Resources

Seven years after Annie signed up for parkrun, she finally mustered the courage to come along for the first time — and hasn't looked back! In this short film, Annie explains how walking at parkrun has transformed not only her life but that of her family.

Melanie is the mum of five girls, including eight-year-old twins. In this short video, Melanie talks about how parkrun helped her to rediscover the joys of physical activity, and why she believes walking and running is an important life skill for her daughters.

Emma lives with Williams Syndrome, which means she has some intellectual and spatial awareness challenges. But it also gives her some special qualities too, including the ability to recognise new parkrunners and to put them at ease.

Melanie tragically lost her teenage daughter to the flu and became very sick herself, spending three days in ICU and three weeks in hospital. Unable to walk when she was discharged, Melanie registered with parkrun and built up to walking 5k. Now, it's the people she's met through parkrun who keep her coming back.

Alicia was diagnosed with clinical depression in her mid-twenties. Alicia explains how parkrun is one of the most important tools in her toolbox when it comes to managing her mental health.

"Knowing that you've got that group of people you see every Saturday morning, that just get it, is massive for the mental health of young mums." In this video, a group of new mums tell us what parkrun means to them and why parkrun was always about the coffee.

Tayla lives with Quadriplegic Cerebral Palsy, which she nicknames 'Cool Person Syndrome'. Tayla hopes her story will inspire other people who live with a disability to give parkrun a try, so please share this short film with someone who might enjoy hearing about Tayla, her Purple Peanut, and how much she enjoys finishing parkrun before her father every Saturday!

Erin lives with endometriosis and started parkrun after numerous surgeries. Erin explains why physical activity is so important for her mental health and wellbeing, and why she feels at home at parkrun.

Amy was teased at school about the way she ran, so when she did go running she did so alone. Amy was incredibly nervous before her first parkrun, but she quickly made friends and discovered that, for her, volunteering at parkrun is better than running.

Ada Macey is a transgender parkrunner in Queensland. Ada explains why it is so important for transgender people to be involved in physical activity and connected to their community, and how there is nothing better than being able to live as yourself.

Veronika was diagnosed with Down's syndrome, cerebral palsy, autism and epilepsy after she was born, and her parents were told she would never walk. Watch how parkrun has given Veronika social confidence and allows Veronika and mum, Kylee, to live their best lives.

Gurjinder's first experience of parkrun was as a runner, but she quickly fell in love with volunteering and began involving her daughters too. Eight years on, parkrun has become Gurjinder's weekly 'me time'.

Maria’s home parkrun is two hours from the nearest town. On a Saturday morning, Maria loves nothing more than walking into the desert to spend time with the native wildlife and direct people around this outback parkrun course as a volunteer marshal.

Hanieh moved from Iran to Australia in 2014 and discovered parkrun almost immediately. Hanieh explains how parkrun helped her improve her English and her fitness while expanding her social circle. Oh, and there was another reason too, but you'll need to watch to the end to find out!

Janet and her husband moved to Australia in 2014. As retirees they had to actively make the effort to make friends in their adopted homeland, so they went to parkrun to try to meet a few people. Eight years later they have an enormous circle of friends!

Rachel lives with severe hearing loss, which can make it difficult to visit new places and meet people. However, inspired by a group of friends, Rachel decided to give parkrun a try and has since gone on to run marathons and volunteer to be the Event Director of a new parkrun close to her home.

Laurinda cried the first time she went to parkrun and swore she would never return. But thankfully Laurinda did come back, pretty much every week, and began to enjoy it so much that she started another parkrun on the other side of town.

Merrilyn has volunteered at parkrun more than 440 times and has never completed the 5km course. Merrilyn reveals how parkrun has had a transformational effect on her mental health and given her newfound confidence.

When Vanessa started parkrun 10 years ago she had never run 5km before and wanted to meet some new people. Since then, her mum started running at the age of 60 and the daughter she pushed in a pram now runs and volunteers alongside her.

Everyone has their own parkrun story on how they first started. Alicia shares her journey from nervous first-timer to happy walker and talker.

When Belinda was 18 she contracted a bacterial infection that severely impacted her ability to walk. Determined to keep moving, Belinda started walking at parkrun to complement her wheelchair sports, and before long she was volunteering at parkrun as a Run Director too.

When Letchumy and her family moved from Malaysia to Australia in 2016, they were looking for activities to help them meet people, visit new places and be physically active. Letchumy and her daughter Sahitra explain how parkrun ticked all three boxes and helped them settle in a new country.

Janine explains how becoming a Run Director at parkrun has increased her confidence and had a positive impact on her life.

Rachel started parkrun because she wanted an activity that wasn’t focussed on weight loss, and as a student at the time it helped that parkrun was also free!

Bek Milne is fifth generation military and has served for more than 20 years, which has included 18 house moves. Bek explains how the structure and routine of parkrun makes perfect sense for veterans and their families, and how it's a great opportunity to find your place and your people in your new community.

Kerry sat in her car for six weeks before plucking up the courage to open the door and walk over to parkrun. She was worried that she would be expected to run the whole way, but on that first day she met Lynne and Jennifer who reassured her that she could go at her own pace and invited her for coffee. Now, these three women don't just do parkrun together — they do life together.

Jenny and Natascha participate in one of the world's most remote parkruns. In this two-minute video, they explain why community activities are so important in bringing people together in remote locations and how parkrun has become an asset to their town.

When Leela changed her gender marker from male to female it reinforced to her how inclusive the parkrun community is, and she now uses volunteering as a way of supporting others starting their own parkrun story.

Wendy went to parkrun for the first time because she wanted to lose weight, but little did she know that her decision would ultimately save her life.

Olive and Freya are best friends who love nothing more than catching up at parkrun each Saturday for a run and a chat.

When Tracy moved from mainland Australia to Flinders Island in Bass Strait, she was surprised to learn that the island of just 900 people had a parkrun. This is Tracy’s story of how parkrun on the island has transformed her life and helped her find a place in her new community.

Cristina, Evangeline, Angelina and Nora are originally from the Philippines and now live in Queensland. parkrun is the one time they get each week to walk, run, chat, mix with different cultures and share their famous Filipino food!

Michelle was a fit and active younger person but she stopped when she had kids. Following a relationship breakdown and the pandemic lockdowns, a parkrun started close Michelle’s house and she has never looked back.

Dawn and Jess met at their local parkrun four years ago and have been friends ever since. With an age gap spanning almost seven decades, their friendship shows just how enriching it can be to form meaningful connections with people of different ages.

Beck was a Canberra parkrunner who was diagnosed with stage four lung cancer at just 47, having never been a smoker. Before she passed away at the age of 50, Beck was determined to share her story of how parkrun gave her a sense of normality during her treatment and had a positive impact on her mental health.