Sport, Business and Change - Welcome to parkrun!

Regular readers of this blog will know that I particular enjoy writing about sport, business and how change happens. This blog covers all three.
I am spending a lot of time focusing on my running at the moment. One of the newest developments in the UK running world has been a new phenomenon which takes up the challenge of delivering sporting experience for the masses. Don't switch off if you're not a runner, because here is the real interesting bit ...the best and most initially puzzling thing about this new venture is its business model. Competing is totally free. 

This concept is called ‘parkrun’. At its heart, it is very simple. A central website and brand is essentially licensed, and no charge, to local individuals who wish to organise a 5k run in their local park. Costs are funded centrally by core sponsors – including Nike and Lucozade Sport – who are excited by the opportunity to engage with grass roots runners in cost effective and scaleable way.

I heard about parkrun from a friend and decided to enter at the last minute on the Friday afternoon before a Saturday afternoon race. After a 2 minute registration process online, I am now able to simply turn up and run a race any Saturday at one of 30 sporting locations across the UK by simply bringing along a personalised bar code. The event itself was very low key – some 130 attended, from elite club runners to those for whom this was a very first ‘race’. The bar code was read at the end to record a finish time, and I received a personalised e-mail by the end of day on the Saturday registering his finish time, finish position and pointing me back towards the parkrun website for free available photos from the event and a race report provided by the race organiser. Better service than I have had at races I have paid 20 pounds to enter.

The following Thursday a chatty, friendly parkrun newsletter arrived in my inbox – updating on the growth of the phenomenon, promoting some of the newer races, gently emphasising the need for volunteers to make the runs happen and thanking the sponsors whose funding made the events happen.
These two final elements of the jigsaw are critical to the parkrun model. Firstly, volunteers are the lifeblood of the event in order that participation can remain free to charge. An ongoing points competition between athletes rewards volunteering as well as competing. Secondly, sponsorship funds ensure that investment in the technology platform which delivers such a compelling experience can continue.

Keep an eye out for parkrun. Whether you are reading this in the US, Australia or the UK, parkrun will be coming to a green space near you, soon. When you head for a coffee after a first race and are asked how you heard about parkrun, I hope you might say 'I read about it in a semi-regular blog I enjoy reading'. Maybe you might feel able to send the felow runner who asked you the question the url for this blog. Welcome to how change happens in 2010!

http://www.parkrun.com/