Our local park run is found in the town of Skipton. As with all Park Runs, it starts at 9am on Saturday mornings and is a free 5k event, run by the community for the local community and welcoming Park Run tourists from around the UK and overseas too.
To take part you just need to register online and obtain a bar code.
All age groups are welcome and you can run (or walk) at whatever pace feels good to you.
Under-11s can run “within arm’s length of a responsible adult”. This is always announced at the start of every Park Run, and usually brings a smile and chuckle in the crowd.
Over the last year or so I have loved taking part in Park Runs, and it has been a joy to see my eldest daughter catch the Park Run bug (in the best possible way) and set her own running goals too.
Some weeks we run together, other times we go at our own pace. Sometimes it’s just about showing up, and knowing we got outside and moving. Other weeks, we feel fresh enough and energized to put more in and beat our previous times, but that isn’t our main driver.
When we’re away from home, sometimes we look up to see whether another Park Run course fits in, but I wouldn’t say we were chasing Park Run courses. We tend to slot Park Runs in, if we fancy it, and if it works for us.
There’s something very cool about knowing how much Park Run means to many, and that are other events happening in different parks at the same each week.
Volunteering at Park Run brings many benefits too. The whole event and initiative couldn’t run without the support of people pitching up early every week to set up the course, marshall the course, take responsibility for the event, time the finish line, scan the barcodes, clear away and then process the results. It’s an amazing act of service, and runners are always encouraged to take the turn helping out whenever they can.
The public health benefits of Park Run are huge. It is inspiring that, for many people, Park Run is simply their morning routine on a Saturday. I find you usually are off to a good start on a weekend if it begins with a Park Run. You have pitched up, in the company of others, and that brings joy.
Recently we have been to a few other local courses, including the course in Ilkley and Burnley, but our heart is in the familiarity of Skipton.
If you’re staying with us, why not give Skipton Park Run a try?
We recommend arriving early to park in the car park at Aireville Park, which is a paid-for car park. The Leisure Centre has toilet facilities and a cafe where you can meet the Park Run volunteers afterwards. There’s also a swimming pool on site, and from Aireville Park you can combine a Park Run visit with a walk in to Skipton High Street, or head to Robertshaws Farm Shop, which is close by too.
Other great choices for a post-run brunch are Phoebe’s on Coach Street or Bean Loved on Otley Street in Skipton.
Happy Park Running.
Are Park Runs a part of your Saturday routine too?