by Rhia Daniel

Have you heard of parkrun? The lowercase ‘p’ for parkrun is not a mistake, I have it on good authority.

The phenomenon was founded by running enthusiast Peter Paul Sinton-Hewitt in London in 2004 and the fever has spread across the globe.

Five-kilometre events – for walkers, runners, and volunteers – take place every Saturday morning at more than 2,000 locations in 22 countries. 

They’re a natural tie-in for the ‘Open, Green, Public’ of your Adelaide Park Lands. The events are free to join and open to the public.

You probably wouldn’t be surprised to find that there is already a Pakapakanthi parkrun group established.

A loyal group of people hit the park every Saturday at 8am. This group was established on August 4, 2018, and in five years, has had almost 50,000 finishers.

Attendance has hovered between a low of 51, to a high of 558, with the average attendance around 350 people, according to Pakapakanthi parkrun event director Ben O’Brien.

I asked Ben to help us understand the appeal of parkrun and answer some questions people might have before joining.

Hi, Ben. For someone wanting to give parkrun a try, what should they know before they start?

“First and foremost, everyone is welcome at parkrun and you won’t finish last – unless you volunteer to be the tail-walker.

“There is a simple, once-off registration process to receive your personal parkrun barcode, which can be used at every parkrun on the planet.

“We have super-quick runners – regularly some of the country’s best – and leisurely walkers, and everything in between. Everyone is treated equally. It’s not a race but people can choose to compete against themselves and strive to better their previous best time.

“Some people start their parkrun journey as volunteers, so they can see how it works before lacing up their running shoes, and that’s definitely encouraged.”

What makes Pakapakanthi [Victoria Park / Park 16] the ideal setting for parkrun events?

“Our participants love the mix of surfaces we run on, even the occasional patch of mud. For the most part, the outlook of the park makes you forget you’re on the doorstep of a city. Another advantage is the abundance of cafes within a short stroll of the finish line.

“It’s a perfect melding of Open, Green, Public with Free, Weekly, Timed! In fact, Pakapakanthi parkrun was used as the setting for over half of parkrun’s volunteer explainer videos for its worldwide audience.”

Before you head out for parkrun on a Saturday, do you have a pre-run process, such as stretching or eating a special breakfast?

“We see all sorts of pre-parkrun routines, ranging from full warm-ups to jumping straight into action.

“A lot of people take their post-parkrun routine more seriously, [often] in the form of a delicious treat from nearby cafes.”

For parkrun volunteers like yourself, what does volunteering entail?

“Volunteering at parkrun takes many forms and is a wonderful way to participate and get an entirely different perspective. Around half of our roles can also be combined with having a run or walk at parkrun too.

“Roles range from checking the course prior to the event to using a smartphone app as the timekeeper, and giving a five-minute briefing to first-timers.

“The run director and other members of the core volunteer team provide the training and guidance required. Most roles are over and done with within two hours of arriving at parkrun.

“Even if people are temporarily or permanently not able to walk or run the 5km at parkrun, they are most welcome to participate as volunteers.”

Most importantly for our dog lovers, how many dogs do you often see participating in parkrun?

“We don’t have an official dog count but there is usually at least a dozen. For safety reasons, parkrun permits only one dog per person on a short, handheld, non-extendable leash.

“Our volunteers often bring their fur babies to help out too!”

There are three different parkrun locations in your Adelaide Park Lands:

• the first to be established, the Torrens parkrun, which for many years has been starting at the weir over the River Torrens / Karrawirra Pari, with participants following the river upstream and back;

• the Pakapakanthi parkrun; and

• the newest: Nantu Wama parkrun, which starts at the Glover North playground, off Lefevre Terrace, and uses only trail paths as it circles the entire Lefevre Park / Nantu Wama (Park 6).

All three are always held at the same time: 8am each Saturday.

Rhia Daniel has moved to Adelaide from Kapunda, and deeply values community and green spaces.