parkrun isn’t just about running, it’s about making friends and building community. Each Saturday morning, as people gather in parks across the country, there’s a buzz that has little to do with competition and much to do with connection. Yes, some turn up eager to set a personal best, but many more come simply to share in the rhythm of moving together, side by side, regardless of age, ability, or background.

There’s a warmth in the way volunteers cheer and clap, calling out names, encouraging the weary, and celebrating every finisher. The front runner is applauded, but so is the person walking at the back, because the emphasis isn’t on who’s fastest but on the shared achievement of taking part. In that space, labels fall away: young or old, seasoned athlete or first-timer, everyone matters equally.

Conversations spring up naturally, sometimes in the pre-run hush, sometimes in the shared breathlessness afterwards. Friendships are forged over the kilometres, but also over post-run coffees, where people linger, laugh, and listen. For some, it becomes a lifeline, a chance to combat loneliness, to find encouragement in tough times, or to celebrate milestones both on and off the course.

parkrun embodies the simple truth that community thrives when people gather with purpose and openness. The act of running, jogging, or walking becomes a thread, stitching together stories that might never otherwise intersect. Someone recovering from illness runs alongside someone training for a marathon, a child dashes past, cheered on by grandparents, strangers become companions.

In a world often fractured and hurried, parkrun quietly insists on something different, that life is richer when we move together, when we notice one another, and when we create spaces where everyone belongs. And that’s the real finish line, friendship and community.