‘It’s absurdly welcoming’: why I do parkrun

After 356 parkruns, our writer shares the joys of being a perfectly average runner. Plus, top tips for sleeping in a heatwave and cool boxes for camping

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I remember my first parkrun: Wimbledon in November 2014. I also remember the words I said to a friend at the end: “never again”. That was a promise that I didn’t so much break as grind into dust: I would complete 355 more of the free community 5ks over the next 12 years.

My modest running achievements are nothing to brag about: I’ve never run further than 10km, and my times are middling. In fact, the world record for running 5km while juggling (a niche sport delightfully known as “joggling”) beats my non-juggling PB by more than eight minutes.