Do a parkrun
A friend has invited you to do this with them.
parkrun is a free, weekly, timed 5km held in parks around the world and open to everyone. You can run, jog or walk it, and you get a time to beat the next week.
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What it is
parkrun is a free 5 km (3.1 mile) event every Saturday morning, organised by local volunteers in parks in 22 countries. You can walk, jog or run it, there is no time limit, and every event has a volunteer tail walker, so nobody finishes last.
It began in Bushy Park, Teddington, on 2 October 2004, with 13 runners, five volunteers, a stopwatch and washers from a hardware shop as finish tokens. As more people have come to walk and jog it, the average finish time has slowed, from 22 minutes 17 seconds in 2005 to 32 minutes 30 seconds in 2020.
Your first parkrun, step by step
- Register once, free, on the parkrun site for your country. You get a personal barcode that works at every parkrun in the world.
- Find an event near you by postcode, town or event name, and aim to arrive 15 to 20 minutes before the start. There is no signing in.
- Most events hold a short welcome for first-timers 10 to 15 minutes before the start, where you can ask questions and hear about the course. Then the run director gives a briefing and counts down from three.
- The course is signposted and marshals line the route, so you do not need a map. Be considerate to other people using the park.
- At the finish, stay in order in the funnel and take a finish token. Volunteers scan your barcode and the token. If you forget your barcode you can still take part, but you will not get a time.
- Your time and position arrive by email or text, usually within 48 hours.
When it starts
| Where | What | When |
|---|---|---|
| England and Wales | 5 km parkrun | Saturday 9am |
| Scotland and Northern Ireland | 5 km parkrun | Saturday 9.30am |
| United States | 5 km parkrun | Saturday morning; check your event's page |
| UK and Ireland and Australia only | 2 km junior parkrun for 4 to 14 year olds | Sunday |
Check the page for the event you choose before you go.
Volunteering, and building up to it
Every event is run by volunteers, from the run director to the barcode scanners, marshals and tail walker, and parkrun says no experience is needed for any role. Volunteering is a way to take part on a week you are not walking or running.
If 5 km feels a long way, walk it, or mix walking and running; parkrun says stopping, run-walking or doing part of the course is all fine. To build up to running the whole way, the NHS Couch to 5K plan is a free place to start.
How to start
- Find your nearest event on the parkrun website and register once to get your barcode.
- Turn up a little early for the first-timers' welcome and bring your barcode.
- Go at your own pace and collect a finish token at the end.
Where to go
We opened this link on 6 October 2026 and found it to be what we say. Dates, places and prices are on the official page, where they stay up to date.
Plan this
Pick a day, or a month, and we will set out how to get ready, step by step, with a date and a reason for each. Events have fixed dates and entry or ticket deadlines. Physical events add a training plan from our guidance engine, and its length is set by the engine, not by the date you would like.
Questions people ask
Is parkrun free?
Yes. It is free to register and free to take part, every week.
Can you walk a parkrun?
Yes. Walking, jogging and running are all welcome, there is no cut-off time, and a volunteer tail walker always finishes last.
What time does parkrun start?
9am in England and Wales and 9.30am in Scotland and Northern Ireland, on Saturday mornings. In the US and elsewhere it is Saturday morning; check your event's page for the time.
Do I need to register for parkrun?
Once only. Registering gives you a barcode that you can use every week at any parkrun in the world.
What is junior parkrun?
A free 2 km event on Sundays for 4 to 14 year olds, held in the UK, Ireland and Australia.
How long do parkrun results take?
Results are processed after everyone has finished and usually arrive by email or text within 48 hours.
Where this comes from: parkrun UK blog, How does parkrun actually work? (9 February 2023); parkrun, Join us; parkrun, Our story; parkrun US blog, Welcome to parkrun! (30 March 2022). Opened 2 November 2026.
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