Prescribing parkrun

A fantastic and inspiring article on the power of prescribing parkrun.¹ Our practice based in South London has recently signed up as a parkrun practice and reading the success stories of how parkrun has transformed patients’ lives is exactly why we joined this initiative.

There is something for everyone at parkrun and the examples used show the vast range of health benefits it can have from cardiac rehab and weight loss to reducing social isolation and mental health problems. For a GP surgery it helps to form closer links with the local community, as well as health promotion for staff.

The main barrier we have had to overcome is convincing patients and staff that it is not just an event for ‘runners’ but is inclusive for all. That Saturday morning buzz can be had by walkers, joggers, and volunteers, who are essential in running the events. Colleagues and patients have said that it can seem quite intimidating on the first visit and I would encourage parkrun to continue to focus on inclusivity and breaking down these barriers to involvement.

We are fortunate in our practice to have volunteer health champions who run a ‘Couch 2 5K’ programme from the surgery twice weekly. Our hope is that patients can then graduate from the couch to a full 5 km parkrun. We have started to see small success stories already, such as an overweight patient who previously had never run, managing a steady jog and even a short sprint when she had thought she had been left behind!

As a GP trainee at the start of my career it is great to hear from the author that parkrun and all the associated health benefits ‘is the best medicine I can prescribe’. I know that exercise for health will always be part of my health promotion at work.

If you have never given parkrun a go, I would strongly encourage you to sign up to your local event, print your barcode, and walk, jog, volunteer, or run! I guarantee that you will feel the buzz and see the smiles all round, whatever the weather.