Whether a bub in a pram or an octogenarian, participants walk, run or jog the timed, five-kilometre route at Saint Mary Mackillop Reserve in Canterbury.
One of the original participants who has been attending for eight years, Kelly Leighton says some people take it very seriously and are quite fast (even Olympians participate) while others go for a casual jog or walk.
“It’s such a healthy, budget-friendly activity to do on your own or with friends and family,” she said.
“People do it for a range of reasons, I’ve certainly lost weight and it’s been great for my mental health.
“You simply register once, generate your personalised barcode, and either print it out or save it on your phone, and bring it with you.
“This ensures you receive an email on Saturday with your finish time result but there’s nothing stopping you from attending and taking part without your barcode.”
There are 30 parkrun locations across Sydney, 450 across Australia and almost 1,900 locations across 20 countries after it originally started in England in 2004.
“All events are facilitated by volunteers (also parkrunners),” Kelly said.
“But we’ve never had a shortage of those since it’s so much fun volunteering as that’s how you really get to meet and know your community.”
Details, registrations: parkrun.com.au/cooksriver.
