Motivation

parkrun 20th Anniversary

20-years ago, Paul Sinton-Hewitt gathered a group of friends together in Bushy park, London to run 5k. On that day, there were 13 runners and five volunteers and all they had was a stopwatch and some washers from a hardware store to act as finish tokens. The friends continued to meet on a Saturday morning and soon the name Bushy Park Time Trial was developed. Little did they know that their Saturday morning social run would become the global phenomenon that is parkrun.

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Pictured: Paul Sinton-Hewitt. Photo credit: Tom Harrison

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There are now more than 2,400 parkruns worldwide and thousands of people walk, jog, run and volunteer at parkrun every week to lead happier and healthier lives. In fact, there are now over 10 million registered parkrunners globally.

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To celebrate parkrun’s 20th Anniversary we took a look back at some of the key moments that have made parkrun what it is today and heard from parkrun founder, Paul Sinton-Hewitt, about his memories from the past two decades of parkrun. 

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2004 - the first event in Bushy park, the Bushy Park Time Trial

Paul: I was injured and missing my running friends, so I invited them down to Bushy Park in October 2004 and made a deal with them. If they came with me for coffee after, I would set them off, time their 5k route and give everyone a time. 13 runners and 5 volunteers turned up (including myself) - and that was the start! 

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2007 - the first event outside of London - Hyde Park Time Trial in Leeds

Paul: I never thought parkrun would be anything more than one event. But then it spread to Wimbledon Common first, then to the outskirts of London and then the launch up in Leeds - the fifth event to join the parkrun family! 

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2007 - the first person to hit 100 milestone at the 125th event in Bushy Park. Awarded a black fleece

Paul: Darren Wood was the first person to reach 100 parkruns and it seemed the right thing to do to commemorate the milestone. We presented him with a black fleece and really that was the start of the official milestones we know and love today!

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2008 - the name parkrun was adopted
Paul: As the scale of the Time Trial grew, there were discussions about the name. One of our early volunteers, Stuart Lodge, didn’t think the name represented the community based Saturday runs and suggested parkrun. 

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2009 - barcodes were introduced

Paul: Before barcodes were introduced, we checked people in on laptops and we used washers from a hardware store as the finish tokens! But as the numbers increased, barcodes made it much easier!

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2009 - the first international parkrun took place in Copenhagen

Paul: The first international parkrun was in Zimbabwe, however, Copenhagen was the first international parkrun that’s still in existence today!

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2010 - junior parkrun started in Bushy Park

Paul: Junior parkrun is so important to parkrun. Seeing children aged 4-14 be active in the park every Sunday with their friends and families - it’s very special. 

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2015 - volunteer 25 milestone was created

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2016 - the parkrun Apricot range was launched

Paul: This was such an exciting moment - seeing people at parkrun all over the world in the (now famous) parkrun apricot colour!

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2017 - tail walkers were made mandatory at parkrun events

Paul: We welcomed people to walk at parkrun, to take as long as they liked to complete the course, but our insight told us that people were afraid of coming last. By making sure that every event had a tail walker who would finish last we removed that barrier to participation.  

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2018 - parkrun practice started

Paul: This is such a great initiative. Partnering GP surgeries with their local parkrun events. This allows surgeries and healthcare professionals to signpost their patients and staff to parkrun, to make the most of the physical and mental health benefits parkrun offers to those who need it the most. 

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2024 - 10 million registered parkrunners

Paul: Wow! What a milestone! And what a year to celebrate it - along with our 20th anniversary. I never dreamed we’d get there, I hoped that we would - but seeing it - it’s just phenomenal. And we’re only just beginning!

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Pictured: Paul Sinton-Hewitt at the parkrun 20th anniversary event. Photo credit: Tom Harrison

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We are extremely proud to support parkrun as their official retail partner and to help keep parkrun free for everyone, forever.

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Click here for more information about parkrun and the Apricot range

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