AP Archive | Parkrun celebrates 20th anniversary as weekly race grows from 13 runners to millions in 23 countries @APArchive | Uploaded October 2024 | Updated October 2024, 1 week ago.
(3 Oct 2024)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY: AP AND SNTV CLIENTS MAY USE
ASSOCIATED PRESS - AP AND SNTV CLIENTS MAY USE
London, UK - 14 September 2024
1. Various of parkrun participants running in informal race
2. Various of parkrun volunteer handing barcode that participants can track their running time
3. Wide of parkrun participant Steven Stockwell with his family
4. SOUNDBITE (English) Steven Stockwell, parkrun participant:
"Initially, the motivation was that it was a free time trial that I would do every Saturday. And as the years have gone on and the family have become more involved in parkrun, it's become more of a way for us to get out as a family on a Saturday morning for a bit of exercise. We mostly walk parkrun now."
5. Various of runners
6. Mid of volunteer cheering for runners
7. Wide of volunteers
8. SOUNDBITE (English) Mici Oliver, parkrun volunteer:
"One thing I really like about parkrun is that no matter where you are in life, you had a bad week, you're always met with friendly people at parkrun. I've met a lot of friends through parkrun and I've been to all the places I wouldn't usually go through parkrun doing like parkrun tourism. And yeah, I definitely recommend it, even if you're not a runner and you just want the friendly vibe at a weekend and yeah, I'd recommend volunteering it."
9. Wide of runners after race
10. SOUNDBITE (English) Richard Cawdell, parkrun participant:
"I actually like the idea that you can pitch up pretty much anywhere around the country and at 9 o'clock in the morning, just go for a run. It just provides a facility to do that and I can't think anything else that does that so easily."
11. Mid of volunteer cheering for runners
12. SOUNDBITE (English) Liz Felix, parkrun participant:
"Yeah, I just wasn't really that interested. And probably after the lockdown took off and now I've just become quite obsessed. I've got 110. Probably not as obsessed as some people, but a little bit obsessed."
13. Wide of runners
STORYLINE:
On a weekend morning in the fall of 2004, 13 runners lined up in a London park for an informal race — unaware they were taking the first steps in what would become a global movement.
Parkrun — as it became known — is marking its 20th anniversary Saturday with runs now held in more than 2,500 locations in nearly two dozen countries.
More than 10 million people have participated in at least one parkrun and the organization has recorded over 100 million finishes.
"One thing I really like about parkrun is that no matter where you are in life, you had a bad week, you're always met with friendly people at parkrun," participant Mici Oliver said.
"I've met a lot of friends through parkrun and I've been to all the places I wouldn't usually go through parkrun".
The run is credited with changing countless lives, getting people up and moving, motivating them to come back week after week and nurturing lifelong friendships.
Testimonials have come from couch potatoes who were never active to people who reversed diabetes and stopped drinking to prisoners who found an escape while serving time.
"Initially, the motivation was that it was a free time trial that I would do every Saturday. And as the years have gone on and the family have become more involved in parkrun, it's become more of a way for us to get out as a family on a Saturday morning for a bit of exercise", Steven Stockwell, another participant, said.
More than 45,000 people who registered for parkrun this year in the U.K. said they had been completely inactive before signing up, according to a study published Tuesday in PLOS Global Public Health.
Find out more about AP Archive: aparchive.com/HowWeWork
Twitter: twitter.com/AP_Archive
Facebook: facebook.com/APArchives
Instagram: instagram.com/APNews
You can license this story through AP Archive: aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/a79aae6bcee642d08d2ed784a2f229be
(3 Oct 2024)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY: AP AND SNTV CLIENTS MAY USE
ASSOCIATED PRESS - AP AND SNTV CLIENTS MAY USE
London, UK - 14 September 2024
1. Various of parkrun participants running in informal race
2. Various of parkrun volunteer handing barcode that participants can track their running time
3. Wide of parkrun participant Steven Stockwell with his family
4. SOUNDBITE (English) Steven Stockwell, parkrun participant:
"Initially, the motivation was that it was a free time trial that I would do every Saturday. And as the years have gone on and the family have become more involved in parkrun, it's become more of a way for us to get out as a family on a Saturday morning for a bit of exercise. We mostly walk parkrun now."
5. Various of runners
6. Mid of volunteer cheering for runners
7. Wide of volunteers
8. SOUNDBITE (English) Mici Oliver, parkrun volunteer:
"One thing I really like about parkrun is that no matter where you are in life, you had a bad week, you're always met with friendly people at parkrun. I've met a lot of friends through parkrun and I've been to all the places I wouldn't usually go through parkrun doing like parkrun tourism. And yeah, I definitely recommend it, even if you're not a runner and you just want the friendly vibe at a weekend and yeah, I'd recommend volunteering it."
9. Wide of runners after race
10. SOUNDBITE (English) Richard Cawdell, parkrun participant:
"I actually like the idea that you can pitch up pretty much anywhere around the country and at 9 o'clock in the morning, just go for a run. It just provides a facility to do that and I can't think anything else that does that so easily."
11. Mid of volunteer cheering for runners
12. SOUNDBITE (English) Liz Felix, parkrun participant:
"Yeah, I just wasn't really that interested. And probably after the lockdown took off and now I've just become quite obsessed. I've got 110. Probably not as obsessed as some people, but a little bit obsessed."
13. Wide of runners
STORYLINE:
On a weekend morning in the fall of 2004, 13 runners lined up in a London park for an informal race — unaware they were taking the first steps in what would become a global movement.
Parkrun — as it became known — is marking its 20th anniversary Saturday with runs now held in more than 2,500 locations in nearly two dozen countries.
More than 10 million people have participated in at least one parkrun and the organization has recorded over 100 million finishes.
"One thing I really like about parkrun is that no matter where you are in life, you had a bad week, you're always met with friendly people at parkrun," participant Mici Oliver said.
"I've met a lot of friends through parkrun and I've been to all the places I wouldn't usually go through parkrun".
The run is credited with changing countless lives, getting people up and moving, motivating them to come back week after week and nurturing lifelong friendships.
Testimonials have come from couch potatoes who were never active to people who reversed diabetes and stopped drinking to prisoners who found an escape while serving time.
"Initially, the motivation was that it was a free time trial that I would do every Saturday. And as the years have gone on and the family have become more involved in parkrun, it's become more of a way for us to get out as a family on a Saturday morning for a bit of exercise", Steven Stockwell, another participant, said.
More than 45,000 people who registered for parkrun this year in the U.K. said they had been completely inactive before signing up, according to a study published Tuesday in PLOS Global Public Health.
Find out more about AP Archive: aparchive.com/HowWeWork
Twitter: twitter.com/AP_Archive
Facebook: facebook.com/APArchives
Instagram: instagram.com/APNews
You can license this story through AP Archive: aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/a79aae6bcee642d08d2ed784a2f229be
