‘parkrun tourism’: A tonic for our times
It is generally considered healthy to socialise with others and to exercise outdoors; activities that some jurisdictions deemed problematic during pandemic lockdowns.
Combining those activities is parkrunning.
Hannah Dalton investigates the potential of parkrun and parkrun tourism to (re)build social capital both at home and away.
It’s a “Good Tourism” Insight initiated by Tourism’s Horizon, a “GT” Partner.
As a student with a passion for sport and community, I wrote my undergraduate dissertation this year on ‘parkrun tourism’.
As a parkrunner myself, I knew how increasingly popular my Saturday morning hobby was becoming, not just as a community event, but also as a focus for leisure travel.
What is parkrun?
parkrun — always spelt in lowercase — provides free 5km running events in public spaces every Saturday. parkruns are organised by teams of volunteers.
Starting in 2004 at Bushy Park, London, parkrun rapidly grew due to its simplicity, accessibility, sociability, and opportunities to walk and run with others.
Participants, called parkrunners, register online, receive a personal barcode, run (or walk) the 5km course, and scan their barcode at the end to receive a recorded time.
It is common for parkrunners to have a ‘home parkrun’, which simply refers to the parkrun site they frequent the most.
Since it began, parkrun has experienced considerable growth with over 2,000 regular parkruns worldwide and 3 million participants globally.
parkrun tourism
Some refer to parkrun in grand terms; a ‘global social movement’.
This is testament to its community-driven nature that is welcoming of all ages and abilities.
But it turns out it is also about seeing a bit of the world and meeting new people … Read the full “GT” Insight for free at The “Good Tourism” Blog.
