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More than just a 5K
Parkrun started as a way to get a Saturday morning 5K into my week. It didn't take long before I realised it could be much more than that.
These days, parkrun is often an excuse to travel somewhere new, explore a different part of the country and occasionally leave the country altogether and see what I can find along the way.
I've now completed the parkrun alphabet, travelled hundreds of miles for individual events and discovered some fantastic places that I might never have visited otherwise.
The running might be the reason for the journey, but it's rarely the only adventure.
I travelled from Scotland for an I
Innsbruck, Austria
Completing the parkrun alphabet sounded simple enough, until I got to the letters that aren't exactly common at your local Saturday morning 5K.
For I, I decided there was only one answer: Innsbruck.
So I left Scotland and headed for Austria, combining a parkrun with a few days of exploring somewhere I'd never been before.
The parkrun itself was just the start. There were mountains, the River Inn, plenty of walking and a day spent discovering Innsbruck with the weather getting progressively hotter as the day went on!
It's a perfect example of what I enjoy about parkrun. The 5K gives me a reason to go somewhere, but the real adventure often starts once the run is finished.
Want to see the whole journey?
Watch the full Innsbruck adventure below.
One of the UK's most remote parkruns
Lews Castle, Stornoway
Some parkruns are easy to get to. Others require a little more determination.
Lews Castle was definitely one of the latter.
I headed north and then west, eventually making my way across to the Isle of Lewis for a Saturday morning 5K in the grounds of Lews Castle.
The journey was almost as much of an adventure as the parkrun itself. There's something quite satisfying about travelling a long way to run somewhere that you would probably never have visited otherwise.
The course takes you through the grounds of the castle and surrounding woodland, with plenty of natural scenery along the way. It's not the sort of parkrun you simply turn up at on a Saturday morning, but that's exactly what makes it memorable.
And that's becoming a bit of a theme with my parkrun adventures. I'm not just collecting events; I'm using them as an excuse to explore places I might otherwise never see.
Sometimes the best parkruns are the ones that take a bit of determination to get to.
Want to see what the journey was like?
Watch the full Lews Castle adventure below.
Greenock vs Tollcross — Two Very Different parkruns
Greenock and Tollcross
Not every parkrun is the same, and sometimes comparing two events is just as interesting as visiting somewhere completely new.
I've run both Greenock and Tollcross, and while they're both regular Scottish parkruns, they offer quite different experiences.
Greenock has its own character and setting, while Tollcross brings something very different to the table. Neither is simply about getting around 5K as quickly as possible, the course, surroundings and atmosphere all make a difference to how a parkrun feels.
So, rather than simply telling you which one I preferred, I decided to put the two together and see how they compare.
Which would you choose?
Want to see how they compare?
Watch my Greenock vs Tollcross video below.
Completing the parkrun Alphabet — A to M
A to M
What started as a simple idea quickly turned into something much bigger - completing the parkrun alphabet.
Finding some of the letters was easy enough. Others required a little more planning, a lot more driving and, in some cases, a willingness to travel considerably further than I originally intended!
From local Scottish parkruns to destinations further afield, every letter brought a different course, a different experience and another reason to get out and explore.
This first video follows the journey from A through to M, with plenty of miles, different locations and some memorable parkruns along the way.
One alphabet. 25 letters. And a lot of running.
Want to see how it all started?
Watch the full A–M journey below.
Completing the parkrun Alphabet — N to Z
N to Z
With A–M complete, there were just 12 letters standing between me and a completed parkrun alphabet.
The second half of the challenge took me to even more locations, with some letters proving considerably easier to find than others.
There were long journeys, unfamiliar courses, new places to explore and plenty of moments that reminded me why I enjoy travelling for parkrun in the first place.
From N through to Z, this is the second half of the challenge, and the journey towards finally completing the alphabet.
25 letters. Countless miles. One very satisfying finish.
Ready for the rest of the alphabet?
Watch the full N–Z journey below.
Bushy Park parkrun
A visit to where it all began! 🏃♂️🌳
Bushy Park is the home of the original parkrun, making this one of those events that feels a little different from the rest. With hundreds of runners gathering each Saturday, the atmosphere is fantastic and there’s a real sense of parkrun history wherever you look.
After completing the alphabet challenge, a visit to Bushy Park was an obvious one - an opportunity to run at the birthplace of parkrun and experience one of its most iconic events for myself.
Watch the Bushy Park parkrun adventure on YouTube 🎥
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