Every Saturday morning in four prisons around the country, a 5km fun run takes place.

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These events are not competitive, aren’t races, and are open to runners, walkers and volunteers.

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Parkruns are a staple in the community – with free weekly events taking place in 23 countries across five continents.

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The first parkrun in a prison was held in England in 2018. The event made its way to Australian prisons in 2019, hosted at Dhurringle Prison in Victoria. Organised by parkrun, a UK-based organisation, these free community events now take place in 2000 locations in 23 countries across five continents.

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It soon expanded to 13 prisons and had more than 100 weekly participants, but the pandemic led to the cancellation of many of them.

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Parkruns are now held in three men’s prisons in South Australia and at Brisbane Women’s Correctional Centre in Queensland.

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There are plans to expand parkruns into more prisons around the country, and the organisation is encouraging those looking to bring the event to their prison to get in touch.

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About Time spoke to parkrun Asia-Pacific Head of Health & Wellbeing Glen Turner about how it all works and what the benefits of it are.

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About Time: How does it all work?

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Glen Turner: Parkruns are free weekly 5km events designed to foster social connection that are open to walkers, runners and volunteers of all ages and abilities.

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Prison parkruns are no different – they are designed to look and feel the same as parkruns outside the wire, so that when you leave custody you are familiar with the parkrun model and can use it as part of community reintegration.

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Importantly, people in prison take ownership of parkrun and facilitate the event for fellow inmates and officers, which empowers them to take on all of the volunteer roles required to operate the event. This includes managing the overall event, coordinating the volunteers, public speaking, timekeeping, handing out finish tokens, processing results and marshalling on the course.

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Some events have people who write a weekly event report which is published and printed out for others to read.

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Parkrun is not competitive and focuses on motivating regular attendance rather than performance. After 25 weeks you join the ‘25’ club and can purchase a purple parkrun 25 shirt. Further milestones are achieved after 50, 100, 250, 500 and 1000 parkruns and the motivation of these milestone clubs is a major incentive for people in prison.

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Some prisons do allow people to purchase the shirts and wear them, as a way of recognising their achievements and motivating others to get involved. When you are released from prison you take the number of parkruns with you, and continue to rack them up on the outside.

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What are some of the benefits of participating in the program?

Parkrun engages those who don’t participate in other physical activity opportunities, such as the gym program, so it improves the overall physical and mental health of the group.

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You don’t have to run, or even walk. Volunteering is an option to anyone and has wide reaching benefits including mental health and skills development.

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It gives a weekly walk, run or volunteer opportunity to look forward to and prepare for, and they often tell us it impacts how they behave during the week in terms of eating better, being more mindful of hydration and exercising so they can try to go faster.

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The parkrun in Mobilong Prison in South Australia was started by the prison GP when they were preparing to ban smoking in the prison, and this event is still going strong.

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It also assists with transition out of prison. Understanding how parkrun works and how they can get involved when they go to a new community is beneficial, and it also provides a ready-made circle of positive people to interact with upon release.

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How have you seen the program benefit people in prison?

People who have volunteered with us in prison say it has really increased their confidence. One person who got involved as the event report writer is now preparing to graduate with a Journalism Diploma.

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Many people also have family who do parkrun on the outside, so they can share their experiences and compare times. Some lower security prisons even allow families to come in for parkrun from time to time. We’ve also heard from people who did parkrun with their family at the first opportunity post-release.

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Are you planning to hold more parkruns in prisons around the country?

Yes! Traditionally we have asked that prison parkruns take place on Saturdays. However, we have now changed this model and will be supporting prisons in Australia to hold parkrun at any time of the week, providing it is on the same day each week.

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We know the success of parkrun is largely built on routine, so having the same day of the week as a weekly habit is really important for getting buy-in from the prison group and ensuring continuity and consistency.

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We would love to hear from any prison that is interested in introducing parkrun, and it’s our role to support you every step of the way, from launching the event and into the future.

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What’s your advice to someone who might be considering taking part in a parkun?

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My best advice is that parkrun isn’t about running, and you don’t have to run! Parkrun is designed to be fun and social – it’s a great place to have a chat whilst walking or running outside.

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If volunteering is more your thing, the parkrun model allows a large number of volunteer opportunities to up skill yourself and develop your confidence.

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Parkrun Australia can be contacted via email at:

support@parkrun.com