parkrun, my favourite community organization
parkrun (yes, written with a lowercase "p") is an awesome community-driven running initiative 🏃. Anyone can join and run, jog or walk the route. All parkrun routes around the globe are 3.1mi (5km).
There are currently over 936 events per week across all five continents. parkrun is especially popular in the UK, and now starting to take off in the USA. The unofficial parkrun vision statement is:
To create a healthier and happier planet by continually breaking down barriers to participation and bringing people together from all walks of life, whenever they want to come along.
It's me in Cape Town!
parkrun's secret sauce
- Participation is free. I do not know about you, but I like free stuff! The only request is that everyone volunteers 1-3 times a year.
- Volunteers organize events. 10-20 volunteers per event take care of setup, health & safety, barcode scanning, photography, signage and whatever else needs doing.
- Participants register on-line to get a unique barcode. Your results are emailed after each run. You can also track your performance over time over on the parkrun website. The system is efficient and inexpensive.
- Same time, same place, same distance, week-after-week. Most runs start 8am or 9am, depending on the country and track. Events are vary rarely cancelled, often continuing in stormy conditions. Strong consistency makes is easy to plan and helps participation numbers to grow.
- A passionate community with strong leadership structures in every country. Regional directors often include local running celebrities to boost marketing exposure.
- Celebration of achievement. parkrun is not a race. Instead, there are achievement rewards for milestones: 10 runs for kids; 50 runs, 100 runs, 200 runs for adults. I am getting my 50 runs milestone shirt next week, can't wait 😎.
- Corporate sponsorships. Overheads are low due to volunteers doing most of the work. Still, sponsorship money is used for barcode scanners, signage, awards, health & safetey, and other materials.
Neither rain nor sleet...
Who pays for venues?
Events are usually organised in free public parks. The huge size of some parkrun crowds have drawn criticism that parkrun should pay for upkeep of parks.
Some of the best events are close to community or farmers' markets... Private land is provided to parkrun for free. A decent portion of the parkrun crowd visits the market afterwards for coffee and breakfast, creating a win-win with the owners.
It's me in a field.
How can I get started?
Google to find out if there are parkrun events near you. If there are none, and you are up a for a real challenge, you can request assistance to a new parkrun event.
Also see this post by @shazza
Sources
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