How Parkrun Revolutionized Saturday Mornings

Whether you're a seasoned parkrunner or just curious , this episode is a perfect celebration of 20 years of free , weekly-timed 5Ks . So let's get into it . So you're thinking about running but not sure how to take the first step . My name's Brian Patterson and I'm here to help , and welcome to Brian's RunPod Rumpod .

Today we're going to be talking about events for runners . Well , more specifically , the birth of Parkrun for runners . Well , more specifically , the birth of Parkrun .

Parkrun , stylised as Parkrun , is a collection of five kilometre events for walkers , runners and volunteers that take place every Saturday morning for more than 2,000 locations in 22 countries across six continents . Well , how did it all start ? Well , parkrun was founded by Paul Sinton Hewitt on the 2nd of October 2004 at Bushy Park , london , england .

The event was originally called the Bushy Park Time Trial . It grew into a network of similar events called the UK Time Trials , before adopting the name Parkrun in 2008 and expanding into other countries .

Run in 2008 and expanding into other countries the first event outside of the United Kingdom was launched in Zimbabwe in 2007 , followed by Denmark in 2009 , south Africa and Australia in 2011 and the United States in 2012 . St Inuit received a CBE for his services to grassroots sports in 2014 .

By October 2018 , over 5 million runners were registered worldwide , and that includes me . Well , what about ? Paul ? Sidney Hewitt was born in Zimbabwe and went to Portish Frome High School for Boys . I completely destroyed that high school . I do do apologize .

As a boarder in south africa , he became a club runner with a personal best time in the marathon for two hours and 36 minutes and that's pretty fast . In 2004 , cinton hewer was suffering from depression and unable to run due to an injury . Plus , he was unemployed and had just lost his job .

So he'd founded Parkrun as he wanted to spend more time with his friends . His philosophy from day one I never wanted to Parkrun to compete with other clubs and I didn't want to compete with the races . I just wanted to be part of the community .

My objection to clubs and governing bodies is that they feel they own you and they can direct you to do things in fact and that's not true People do what they want to do . All we are doing here is building a playground . If you want to come and take part , you can . People have recognized that it's free in every sense of the word .

It's not just that you don't have to pay , but you're not signing your life away either . There are no terms and conditions , just the same obligations you have as a citizen walking down the street . What was the circumstances ? Well , he said that it had been on his mind for a few years to start Parkrun .

He said that he'd had every confidence that this time would come . This does not ? Does this not remind you of a famous phrase from field of dreams if you build it , they will come . So in october 2004 , 13 runners met up in bushy park , and I think I knew 10 of them , and 10 of them out of the 13 .

That's what paul says bus Bushy Park and more For the next two and a bit years . It was all about Bushy Park . A lot of the people were coming , but they weren't the people I expected . They weren't the races and the club runners . Those people came too , but they brought their partners and children .

There were a lot of positive feedback and a lot of people asked for more locations . It was in 2007 when they started their second run and that was the Wimbledon Common , which was about five miles from Bushy Park . In that year they went from one park run Bushy to five Wimbledon , richmond , banstead , leeds , high Park .

The first three were all my mates , he says . Then leeds . That was tom williams , co-host of the marathon talk podcast and parkrun's uk managing director . Now tom says that he remembers he saw something in runner's world . He said I'd won some award I can't remember what for it was the runner's world Heroes for Running Award for philanthropy .

And he saw the write-up and as part of his work at the university , he'd been asked with finding some event where the students could engage with the local community and he thought Park Run would work . He phoned Paul , came down to see me and I gave him everything so he could become part of the family .

They doubled every year 1 to 5 , 5 to 15 , 5 to 35 and so on . People asked him in those days , what's your goal ? And I'd say well , I think there should be a park run in every community . I don't think it would be me who'd be making that happen . So it was simple , it should just exist . Making that happen . So it was simple , it should just exist .

In a 2013 article in , the Guardian , noted that the rapid growth of parkrun and suggested that this was mainly due to its simplicity and accessibility . Runners registered online once turn up of any event and run .

Inclusivity was also a factor , as participants have a wide range of running abilities , from fast club runners to those walking , a wide range of ages , and children running with their parents to the elderly Also allowed wheelchair users , those pushing buggies and people running with their dog .

In 2015 , more than 80,000 people were gathering in parks across the world each week to run , jog , walk , parkrun More than twice the number who would take part in the annual London Marathon . In 2016 , 1.1 million different people completed a parkrun and 142,000 gave their time to volunteer their time to volunteer .

In 2018 , on average Saturday , around a quarter of a million runners took part in 1,500 events spread over 20 countries . So well , how was it funded ? In the beginning , he funded everything . He went to work , I took half my salary , he says , and I put it into Parkrun . In the last 10 years , parkrun has cost in excess of three million pounds .

We got our first sponsorship in 2009 , then in 2010 we partnered with lucas aid and nike . He says that this is a business in every sense of the word . We employ people , we have obligations , we have costs that are quite large and our websites are as professional as most organisations . We do the best we can to make sure that this isn't Mickey Mouse Now .

They have relationships with third parties like Peru Health , and they get grants from organisations like the London Marathon . They also have a shop where they try and sell some stuff , but make sure that all the commercial activities are as low-key as possible and so they don't invade the trust runners have in parkrun . Well , what about volunteering ?

Volunteering is a very serious and difficult business . It's not like employing people directly . The key for them is that their events are short . It's easy to engage in someone as a volunteer for an hour than it is for three to four hours .

However , I think that the other key thing that is that when they started this , they said that it will always go for a coffee afterwards and that the act of going for a coffee creates a sense of community and that encourages other people to get involved .

He says it's liberating for a lot of a sense of community and that encourages other people to get involved . He says it's liberating for a lot of people . I started this park run because I wanted to do something for my community . For every one of the next 542 events , there's been at least one person who has wanted to do the same .

They wanted to do something for their community , so they came forward and volunteered . So what's been the motivation ? Well , the Journal of Public Health reported in a 2013 study upon 7,308 park-run participants that the events were attractive to the people who described themselves as non-runners , with women , older adults , overweight people well represented .

A 2015 qualitative study of the University of Loughborough found that the runners attending a park run for the first time were typically motivated for weight loss , for an improvement in their physical fitness .

On the other hand , there was a range of different motivations for runners to continue regularly taking part , with runners wanting to beat their personal record , to reach a certain number of runs , join a milestone club , to enjoy being outdoors at the park , to make new friends through volunteering , or to make existing friends or a family for the run .

Make existing friends or a family for the run . So how do we participate ? All park runs are five kilometres , which is 3.1 miles in length , and are free to enter . Anyone can take part , from pensioners to parents with children , people with their dogs , wheelchair users , people pushing prams , club runners or casual runners .

Although not all courses are suitable for participants , beginner runners , older adults and overweight people are common . They usually take place at the same time , at the same place , on the same course , once per week .

Excuse me , there is no formal procedure before the run where the participants ask to arrive shortly before the start time and wait near the starting line . A run director will make announcements giving safety instructions and community news before beginning their run .

Participants run or walk the course and are directed by marshals along the correct route to the finish line . Excuse me , frog in my throat . As each runner enters the finish funnel , a volunteer records the finish place number and time . The information recorded by the timers is later uploaded onto a computer which allows runners to be matched with their times .

Results are uploaded to the Parkrun website , which also generates a number of statistics .

The results available are the finishing position for both male and female runners , the time taken to complete the run , whether or not your personal best time has been achieved and the total number of runs completed by the individual , their age grade , result , their position in relation to other veteran or junior runners .

Milestone clubs Now , if you are a regular and you participate in various clubs , when a runner reaches 50 runs , they join a milestone club called the 50 club and they can claim a red park run t-shirt . When a runner reaches 100 runs , they join the 100 club and can claim the black t-shirt .

Likewise , the 250 club offers a green t-shirt and then the 500 club a blue t-shirt . They also have the same categories for people who have volunteered . The milestone and volunteer t-shirts were free until September 2021 , at which point they became chargeable .

At this time , 25 purple Milestone t-shirts was added and more volunteer t-shirts were introduced to align with the Milestone t-shirts of 50 red , 100 black , 250 green and 500 blue . What about individual running records ?

Well , at the time of this recording , the female running record is Isabel Batt-Doyle , on the 31st of December 2022 , with a time of 15 minutes 25 at Aldinga Beach Park Run in Adelaide , australia . The male world record holder is Andrew Badley , set a time of 13 minutes 48 at Bushy Park Run on the 11th of August 2012 .

Age-graded record holder is Fajua Singh , set a 179.04% at Valentine's Park Run on the 31st of March 2012 , the day before his 101st birthday , witha time of 38 minutes 34 seconds . The top locations for Park Run well , you've got the United Kingdom . One Locations Australia , with 455 . South Africa has 189 . Russia , would you believe , has 109 . Ireland , 106 .

Poland , 85 . United States 56 . And , would you believe it , there's even one on the Falkland Islands has one which goes around the Cape of Pembroke Lighthouse Park Run .

So , as I mentioned earlier , it all started back in 2004 , when Paul St Hewitt had this simple yet brilliant idea create a free event that would bring people together through running , making sure it was inclusive and open to everyone . And that's exactly what happened .

What began as a small gathering known as the bushy park time trial quickly grew into something such so much bigger a global movement with over 2 000 locations in more than 22 countries . At the core of park run success is its unwavering commitment to community and accessibility .

It didn't matter if you're a season runner or someone who just wanted to start your fitness journey . Everyone was welcome . No fees , no pressure , just a supportive space to run , walk or jog . This approach really resonated with people from all walks of life , which is why millions of participants have been drawn to Parkrun .

We also dove into some of the incredible achievements from within the Parkrun community . Parkrun has expanded well beyond its UK roots , popping up in places like Russia and even the Falkland Islands . With over 770 locations in the UK alone , it became a key part of so many local communities , fostering friendships and promoting healthier lifestyles .

Its growth is testament to how something so simple and welcoming can evolve into a beloved fixture in the running world . Another big reason why Parkrun's success the volunteers . They're the ones who keep everything running smoothly , literally . We highlighted how important volunteering is to Parkrun experience and how it strengthens their sense of community .

It lets not forget the post-run coffee ritual . It's more than just a run . It's a chance to connect with others and feel like you're part of something special . Parkrun's story shows just how powerful grassroots movements can be , especially when they're focused on something as positive as bringing people together .

And through Parkrun has grown into a business with sponsorships and partnerships . It stayed true to its original values of accessibility and community engagement . Whether you're a non-runner looking to get active or a seasoned athlete chasing a personal best , park Run has something for everyone .

So if you're curious about Park Run or already a fan , this episode offered a deep dive into its history and its many achievements and where it's heading next . And so many continue for another 20 years . My hope is that you walked away feeling inspired by Parkrun's incredible legacy and its role as a transformative force in the running community .