What parkrun means to me - Clive Goes Cycling

Reaching 100 parkruns is a milestone worth marking. For one runner, the weekly 5km has reshaped Saturday mornings entirely — and for the better.

The first parkrun came in September 2014, at Horsham in West Sussex. Before the event arrived in the town, the format was unknown to this runner. That first outing proved decisive: the habit stuck immediately.

The appeal is simple enough. Run, walk or jog 5km (3.1 miles) around Horsham Park in the company of several hundred other people, then head for a coffee afterwards. It is a formula that sets up the rest of the weekend perfectly. The combination of a friendly and supportive community, fresh air and a healthy dose of adrenaline explains much of it.

A change in habits

Previously, jogging or running would begin in spring and fizzle out a few months later. Horsham parkrun provided the motivation to keep going through the rest of the year, and eventually to join a local running and jogging club.

The parkrun journey has taken in some freezing winter mornings, where cycling to the start left fingers and toes completely numb. Other days the course was incredibly muddy, and simply getting round counted as an achievement. So far, though, the mud has never sucked a shoe clean off — apparently the sign of a properly muddy run.

Then there have been the superb spring and summer mornings, with sunshine and Horsham Park at its very best. The park was barely used before parkrun came along; now it is known far better. It is a fine place.

What the Saturdays have given

Taken as a whole, it has been a great experience. There have been lessons about running and about the self, and a few friendships made along the way. The thanks go to parkrun and to everyone met at 9am on a Saturday morning.

One hundred parkruns done. Here’s to the next hundred.