‘I’m obsessed’: parkrun becomes a Christmas Day ritual for some
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For enthusiasts, the festive period would not be complete without doing the 5km run alongside jogging Santas. For some, the idea of a Christmas that contains any more exertion than reaching for the Quality Street is the stuff of nightmares. But for others, the most wonderful time of the year would not be complete without a festive parkrun.
For the uninitiated, these free, timed, 5km runs take place on Saturday mornings in 22 countries across five continents, with 9 million registered participants worldwide. The festive period is an exception to the Saturday time slot. Around the world, event teams can hold an extra run on New Year’s Day and each country has one other slot to put on an extra event – in the UK, it is Christmas Day.
So while most will be cracking open the buck’s fizz and breakfast shortbread, some will be lacing up their trainers and heading out to add another parkrun to their tally. Diana Hodges, 45, a digger driver from Warwickshire, is so committed to parkrun that she flew home partway through a weekend with friends in Barcelona – where there are no parkruns – to go for a run before flying back out for the rest of the weekend.
She has been running for just over two years but is already working towards her fifth alphabet – a popular challenge among parkrun obsessives to do 25 runs with each location beginning with each letter of the alphabet, with the letter X excluded. “I’m absolutely obsessed with the challenges,” she said. “I absolutely love it, it’s the community, everyone is so supportive, it doesn’t matter what rate of running or walking or jogging you’re at.”.