“More Than Just a Run in the Park”: An Exploration of Parkrun as a Shared Leisure Space

ABSTRACT

Over the last 13 years, parkrun has grown from a small time trial in Bushy Park, London, to become a global social movement. During this time, much has been claimed about the potential health-related benefits from participating, but comparatively little attention has been given to the social reasons for attending. The aim of this study was to better understand the meanings of participation for both runners and volunteers using an intrinsic case study that focused on a specific event, Colwick parkrun in Nottingham, England. Building on literature that positions leisure sites as third places, the article seeks to enhance our understanding of parkrun as a community-based initiative. Data collection included observation, participant observation, semi-structured interviews (N = 19), and a survey (N = 235). Several themes emerged, suggesting that participation in parkrun provides an inclusive leisure space for casual sociability, as well as facilitating a shared experience of exercising with others.

KEYWORDS:

• community
• physical activity
• running
• third place

Acknowledgements

Thanks are due to the parkrun Research Board for granting approval to conduct the research, the event organisers at Colwickparkrun for their assistance, particularly in helping to promote the study, as well as all the participants for sharing their experiences. In addition, I would like to thank Simon Cook, and Peter Matthews for their constructive feedback on reviewing drafts of this paper. Finally, I'd like to pass on my thanks to the reviewers and editors for their helpful advice and encouraging comments.