On the weekend of 22-23 February 2025 – when this writer was parkrunning at Gunpowder Park – the total number of finishes in UK 5K and junior 2K parkruns reached an astonishing 68.38 million. That equates to one parkrun for every person in the UK!

Research undertaken in 2024 by Sheffield Hallam University to mark the 20th anniversary of parkrun showed that parkrun was worth £667 million to the UK economy due to the improved life satisfaction of people who take part – parkrun dispenses the feel good factor.

With the government set to announce its new 10-year UK Health Plan, new research by YouGov Sport* reveals that two in three Britons think it is a good idea for GPs to prescribe parkrun and most of these people agreed it could help reduce pressure on the NHS.

parkrun already works with the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) and a third (almost 2,000) of GP practices across the UK ‘socially prescribe’ parkrun to support patients with various physical and mental health conditions. Visit the RCGP parkrun practice page here to learn more, and you can find out if your local GP practice is participating here.

Now parkrun UK wants the parkrun practice programme – started in 2018 – to be expanded to every GP practice in the country. This move would support the government’s reform of the NHS to embrace a shift from treating sickness to preventative healthcare and a focus away from hospital to more community care. Nearly a quarter of people participating in parkrun have a health condition and over one in 10 have a long-term health condition.

Russ Jefferys, CEO parkrun, said: “Participating in parkrun, whether that be walking, running, volunteering or even just coming down to your local park to be outdoors with others, is a great way for people to start to make improvements to their physical and mental health. With the government set to announce their 10-year Health Plan, we believe parkrun can play a vital part in helping reduce the pressure on the NHS and creating a healthier, happier and more active nation by expanding our parkrun practice programme and making sure that parkrun reaches those with most to gain from taking part.”

Over 225,000 people across the UK take part in more than 1,200 parkrun events every weekend. The charity is focussed on supporting those least active with over 45,000 of those people who registered for parkrun last year identifying as ‘completely inactive’.

You can find out more about the parkrun practice initiative at the parkrun UK blog here.

*YouGov Sport conducted the research on 6 February 2025 with a sample of 2,101 nationally representative respondents in the UK.

Photo courtesy parkrun Marketing