By Sean Lawrenson, Co-Deputy Sports Editor
Paul Sinton-Hewitt is not a name that will immediately spring to mind for people, but if you have managed to find yourself at Ashton Court on a Saturday morning, you will be familiar with Paul’s impact. After setting up the first Parkrun for him and his friends in 2005, the weekly event has grown exponentially. Paul sat down with Epigram ahead of releasing his autobiography, One Small Step.
We begin the conversation by talking about Paul’s relationship with running prior to the setting up of Parkrun. He tells me ‘I’ve been a runner all my life, not really a brilliant one, but a decent one. I realised very early on in life that there was a relationship between running and wellbeing. In those days I just knew that if I went for a run I could steer my actions in a positive way for the rest of the day.’
Paul’s story is far from the ordinary club runner he describes. He moved from South Africa to England in the early nineties, working in a consultancy role whilst living in London. He describes how running helped him with his own mental health, ‘later on in life, I was in my late thirties, when a whole bunch of things conspired. I got fired from my job, I had a running injury which meant I couldn’t see my friends.’ The wanting to keep close with friends was one of the main reasons for Parkrun’s creation.
‘I decided that I could sort of get my friends together every weekend if I just put on this little race. One that they could come and participate in whenever it suited them. They never had to tell me they were coming. It was always at the same park, same time every week. I would always be there and they didn’t have to do anything, except maybe, possibly going for a coffee with me afterwards!’
Paul’s own description of Parkrun’s origins as a ‘little’ race is clearly no longer the case. Since its humble beginnings, Parkrun has become a global initiative, backed by government and socially prescribed by GP's due to its physical benefits. Parkrun has expanded since its creation to twenty-four different countries across five continents. It is a far-cry from the running club set up by Paul nearly twenty years ago. He tells me how in the café he used to 'handcraft the results' for his friends. From there, Parkrun began increasing its numbers week on week.
‘That group just got bigger and bigger, and we realised that there was something really special about being outdoors, doing a little bit of activity and being social. So, against my better judgement, a friend forced me to start a second Parkrun. Immediately, I knew there would be more. It meant we had to make a whole lot of changes, but it also meant we were on a path towards opening up Parkrun to the world.’
Paul is clearly passionate about the community-led approach of Parkrun, and it is clear why. ‘We have had six million people come along and enjoy Parkrun, no matter where they’ve gone in the world.’
I ask whether there was a moment when he realised how big Parkrun could possibly become. ‘The big moment came when we started the second one. Then it was organic for a long time. We went from seven, to fifteen, to thirty-five year on year. A big one was the Olympics in London. We engaged with the Greater London Authority at the time and we committed to getting a Parkrun in every single community in London. It was after this we really opened the floodgates, when we already had a well-oiled machine.’
I ask Paul what stands out to him as notable moments, and the first from his career surprises me, but it shouldn’t. The amount time and energy he has personally given promoting well-being through fitness has bettered people's lives. He tells me:
‘I’ve had many memorable moments. There a those where people tell me their lives have been changed through Parkrun. They’re extraordinary. The change this person has been through might be fairly insignificant to most of us, but to them it’s a massive change.’
Parkrun is more than just a run once a week. For some people it provides structure alongside an opportunity to socialise. From a personal point of view, Paul talks through other highlights, 'as an individual, I suppose receiving the CBE from the Queen was a big moment, and being awarded the Albert Medal. To hear government officials talk about Parkrun as being the biggest public health initiative in the country. These accolades are not something we planned, we chose a path that we knew was good. We chose a path where we tried to make it completely free to everyone; we tried to break down barriers.’
He talks about the importance of volunteering, saying ‘I think we’ve had to understand that the central team, the paid staff, all we do is facilitate the possibility of someone like you starting a Parkrun in your area and improving the health and wellbeing locally. I think every achievement we’ve ever had is down to the volunteers and the people in the community.’
I ask him what advice he would give to someone wanting, but nervous, to give Parkrun a go. ‘We would accept that it is a big step for some people, as much as we’ve tried to break down barriers. For instance, we celebrate both walking and running at Parkrun. We have officials who finish last, so it doesn’t matter how quick or slow you are, you will never finish last. But that is still going to be a problem for some people. So my advice would be to go to your local Parkrun, but as a spectator. You will see how we welcome new people. You will see how the last person gets welcomed over the line. You will see how the volunteer team engages with the local community. You will see how the fast, the medium, the slow runners will mingle. And what’s most important, you will see someone who looks just like you.’
We speak more broadly about the beneficial aspects of exercise in relation to mental health. Paul speaks so openly about this, ‘for your readers, it’s important they understand I’ve suffered with mental health issues all my life. And everybody is somewhere on that spectrum. They are either pretty good or pretty poor or in the middle. But the things that help include some form of activity. I don’t really mind what that activity is. It could be reading books with other people, it could be playing chess, or going for a walk.’ Paul’s ideas continue to circle back to the idea of community, and the drastic improvements that can be had when doing an activity with others. ‘In my opinion, having people to share it with is likely to be a game changer when it comes to your mental health. I call it a pill, and every week when I go to Parkrun I feel a physical change happening. My mind can go from quite insular, withdrawn to pivoting back to reality and even exuberance because of those things.’
Paul sees the future of Parkrun as a continuation of the expansion already happening. ‘I think that is ultimately the goal. We know that this a ‘pill’ that helps many, many people. Of course, there are restrictions. We’ve only got so many spaces in a particular location, but to the best of our ability to make use of those spaces. I think countries like the United Kingdom, we are getting close to maturity. So again, it’s working with community to find the best possible solution. With Parkrun, we’ve got the mission to take this pill to people throughout the world.’
From London to Bristol. From Bristol to Brisbane, Parkrun's mission is clear: to help communities both socially and physically. The weekly activity has become a staple in many people's schedule, and for Paul and his team, their aim is to give that opportunity to as many people as possible.
One Small Step is released on April 10, 2025
Featured Image courtesy of Parkrun
