I’m the Event Director for one of the newer US parkruns, and this has been my experience as a regular runner and visitor at other US events, as well as getting things off the ground here. .
(back in parkrun USA’s early days, there were more hoops to jump through (fundraising, insurance, etc), but parkrun USA is robust of an organization now that setup is pretty easy… if you have the people to do the groundwork)
thank you for running a parkrun…
my understanding from talking to parkrunners in South Africa, was that the insurance and liability concerns in the US are the major barriers. I’m glad to hear the parkrun USA is getting better on this.
I absolutely love parkruns, went to two in SA last year. At the start they announce everyone who’s done 100 or more, there are tshirts for 50, 100 etc, there are parkrun tourists who go around the country doing all the different ones…
In Johannesburg, many choices within 30min for a Saturday parkrun:
I did the Delta one, as it was the first parkrun in SA, started by Bruce Fordyce…
Notice on that screenshot of the various parkruns, the Discovery/Vitality logos. This is used by most of the private health insurance companies in SA. Logging a parkrun gives you points in the insurance apps, which can reduce premiums, get you a free smoothie at the Vitality gyms, discounts on fresh vegetables at the grocery store, etc. You can also link your Strava to Discovery and get those workouts logged. The USA is seriously behind in both Parkrunning and health insurance I feel.
In Cape Town, 850 people for the Rondebosch Common parkrun, below Devils Peak…
