'no one gets left behind' - Burgess parkrun #521 - 15/06/24

Last week I was in Florida and whilst the State has 4 parkruns the nearest to us was 283k away and therefore we didn’t attend one. Not running on a Saturday morning felt weird, I’ve run 5k every Saturday for a very long time.  I realised I think of myself as a runner. This made me think about when did I become comfortable claiming this identity?

I was in Florida for my uncle's 90th birthday party.

In 2007 I ran the London Marathon (you can read about it here), it was amazing and awful in equal measure. I finished it but also ended up in a wheelchair after finishing and didn’t run again for 5 years due to the trauma. When I ran the London Marathon I didn’t think I was a runner and I didn’t feel part of a community.

Parkrun changed that. When I started attending in 2012 it provided a free weekly event that I could turn up to with no pressure to always ‘get it right’ or ‘perform’. Parkrun provided me with a safe space to become a runner. 

I was talking to Christa, a regular at Burgess parkrun. She shared how she also runs with LDNSELECT. LDNSELECT is a fluid run club which hosts a Track run on Tuesdays and Social runs on Saturdays at 0800 from either Marble Arch or Peckham Library. 

Christa also told me about the Sexy Pace Run Crew which does Biweekly Women’s Social Runs for beginners. 

Christa introduced me to LDNSELECT and Sexy Pace Run Crew! Photo credit Samuel Olara

It feels like running is exploding around me and I’m thrilled at the inclusive nature of it.

Speaking to Christa reminded me of the running club started by Hermen Dange, 'Made Running' in Manchester. It is now attracting hundreds of people, check out this short reel to see how inspiration it is. 

Today I was doing the new runners welcome. We had first-timers from all over England, Austria, New Zealand/Aotearoa and Australia. I was doing the parkwalker volunteer role too. Parkwalker volunteers are meant to encourage others so they feel welcomed and valued. It is recognised that some people might be taking their first steps towards a more active lifestyle and/or that others might welcome a chat/social connection. It ensures of the 740 participants today ‘no one is left behind’ so all events are inclusive. 

In contrast to Florida’s handful of parkruns, London has 77. Southwark is blessed to have 4 parkruns in wonderful parks and now has more and more running clubs for people to join including Grove Lane Runners in Camberwell. 

Attending parkrun has provided me with a community and foundation to become a runner and to do more than I thought possible. A powerful reminder as on Monday I commence my training for the Burgess Marathon (8.5 laps of the Burgess parkrun course) on 28th September. You can follow my training on Strava by clicking here.

Running can be a very solitary activity however through parkrun and these other running clubs it's becoming more inclusive. From a personal best to hanging out with friends outside, running can really be anything you need and want it to be. 

Parkrun can absolutely what you want it to be!

Next week I’ll be heading to Lullingstone Country Park in Eynsford to complete Lullingstone parkun. 

Happy running

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