‘We were here’ the parkrun anti-challenge - Victoria Docks parkrun #10 - 19/05/18

Victoria Docks parkrun has been cancelled. Photo parkrun.

The ‘we were here’ challenge can be found on the now Official parkrun 5k app and is achieved when you have ‘...attended a parkrun that no longer exists or is not open to the public...’. This challenge is quite the antithesis of parkruns goal of being free and accessible to all. On Monday, I learned that Victoria Docks parkrun, which I had previously attended, after 7 years, has been officially wound up. Its last event was #272 on 20th December 2025. I usually enjoy completing a challenge, but that is not the case here, Victoria Docks parkrun was unique and will be sorely missed.

The inaugural event was back on 17th March 2018. On that date, 83 participants were kept safe by 11 volunteers. Over it’s 7 year history 20,000 participants have completed the event; however, the majority of these have been tourists. The struggle to attract more volunteers consistently over time has led to the difficult decision to close, much to the disappointment of many in the parkrun community. 

The event was in the Royal Victoria Dock, which was built between 1850 and 1921, in the East of London. The docks in East London have a hugely important position in the capital’s industrial and naval past. They could be considered the engine room of the British Empire when Britannia ruled the waves.  They were built to relieve overcrowding on the River Thames, as the East India Docks were struggling to cope with the volume of ships and trade. Following the rise in container shipping, which were too big for the Royal Victoria Docks, they closed in 1981. This led to the London Docklands Development Corporation regenerating the Docklands as a major business centre with skyscrapers, residential villages, shops, London City Airport, the Docklands Light Railway (DLR), the London Arena, and, from March 2018, the site of Victoria Docks parkrun. One of the ways to reach the start was to take the cable car, which delivered you 2mins away from the start at the Crystal Gardens Community Hut. With a busy airport close by, it was also an easy destination for tourists, especially for those seeking to pick up the elusive ‘V’ for the alphabet challenge or those wanting to attend a unique event. 

Victoria Docks parkrun was a unique event.

For its uniqueness, the Alphabet challenge and to complete all the parkruns in London I attended the event in May 2018. It was a crisp morning, and gazing around, I was amazed at this unlikely and unique venue. 

I met my friend Simon, a regular at Southwark parkrun. Other participants started to arrive from both near and far, including Matthew Storey, a keen parkrun tourist with a bucket load of parkrun tales.

Over the years, Simon has paced me to several Personal Bests

At the first-timers briefing, it was explained that the course is an out-and-back ‘U’ shape. The course route included sections at different levels. You’re running along the docks next to the water, but look up, and there are planes overhead so low you can read what’s on their fuselage. Due to the ‘U’ shape of the course, there are opportunities to high-five others. This all made it a very contained, high-energy event. 

When I attended, there were 107 participants, the majority of whom were tourists, and 8 volunteers, which made me wonder about the event's long-term sustainability. I remember speaking with the Event Director, who explained that they were conducting outreach to attract more local people to get involved. Looking at the event's history, they were never able to attract more than 18 volunteers on any occasion, which is ultimately why the event has folded. 

Parkrun HQ doesn’t stipulate how often people should volunteer, but events can’t happen without them. I must confess that in the early years, I thought volunteering meant ‘giving up’ my run, which I was reluctant to do. Over the years, as I started to volunteer more regularly, trying different roles, meeting different people, I gained a much deeper relationship with parkrun. It’s an opportunity to be of service and to deepen relationships, building social wealth, an idea covered in Sahil Bloom’s book The Five Types of Wealth. Volunteering is an antidote to loneliness and a wonderful complement to staying physically fit. 

This book sets out that Social Wealth is as important as Financial Wealth. Photo credit Sahil Bloom.

Volunteering costs you your time, and yet it’s an investment in something more valuable than gold. It can give you relationships, friendships and a sense of community. 

Victoria Docks parkrun has closed, but you can visit the recently started Greenwich Peninsula parkrun located in the same area. You can’t take the cable car to the start, but the course does go under them, and it’s a cracking event. 

Perhaps if you haven’t done it before, give volunteering a go; it will be appreciated by the members of any core team and might lead to an even deeper appreciation of what this parkrun thing is all about. 

Happy running, walking, and volunteering. 

www.horizons.uk

Richard Gower has written a comprehensive list of permanently cancelled UK parkrun events. You can access it by clicking here.

You can read about how parkrun was created by the founder, Paul Sinton-Hewitt, a care leaver, in his book ‘One Small Step’, The Definitive Account of how a run became a Global Movement by clicking here.

Victoria Docks parkrun, you will be missed.