The RMA Podcast. Episode 35. The parkrun Australia story, and the man behind it. With Tim Oberg.

The RMA Podcast

On Episode 35 we talk all things parkrun. If you have been running for a while you might have heard of parkrun. parkruns are free, weekly, community events all around the world. parkrun began in October 2004, with the first ever event in Bushy park, Teddington, UK, after its founder Paul Sinton-Hewitt was sidelined by injury and decided to gather his local running mates to do a 5k time trial. Not only was this the start of something special, the premise behind why parkrun started still exists today; social connection.

Fast forward to 2010, Australian, Tim Oberg stumbled upon his first parkrun event while living and working in the UK. He heard about this local phenomenon, and somewhere that he could take his beloved dog for a Saturday run. From his first step at parkrun, Tim knew that this concept was something that might take hold in Australia, and that quite possibly, it could be the start of a new life for him and his family. With the blessing from its' founder, on Tims return to Australia, he set up the first parkrun event in April 2nd 2011 at Main Beach on the Gold Coast, QLD.

Fast forward 10 years later to today, parkrun is now a global gathering around the world every Saturday morning, forming one of the most impactful global health initiatives spanning countries and generations, enabling communities to connect with each other in an active and healthy way, not only through running or walking, but through volunteering and being a part of a weekly community event. parkrun has evolved over time to include not only large city events, but most importantly, impacting communities through the wellbeing that it brings, such as correctional facilities and jails, and small regional communities. The parkrun community continues to grow all the time, but it has always remained based on the simple, basic principles formed from the start: weekly, free, 5k, for everyone, and forever.

We sit down with Tim and discuss the story behind what led him to bring parkrun to Australia, the highs and lows of the journey, how parkrun is making an impact on our nation and beyond, and we talk about how sometimes people are put in places that they never knew would make such an impact on the world; and how Tim was one of those people that has been chosen to direct this mission.

To find out more about parkrun visit https://www.parkrun.com.au

This episode is brought to you by fisiocrem Australia