Today (wed) marks the 20th anniversary of the parkrun, which first started on October 2nd 2004 in Bushy Park with just 13 runners and 5 volunteers. A 5k run at 9am every Saturday morning.

It has since grown into a global community of more than ten million people, in 23 countries, at more than 2,500 locations. 

Communities are encouraged by parkrun organisers to ‘come together’ at their local parkruns in a celebration of this milestone on Saturday 5 October and Sunday 6 October for junior parkrun.

A parkrun spokesperson told Teddington Town: “parkrun  is a charity which directly impacts the lives of millions of people around the world.

“It has an ambition to get more children active, to be the number one socially prescribed physical activity across the UK, and engage more and more of those who don’t, and may never, engage with more ‘traditional’ sport.

“We rely on donations, and the generous funding of our strategic and commercial partners. We want every person to have the opportunity to access free and inclusive physical activity in their local community, without barriers.”

INTERESTING FACTS AND STATS:

• parkrun has more than 10 million people registered worldwide.
• In the UK, the average finish time for parkrun is the slowest its ever been.
• With the recent launch of parkrun Lithuania on Saturday 21 September, parkrun now operates in 23 countries around the world.
• There are currently more than 2,500 event locations operating every single weekend, completely free to access, delivered by volunteers in the heart of their communities.
• There is a junior parkrun 2k series which takes place on a Sunday morning (in the UK, Ireland and Australia) for children aged 4-14 years and their families.
• Across both parkrun and junior parkrun, we have logged more than ONE HUNDRED MILLION finishes.
• Almost six million different/unique people have completed a parkrun course.
• More than 900,000 different people have volunteered.
• Almost 400,000 people marked themselves as completely inactive on registration.
• There are parkruns held in 25 prisons and young offenders institutions around the world, impacting the lives of more than 10,000 of those in custody.
• Almost 2,000 GP surgeries around the world are twinned with a parkrun.
• parkrun has been supported by more than 1300 unique ambassadors – covering everything from event delivery, to critical incident lines, to content creation and social media.

parkrun Founder Paul Sinton-Hewitt CBE said: “Twenty years ago, we started with just 13 runners and five volunteers in Bushy Park, united by a simple passion for running and community.

“Today, parkrun has grown into a global movement, with millions of participants in 23 countries.

“What began as a small gathering has become a powerful force for good, promoting health, happiness, and togetherness.

“I’m incredibly proud of how far we’ve come, and even more excited for the future as we continue to inspire people of all abilities to get moving, connect with others, and give back through the spirit of charity and community.” 

parkrun Global CEO Russ Jefferys said: “This is an incredibly exciting time for parkrun, not only as it celebrates this incredible milestone but as we look forward to our next 20 years as a charity, to all we can achieve – the millions more lives we can change.

“Growth hasn’t been without its challenges, and we want to thank everyone for their contributions to parkrun along the way. We look forward to working together to enable everyone to have the opportunity to be social, active and outdoors, in their local communities, without barriers.”