The Reader: Parkrun merrily on high this Christmas holiday

Participants during the London Santa Run in Victoria Park, London, 2019
PA
12 December 2019
WEST END FINAL

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Why not encourage your family and your friends off the sofa this Christmas with a 5k run/walk at your local parkrun? Debra Bourne’s neat paperback reader’s guide “Parkrun — much more than a run in the park” is a great stocking filler purchase.

Bourne — the director of Lloyd parkrun in Croydon’s Lloyd Park — presents chapters on the way the roots of the event, the way it builds communities, its statistics, global reach, and more; there’s something for everyone to dip into. And after that, join your local event on a Saturday — walkers, runners, kids, buggies and dogs all welcome.

In many areas you can even do so on Christmas Day morning if you’re up and presents have been opened before the 9am start.

Sort out your online registration beforehand at parkrun.com if you’d like your time recorded; otherwise, just turn up and join the crowd.

Oh, and it’s free.
Narmada de Silva

Editor's reply

Dear Narmada,

Your letter makes me want to lace up my trainers and go for a run — despite the icy rain.

I started running because it was simple. You don’t have to book into a scheduled class, it’s free, and no one cares what you look like. Parkrun is brilliant, especially if you need encouragement for that final kilometre. But if the idea of exercising with others makes you want to run in the opposite direction, the NHS has an online tool to guide you to your first 5k.

There is a caveat to the “just do it” appeal of running, however — all the boring things that are easy to dismiss when you’re desperate to fit in a run do matter. I injured a tendon because my shoes weren’t supportive enough and my technique was wrong and am only just getting back on track.

I can’t wait — I’ve missed the runner’s high, what Kenyan athlete Geoffrey Mutai called “the spirit”. The physical struggle of reaching 5k temporarily eclipses all other concerns; tonight it might even help you feel better about the election.
Susannah Butter, Comment Editor

Give high streets a festive boost​

London is a patchwork of villages woven together by the growing city. The health of their historic centres is what keeps it a vibrant place to live. Shuttered shops don’t just deprive us of places to buy things, they sap life out of these communities. If we could all commit to buying some of our Christmas presents on the high street it would give a much-needed boost.
Thomas Dexter

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