or dogs, are welcome. Sponsors, including Lucozade and Adidas, cover the operational costs, while volunteers (20,000 in 2012) keep the runs in full flow.
After the event each runner is emailed their results and provided with a permanent page with a history of all their runs. For the more competitive, each event has its own points competition, and T-shirts are awarded after passing the 50 and 100 parkrun milestone.
While parkrun has been organised with the amateur in mind, professional runners, including double Olympic champion Mo Farah, make an occasional appearance.
Parkruns give beginner and casual runners a fun and easy way to assess their fitness, said middle-distance athlete and Team GB member Hannah England. “The fact national and international-standard runners frequently turn up for their local park run is evidence of how well the events are orchestrated.”
It is this communal sense of running for the people by the people that is central to the parkrun philosophy. “We have an emphasis on community participation – it’s about communities of like-minded people coming together, making friends and staying healthy,” said Tom Williams, UK parkrun country manager.
“Parkrun is a great community event that is open to all. There is clearly a big range of running abilities and the friendly atmosphere makes it a pleasure to be a part of,” said James Hughes, a student at Birmingham University and an enthusiast of the city’s Cannon Hill parkrun.
As David Cameron’s big society initiative continues to face mounting criticism, the success of parkrun is perhaps a timely reminder to critics that the values of community and volunteering continue to inspire – if not to jump out of bed on a Saturday morning.
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