By Starting line in sight for Parkrun fans
Popular running and walking event Parkrun looks set to return to England at the end of October after being put on hold due to Covid-19.
This is good news for Parkrun fans in Cleethorpes and Scunthorpe, as well as those at other locations in the region including Normanby Hall, Humber Bridge, Gainsborough, Hull, Beverley, Goole and Market Rasen.
The movement’s Global Chief Executive Officer Nick Pearson announced: “Following detailed conversations with the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), Sport England, and Public Health England, I am delighted to announce that we intend to reopen parkrun and junior parkrun events in England toward the end of October this year.”
Parkrun is an organisation that oversees free, weekly, running and walking community events at 729 locations around the world.
Saturday morning events such as those at Cleethorpes Country Park and Central Park, Scunthorpe, start at 9am and are 5k.
Nick continued: “Across many communities our events provide the most accessible and inclusive opportunities for people, of all abilities and backgrounds, to come together and be active. Disadvantaged communities have been hit the hardest and likely have the most challenging journeys ahead of them, and with every passing week, and with winter approaching, those challenges become greater.
“Since we first started back in 2004, thousands of people have shared their stories of how parkrun not only changed their life, but saved their life, and we know that every week without parkrun represents a cost to the health and wellbeing of hundreds of thousands of people.”
He continued: “Everything in life comes with a risk, and we know and accept that we cannot remove all risks from the parkrun environment. However, it is also important to balance the public health benefits of reopening our events, against the associated public health risks. We now believe, having spent considerable time gathering and understanding the evidence, that the benefits to reopening parkrun far outweigh the risks.”
The news was greeted with enthusiasm by Parkrun’s followers on social media.
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