Preparations behind the scenes for the return of parkrun

The chief operating officer of parkrun Global, Mr Tom Williams, sent a statement last week about their progress.

“From the beginning of this challenge, we have believed in taking a pragmatic and considered approach, that protects the spirit of parkrun, and prioritises the safety of everyone who comes into contact with our events,” the statement read.

“At the same time, we have developed our understanding of the risks of returning such that we can appropriately balance those against the benefits.”

According to Mr Williams, a significant part of developing their understanding is related to the evidence around virus transmission in outdoor settings.

They commissioned Prof Mike Weed of The University of Christ Church and Canterbury, in the United Kingdom, to carry out a rapid review of the relevant evidence.

Work is continuing behind the scenes to prepare for the return of parkrun.

“We are in close conversations with government departments and public health bodies across a number of parkrun countries, and are consistently seeing an agreement that the public health benefits of our events are significant, while the risk in terms of virus transmission is relatively small.”

They are experiencing wide-ranging support for the return of their events, but can not commit to specific dates at this stage.

“The return of parkrun events is closer than ever,” the statement concluded.