Looking for a free, fun, family activity? Check out Parkrun!
Are you looking for a fitness activity that you can do with your whole family, that happens every week, rain or shine and allows you to accomplish challenges and meet people in a welcoming and supportive environment? Parkrun may be for you!
Parkrun originated in the UK, with the first run being held at Bushy Park in 2004. From there, it has grown into a global phenomenon, with runs being held in 1404 locations around the world. Every Saturday morning at 0900hrs, volunteers support a 5 km run or walk in each of these locations, and it’s completely free. The minimum age to participate is 4 (kids under 11 must be within arm’s reach of a responsible adult), and there is no maximum age. While some people work hard to set new personal bests (PBs), walkers and runners of all speeds are encouraged along the way. There is always a “tail walker” walking the course to close it, so you’ll never be last! Depending on the location, strollers and dogs are also welcome – but please check the event-specific site to make sure.
Some locations also hold a specific, kids-only, Parkrun Junior event. These runs happen at 0900hrs on Sunday mornings and are open for kids aged 4-14. Shorter than the regular Parkrun, the juniors complete a 2 km course. In my experience, Parkrun Junior courses are usually loops around quieter parks, so kids are easy to supervise and manage, a bonus for the parents! Parents can run (or walk) the course with their children, but at the finish, only the kids can go through the finish chute and get their timing token. Parkrun Junior gives out milestone bracelets for kids as they complete more Parkruns, it’s a free and cute recognition and motivation program that starts at the Parkrun Junior Half-Marathon level (11x 2km runs). I’m amazed at some of the kids at my local Parkrun Junior who are recognized for achieving 100 runs or more, that is some incredible dedication.
Parkrun is free, but you do need to register. Once you complete registration, you’ll be issued a barcode number that is yours for life. The most important thing is to make sure you have your barcode with you when you complete a Parkrun! When you finish a run, you’ll be given a timing token, and you take both that and your barcode to a volunteer who will scan them for you and take back the token. No barcode, no result!
How to Sign Up for Parkrun
Signing up for Parkrun is quick and easy, ensuring you and your family can enjoy a fun, active morning together. Follow these simple steps to get started:
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Visit the Parkrun Website: Go to the official Parkrun site at parkrun.com
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Register Online: Click on the 'Register' button and fill out the registration form with your details. You’ll need to provide your name, email address, and home parkrun location.
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Receive Your Barcode: After registering, you’ll get a confirmation email with a unique barcode. Print it out or save it to your phone—this is how your time will be recorded at each event.
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Attend Your First Event: On the day, bring your barcode, dress comfortably, and arrive a few minutes early for the briefing. All ages and abilities are welcome!
Connecting with the CAF Community
In addition to registering with Parkrun, my family really enjoys the Parkrun app. The map function allows you to easily find runs in locations of interest to you, and there are a mind-boggling number of challenges that it will track for you. Can you do a Parkrun for every letter of your name? Do you want to build your app profile to showcase your personal achievements, or even other countries that you’ve completed a Parkrun in? This app is the place to gather all of that data.
If you start to attend your local Parkrun regularly, you’ll be surprised at how quickly you meet other active members of your local community. If you get into Parkrun tourism, maybe you’d like to meet up with other members of the CAF community here in the UK at a Parkrun in their area? To facilitate this, I’ve created a Strava group titled CFMWS in the UK Run and Parkrun Club. Feel free to join and connect with other CAF community Parkruners. Parkrun tourism is a great way to get out and explore a new location, and with so many locations around the UK, it would be easy to tie in a run with a chance to relax and explore locations you may never have thought of for a day, or even a weekend trip if you’re feeling ambitious.
Volunteering in your Parkrun Community
Parkrun runs on volunteer efforts, so if you’re looking to get involved in a non-running capacity, there are great roles available for you. You still need a barcode, and you should reach out to your local Parkrun through email if you’d like to volunteer. They have a variety of roles (trail marshal, timekeepers, finish tokens, etc), and the organizers will give you the training that you need to be able to do any of the roles. My family volunteers regularly at our local Parkrun Junior (my son started there to complete his Duke of Edinburgh volunteer requirements), and it’s been such a positive experience. We’ve met lots of local runners and parents through our volunteer efforts and learned lots about fun local events to participate in. When it comes to feeling like we’ve actually formed a sense of community here in the UK, I can honestly say that Parkrun, and volunteering, have been fundamental to that.
Training for 5km
Remember, Parkrun is a run, not a race! You should be confident in your ability to run or walk the course though, but there are lots of training programs available to help you work up to it. The NHS has a great Couch to 5Km training program, available digitally through an app, or as a pdf, with lots of great info on training, nutrition and stretching on the website as well.
See you at Parkrun
I hope you and your family can register and try out a Parkrun one Saturday morning. It’s a lovely, friendly, and supportive event, and it happens everywhere across the UK, so there’s certain to be one near you! Have fun exploring the app, checking out the challenges, trying for a new PB, or even just getting started on a 5km training plan. If you have any questions, or run into any stumbles with the tech, feel free to reach out!
