Full Description
Perfect for any parkrunner, or wannabe parkrunner, this book will reveal how a Saturday 5k run in the park has become a worldwide phenomenon. The book will cover how parkrun started, how it is going, how to get involved as a runner, walker, or volunteer - and how to start your own run.
There will be real-life stories from people whose lives have been transformed by parkrun, and training plans for those who want to beat their Personal Best time.
Timed to coincide with the 20th anniversary of the founding of the free mass participation event, The Ultimate Guide to parkrun tells you everything you need to know about the most popular 5k run in the world.
The book covers the extraordinary origins and growth of what began as a timed run at Bushy Park in London, organised by an unemployed amateur runner, Paul Sinton-Hewitt. Just 13 runners competed in the inaugural Bushy Park Time Trial on 2 October 2004.
Three years later, a second run popped up at Wimbledon Common near Bushy Park and then rapidly spread over Britain, Ireland, Europe, and the rest of the world. Now parkrun is staged weekly at more than 2,000 parks in 22 countries across five continents, with the most popular host countries being the UK, Australia, and South Africa.
Written by a running writer and qualified running coach, The Ultimate Guide to parkrun (always with a lower case 'p') goes behind the scenes to find out the human stories behind parkrun, and the people who have made it so special.
It reveals the impact of volunteering on stewards and the most interesting courses around the world, from Poland to the Falkland Islands.
It shows how different types of runners, from beginner to elite athlete, compete in different runs and how a small army of public-spirited volunteers put the event together, sustainably and for free, every week.
Also included are training plans for different types of runners so that you can (if you wish to) improve your own finishing time. The joy of parkrun, though, is that regardless of how competitive you are and your stage of life or running ability, the main thing is turning up and taking part.
Research, revealed in the book, shows this helps you, the volunteers who stage the event, and local communities. Join the parkrun revolution!
About the author
Lucy Waterlow is a journalist, ghostwriter and author who has contributed to numerous titles including The Sunday Telegraph, Daily Mail, Women's Running, Runner's World and OK! magazine.
She contributes to Women's Running and Runner's World magazines, is a keen amateur runner, and a qualified England Athletics coach in running fitness.
She is the co-author of Nell McAndrew's Guide To Running (published by Bloomsbury) and Run Mummy Run: Inspiring Women to be Fit, Healthy and Happy (published by Summersdale).
Lucy is also the ghostwriter of accomplished ultra-runner Mimi Anderson's two memoirs: Beyond Impossible: From Reluctant Runner to Guinness World Record Holder, and Limitless: An Ultrarunner's Story of Pain, Perseverance, and the Pursuit of Success (both published by Summersdale).
Contents
Introduction 7 Chapter One: How it Started... and How it is Going 11
Small Beginnings | From Time Trial to parkrun | 'We Were There From the Start!' |
The All Important Barcode | The Results Decoded | What is Age grading? |
It's a Run, Not a Race, or Is It? | Milestone Moments | The parkrun Way | Cafe Culture | (Not) parkrun | Not Everyone's a Fan | Doing it for the kids | Brand Partners |
parkrun as a Charity
Chapter Two: Meet the parkrunners 41
The Front Runners | The Keep Fitters | The Dog Runners | The Buggy Runners | The Family Runners | The Milestone Markers | The Participants with Disabilities | The First Timers | The Walkers
Chapter Three: The High-vis Heroes 71
Benefits of Volunteering | 'Why We Volunteer' | What Volunteer Roles Are There? | Ambassador Roles
Chapter Four: A Day in the Life of a parkrun 93 Chapter Five: Why You Should parkrun for Your Health and Well-being 103
Physical Health Benefits | Mental Health Benefits | 'parkrun Saved Us' |
parkrun on Prescription | parkrun Versus Cancer | Community Impact | Benefits for Children
Chapter Six: parkrun Around the World 119
Australia | Austria | Canada | Denmark | Eswatini | Finland | France | Germany |
Ireland | Italy | Japan | Malaysia | Namibia | Netherlands | New Zealand | Norway | Poland | Singapore | South Africa | Sweden | USA | Ten of the Best Global parkrun for Tourists' Bucket Lists | 'Why We Love Being Global parkrun Tourists'
Chapter Seven: Training, Destination and Challenge Inspiration 159
If You Feel the Need for Speed | Top Tips to Get Faster | The Fastest parkrun Courses in the UK | The Slowest parkrun Courses in the UK | parkrun Challenges | There's an App for That |
Popular parkrun Challenges List | UK parkrun Bucket List: 10 of the Best parkruns in the UK
Chapter Eight: The Future 189
parkrun's Five Year Plan | Potential New parkrun Places | Who Isn't parkrunning and Why? | Removing 'Off-putting' Stats | Discouraging parkrun Tourism? | The Future of Results
Chapter Nine: How to Set Up Your Own parkrun 203
Course Considerations | 'How We Set Up Thriving parkruns'
Further Reading 209 Thanks 211 Epilogue 213
