"I arrange holidays around parkrun – if they don’t have one, I’m not going!"
As we celebrate parkrun’s 20th anniversary, we caught up with parkrun addict, Peter Marshall about what makes this weekly 5km run so special…
Have you always run?
When I was younger, I didn’t understand running. I did various sports with the main being hockey. I would probably run the equivalent of a 10K during a hockey match, but the idea of just running never crossed my mind. I thought it was boring.
So why did you start running?
Heartbreak! I started running to literally run away from my problems.
I did dabble before this though, as my sister dragged me along to my first parkrun in 2015. I didn’t even sign-up and so didn’t have a barcode. Fast forward a few years and my sister bought me a funky parkrun barcode bracelet. I then started going every other week until lockdown when everything stopped.
My first parkrun after lockdown was 21 July 2021 but I threw myself into parkrun properly in April 2022 and haven’t looked back since!
How many parkruns have you now done and where?
My local parkrun is Guildford so I’ve done most runs there although I’ve travelled to parkruns all-round the country and even abroad.
I’m on my 162nd parkrun in total and have travelled to venues across England, Scotland and Wales as well as in Belgium, Denmark, Sweden and Poland.
In 2023, I managed 55 parkruns across the year. This included runs on New Year’s day and Christman Day and I also went to Denmark and Sweden for their national days. Sadly, I had to miss one Saturday due to a Stag do in Spain which doesn’t have any parkruns. I was gutted!
This year, I haven’t missed a single Saturday parkrun and my next is in Germany on 5th October - the day of parkrun’s 20th anniversary. This will also be my 100th parkrun venue so it will be a very special day.
Have you done any parkrun challenges?
I’m working my way through them! As mentioned, I’ll have achieved my 100th parkrun venue this weekend which officially makes me a member of The Cowell Club – named after the person who created the challenge.
I’ve also done the alphabet challenge which is running at venues starting with each letter of the alphabet. I completed this on 4 Feb 2023.
The pirates challenge is one of my favourites and involves running 7 parkruns beginning with the letter C (‘the seven Cs’) and you finish with an ‘R’. I dressed up every time for this one to add a greater sense of fun.
Next will be the compass challenge in which you run 4 different parkruns – each must have North, South, East or West in the name.
After this we’ll have to see!
Do you have a favourite parkrun?
Bushy Park, the home of parkrun will always be a favourite. You have so many tourists every week and there’s always a great deal of excitement among those who’ve made the pilgrimage.
I also love Killerton national park in Exeter for its beauty, and of course the fast ones like the Rother Valley and those on the seafront are great for chasing a PB.
What are your most memorable parkrun moments?
They both involved pacing friends.
I was running at Killerton helping my friend to get a PB but unbeknown to me, the GPS on my watch wasn’t connecting properly and it was out the whole way round. I kept urging my friend to run faster as we were behind the pace. It turns out we were way ahead of it and she got an incredible 3-minute PB! She’s just about forgiven me for nearly killing her!
There was also the time when my friend, Joey, had his whole family turn up to parkrun to help him to break 18 minutes. The wind was horrific that day so I decided I’d run in front of him to act as a windbreaker. So I did this for the first 2km until he turned around with his back to the wind. I literally died for the remaining 3km and jogged the rest of it! It was all worthwhile though as Joey smashed his PB – Job done!
What’s your parkrun PB?
17:06 at Littlehampton which is a fast promenade.
Have you managed to do any volunteering at parkrun?
I’ve so far volunteered 45 times. This is on top of running it. Barcode scanning complements the faster people as I can run it, get my phone out and scan 90% of the people crossing the line. I’ve also done carpark marshalling, pre-event set-up, token sorting and run reports.
Is 5K your favourite running distance?
I do love a 5K as it’s snappy and a tough effort. You really have to flog yourself but then it’s over pretty quickly, and so if you’re having a bad run, it won’t last for long!
I do run all sorts of distances though - 10K, half-marathons, marathons. I’ve also done a Rasselbock 50K event involving laps. I may do more marathons and ultras but I’ll need to prepare my body for doing longer runs more frequently.
In the short-term I have Alton Towers 10K and then a half marathon the following day. Looking ahead to next year, I’ll be running Boston marathon which is really exciting!
What do you love so much about parkrun?
It’s such an open and supportive community. Everyone is supportive of each person’s relative goals whether they just want to get around without walking, are after a sub-30 minute PB or are looking to break 23 minutes. Everyone claps and supports each other.
Parkrun is also a really positive way of life for me now. I used to be someone who would happily stay in bed until 11am on a Saturday morning. I’m now up, have done a parkrun and have had breakfast all by 11am. It starts the weekend right! Plus, I’ve explored so much more of the country and even the world through parkrun tourism. I now arrange holidays around parkrun – if they don’t have one, I’m not going!
Any advice for those thinking of doing parkrun for the first time?
Just go along! There will always be someone around your pace. If you’re worried about shape and size, there will always be someone like you. And you won’t be the first person thinking “Why am I here?”
Just make sure you get your barcode – don’t be like me by trying to be too cool for school!
After the first parkrun, you’ll wonder what took you so long to do it, and you’ll be downloading the 5K app and arranging a foreign parkrun trip before you know it!
Follow Peter’s parkrun adventures on Instagram @lordoftherunning
