Exploring the public health potential of a mass community participation event

Background: The role of mass participation sports events in encouraging regular physical activity is under-researched. This study explored the public health potential of parkrun, a UK-wide network of free weekly timed 5-km runs in public parks.

Methods: A total of 7308 adult participants of parkrun self-reported demographic characteristics, current physical activity and the perceived impact of involvement. Objective data on attendance and 5-km performance were available from the central parkrun database.

Results: At registration 25.3% of participants described themselves as non-runners, with this group including the highest proportions of females (53.8 versus 48.9% for the total sample), overweight/obese (45.2 versus 33.2%) and those with a limiting disability (6.1 versus 4.3%). The initial non-runners had the largest increase in 5-km performance (15.8 versus 10.2%), and were more likely to report health-related benefits. More regular attendance was positively associated with perceived benefits. Middle-aged and older adults were well represented overall (60.9 and 14.3% of the sample, respectively).

Conclusions: Preliminary evidence suggests that parkrun is attractive to non-runners, with women, older adults and overweight people well represented. The observed fitness improvements and perceived benefits indicate the scope for investigating the effectiveness of parkrun as a cost-effective community-based intervention for improving public health.