Walking & Running
What Is parkrun?
Register once, print your barcode and turn up: how the free Saturday 5k works for walkers, runners and volunteers across the UK.
General information, not medical advice. If you have a health condition, are pregnant or notice chest pain, dizziness or unusual breathlessness, speak to a GP or health professional before you start or carry on.
In this guide
parkrun is a free, weekly, timed 5k on Saturday mornings that anyone can join by registering once and bringing a barcode. Its Sunday morning sister event, junior parkrun, is a 2k for children aged 4 to 14.
parkrun began on 2 October 2004 at Bushy Park in Teddington, south-west London, with 13 runners, and has since spread to hundreds of parks across the UK and to other countries. Every event is organised by local volunteers, and there is no time limit: you can walk, jog, run or volunteer, or do a mix of all four.
How to Start and What to Bring
To begin, register on the parkrun website. You only need to do this once, and your barcode is valid at every parkrun event in the world. The barcode is how your attendance is recorded and how you get a result, so bring it every time, printed or on your phone. If you forget it, you can still take part, but you will not receive a time.
You can find your nearest event by putting a postcode, town name or event name into parkrun's map. Each event's own page explains where the start is and what the course is like.
Arrive 15 to 20 minutes before the start. parkruns start at 9:00am in England and Wales, and at 9:30am in Scotland and Northern Ireland. Most events hold a short first-timers' briefing before the run, so it is worth being there for that.
What to Expect on the Day
Walking is part of the event, not a sideline. Every parkrun has a volunteer tail walker who is always the last person to cross the finish line, so nobody finishes last. Courses are signposted and marshals stand along the route to point the way and offer encouragement. You do not need running kit either; wear whatever you are comfortable walking, jogging or running 5k in.
At the finish you collect a finish token, then take it and your barcode to the barcode scanners. Your result arrives by email or text once the volunteer team has processed the results. If you have a health condition, heart or joint problems, are pregnant, or feel pain, chest pain, dizziness or unusual breathlessness, stop and speak to a GP or health professional; walking the course is always an option.
Volunteering and Milestone Clubs
Volunteer roles include marshals, timekeepers, barcode scanners, finish token support and the tail walker, and volunteering counts as taking part just as much as running does.
parkrun rewards persistence rather than speed. When you reach 10 (for under-18s), 25, 50, 100, 200, 250, 300 and every further 100 Saturday 5k parkruns up to 1,000, whether you walk, jog, run or volunteer, you join a milestone club and can order a milestone T-shirt through your parkrun profile. Children at junior parkrun have their own milestones, starting at 10, marked with wristbands handed out at the event.
Before you go, check your chosen event's page for the start location and any cancellations, then simply turn up with your barcode.
