Parkrun

Parkrun (styled parkrun) is a collection of 5-kilometre (3.1 mi) events for runners, walkers and volunteers that take place every Saturday morning at more than 2,000 locations in 23 countries across five continents. Parkrun was founded by Paul Sinton-Hewitt on 2 October 2004 at Bushy Park, in London, England; it 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. The first event outside the United Kingdom was launched in Zimbabwe in 2008, followed by Denmark in 2009, South Africa and Australia in 2011, and the United States in 2012. Sinton-Hewitt was appointed a CBE for his services to grass-roots sport in 2014. By October 2018, over five million runners were registered worldwide; the total is now over ten million. The millionth Parkrun event took place on the weekend of 13/14 June 2026. Events take place at a range of general locations including parks, stately homes, forests, rivers, lakes, reservoirs, beaches, promenades, prisons and nature reserves. A parkrun milestone T-shirt is offered for purchase to volunteers and runners who have participated in a specific number of runs or events. Runners can travel to and complete any Parkrun other than those on closed sites, such as prisons and military bases.