The wonder of Parkrun

Well, where to begin the benefits of parkrun which is to me is countless!

You start your weekend on a saturday morning and make it to the start line accosting virtual strangers who lines up next to you. There is a method in the madness and magic in the small things: the quick thank you and nod to the volunteers who cheer along the whole course of parkrun; the running joke with your fellow parkrunner who beats you at the finish line. The sweet moments are at the end of the parkrun when everyone exhales and gasps for their breath, there is nothing in particular to talk about but these interactions aren’t dramatic. They don’t make headlines. But they stitch something vital into our lives: a sense of belonging that asks very little and gives quite a lot.

We live in a culture that constantly pushes us towards high achievement, productivity and high optimisim. We are often taught connections must be profound to be valuable. But not every relationship needs soul-bearing. Not every gathering needs to be transformative. Sometimes, what we need are low stakes interactions, that expects nothing extraordinary from us, just our presence. This is the quiet power of casual connection and our weekly Parkrun community forms around this without any pressure just madness and magic!

Parkrun gives you the sense of ease which is the biggest part and quite powerful. There is low pressure and low risk, unlikely to knock anyone’s confidence. The casual acquaintance and friendly faces in familiar space plays a crucial part to bring the community together cohesively.

Any interaction is an opportunity for connection and parkrun asks you nothing but show up. And show up we do, when we are allowed to do so without pressure. Everyone wants connection but people are tired. Tired of overthinking. Tired of performance. Tired of feeling like every interaction needs to be profound and impactful.

Personally, for me at our Ricksmanworth parkrun gathering, we lower this bar for people to enter to walk or run and never expect their life story or solve anyone else problem. This space is gentle come as you are space. You can be present and speak very little, show up fully or quietly observe. The joy of low-stake community is our parkrun community and I am really super proud to have been able to reach to 100th Parkrun not just alone but with people who cares and connects without much expectations.

Come as you are!

Happy Parkrunning!