http://www.parkrun.org.uk/southwickcountrypark/

I have just started running after a very long break and find this great .Free to register and run and a good website .All ages and abilities are catered for..I seem to finish higher in a running event than I do in cycling ones!!

Yep. Been doing it for a couple of months and love the informality of it. Great idea and as there are a couple of events within a short drive of me I intend to give a few a try for a bit of variety. There’s a good atmosphere amongst the regulars at my local one.

Yes – up to number 87 now. There’s been a couple of other threads on this a while back, so search them, but parkrun’s awesome I love it. It’s my only regular run, other runs are a bit hit & miss for me, so it’s important. Plus, I run it with (against) my dad and brother so a bit of a family affair. Pb is 19:05, consistently managing 19:20 (Banstead woods in Surrey – fairly hilly course)

Planning one in December

I like it because its informal and a great concept ,turn up run get a time (if you remember your barcode).All abilities from 15 mins to 45 mins and friendly .Probably slower than on the road because its gravel and ours is slightly up hill (or seems that way )

Think they’re great, although I’m v off and on with them. I’ll do a month or two and get out of the habit, as I don’t do any other running. S Manchester has 3 or 4 to choose from, tend to do a small one in Heaton Mersey – about 40 runners, nice course. 22.40 my PB – it’s a good way to start the day.

Like how you get into battles with regular faces. There’s this bald-heided arl fella who I can beat on a good day, runs like a metronome. He finishes and looks like he’s got another 20K in him easy, whereas I’m flopping on the ground like a landed carp, gasping for air.

Like how you get into battles with regular faces.

This.

I have a skinny kid in his early 20’s a bloke who must be 60 and a guy about my age and we always seem to finish at around the same time. The last half mile of ours is quite entertaining now as we jostle for position 😀

I’m up to number 11. The Mrs will be doing her 50th very soon. I like ’em. Did Bolton on Saturday after a bit of a break and was (stupidly) disappointed to be 50 seconds slower than the last time I did it. Fastest so far is 19:34 I think but I am knocking on a bit.

23.06 and 23.10 on the two I have done .So nothing special but then my best tarmac 5km was only 19.06 and that was 20 years ago.Seem to have finihed next to he same bloke both times so could be an ongoing battle ,behing last week and in front of him this week

No Parkrun here.

I get the impression it’s informal from a taking part POV, but formal behind the scenes. ie that the bloke who set the thing going won’t just let people set a run unless there’s the backing and support locally, and proper measured distances, etc.

Think it got so big, so quickly in the UK, that the admin side is too busy to allow other countries in to the fold. Although there’s nothing to stop them doing their own thing.

Lots of “Lauftreff” here, but it’s mostly clubs on training runs, in the forest.

I think there’s quite a few around the world now – the newsletter I get keeps going on about the growth around the world anyway! No idea where in the world you are though!!

There are several other countries (6 or 8 iirc), but they are not allowing expansion to other countries at present. So at the moment, “expansion around the world” means expansion in the handful of countries already included.
Germany isn’t on the list, surprisingly. Although if it were, I could imagine it being a bit more serious and more formal than UK.

Started in January this year, now got 5 mins off my original time, aiming for a sub 20, but that may be in the spring or summer now.

Happy to volunteer and do all the roles – timing/scanning/chips etc. and the runners are actually grateful for this. It also has a good social aspect with tea & cake afterwards!

I do 2 local parkruns as the same course every Saturday can get a bit boring, and will be doing some more Parkrun tourism to other courses within half hours drive or so.

My running club also used any Parkrun over October as a grand prix event so you had 4 chances to improve your time.

I’m a regular visitor to the Hampstead Heath one – which having to run up Parliment Hill twice is a great way to start a saturday.

The volunteering is fun too.

I wonder where the toughest Park run is ??

I wonder where the toughest Park run is ??

Camp Bastion – or at least it’s got the toughest park runners.

I clocked up about 160 park runs before giving up running to concentrate on biking. Did a couple in the snow at Bushy Park. Something I’ll certainly remember for a long time to come.

Think I’ve done about 18 over 5 courses.
They’re great for getting out at the weekend and giving you something to focus on without the pressure of a full on race, and what I find really refreshing is everyone is so encouraging, from the fastest of the fast to the slowest at the back.
I’m hoping to get a few more different locations (tourism) under my belt and even did Christmas day last year and could possibly repeat it this year too.

Ive clocked up 22 runs so far – all but one of them at my local Bolton parkrun. The other was at Worsley Woods a few weeks back which was very enjoyable.

The parkruns are great! As informal (or formal) as you want them to be really. I’m driven by a desire to achieve a PB so im enjoying seeing my times come down as i work harder. I’m also finding that my bike fitness is improving with all the running im doing.

I did read somewhere the other week, that the international set up was due to increase quite substantially in 2014…

This was the article that i was reading… here