SPORT & RECREATION ALLIANCENick PearsonCEO, parkrun

freeweeklytimed 5k

Oct, 2004

2

900weekly events

The biggest running eventin the world.

10,000weekly volunteers

150,000weekly runners

40%annual growth

20,000weekly registrations

100,000weekly runners

500weekly events(400 5k, 100 2k)

7,000weekly volunteers

12,000weekly registrations

1,000,000unique runners

what’s driven the growth of the world’s biggest running event?

RemovingBarriers

EmpoweringTeams

BuildingCommunities

ConsistentDelivery

ChallengingBureaucracy

Not beingDistracted

Organisationally-lite

Social MediaEra

what have we achieved so far?

UK participation:Growth 2012-16

2012 2013 2014 2015 20160

200,000

400,000

600,000

800,000

Previously inactive runners:Growth 2012-16

2012 2013 2014 2015 20160

25,000

50,000

75,000

100,000

Female participation:Growth 2012-16

2012 2013 2014 2015 20160

100,000

200,000

300,000

400,000

• Females account for: • 55% of Registrations • 42% of Runs

• Since Q1 2015 Females have been a majority of ‘New’ parkrunners, growing Quarter by Quarter, reaching 52.5% in Q1 2016

Junior participation:Growth 2012-16

2012 2013 2014 2015 20160

50,000

100,000

150,000

200,000

2k junior parkrun 5k events Exponential (5k events)

Social deprivation:Growth 2012-16

2012 2013 2014 2015 20160

17,500

35,000

52,500

70,000

Least deprived 3rd 2nd

• 110,000 runners come from England’s most deprived postcodes, accounting for 10.2% of runners.

• Weekly runners from most deprived postcodes have grown 72% since 2014.

Volunteering:Growth 2012-16

2012 2013 2014 2015 20160

25,000

50,000

75,000

100,000

• Around 120,000 unique volunteers in the UK     

• 44% Female / 56% Male

• Over 65’s account for 3% of runs, but 7% of volunteering

• 5,736 individuals have volunteered first and then gone on to run

Over-65s participation:Growth 2012-16

2012 2013 2014 2015 20160

3,000

6,000

9,000

12,000

15,000

• Over 65’s fastest growing group in parkrun. 49% growth in 2015, now account for 3% of runs

• Over 50’s account for 21% of runs

THANK YOU