It’s free, it has 10 million followers and it’s coming to Grand Cayman this summer.
The global running phenomenon known as parkrun is set to launch in Festival Green, Camana Bay on 29 August and its organisers hope that it will soon become a firm part of Cayman’s fitness scene.
Parkrun began more than 20 years ago, in October 2004, as a free 5-kilometre run around a park in south London every Saturday morning. Just 13 people turned up at the initial run, but the event soon spread, first across the UK and then overseas, with people attracted by its simple philosophy: weekly and ‘free for everyone, forever’.
Events worldwide
There are now parkruns in 2,800 locations worldwide, with participating countries including Australia, Denmark, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Namibia and the US. Last month, the event marked its millionth run with a celebration in Bushy Park, where it all began.
While there is no shortage of running events around the world, the appeal of parkrun is its simplicity. Runners or walkers of all ages and fitness levels can register online to take part: there is no time limit and no need to worry about coming last – a volunteer tail walker is always the last one to finish.
Rob Duggan grew up in the Cayman Islands but discovered parkrun while living in the UK and his wife, Elizabeth, is parkrun’s CEO. Launching a parkrun in Cayman therefore seemed a natural step and Duggan proudly notes that it will be the first ever parkrun in the Caribbean.
Team of volunteers
Duggan has spent the last few months working hard on making sure that all the parkrun essentials are in place, from the running route itself to building a team of volunteers who will be responsible for marshalling the event every Saturday morning.
The traffic-free route has been provided by Dart and consists of three loops – two big and one small – through the wooded area at the back of Festival Green. Parkrun is also being supported by the Ministry of Health, Environment and Sustainability as part of its “Step Into Wellness” campaign. Dogs are welcome, provided they are kept on a short leash at all times with no more than one dog per participant. People in wheelchairs or pushing buggies are also welcome.
While the runs aren’t competitive by nature, participants are sent their recorded times after the event and such is the popularity of parkrun that runners have been known to chalk up 50, 100, 250 runs or more and even ‘collect’ parkrun events, such as doing one run for each letter of the alphabet (although there is currently no parkrun beginning with X).
A longtime participant himself, Duggan hopes parkrun will be a positive addition to the running options already on island.
“I’m very much in love with the ethos of parkrun as a free and accessible tool for mental and physical health, and it was a clear that this was missing from the running scene in Cayman,” he said. “There are running clubs here, but they are often – wrongly, I think – perceived as being slightly exclusive. What I’m hoping for is for this to unlock good physical health and mental health for the wider community, who might not feel that they their face fits or their body shape fits a conventional running scene.”
Inclusive event
Parkrun is scheduled to start at 6.30am throughout the year except from November through February, when it will start at 7am due to the later sunrise. If the Cayman parkrun is anything like other parkruns, then people tend to go for a coffee or breakfast afterwards, making the run a sociable as well as healthy experience.
Duggan is keen that the weekly parkrun will support, rather than compete with, the many 5K fundraising runs organised throughout the year in support of good causes.
“It’s very much complementary to what already exists,” he said. “Parkrun internationally has been a gateway to greater involvement in running clubs and charity running events by getting more people involved in running. And it’s free!”
The first Cayman Islands parkrun will start at 6.30am on Saturday, 29 August. People will be able to sign up nearer the time on the parkrun app or online.
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