What is it: Get out your party hats and running shoes and help celebrate Osborn MetroPark parkrun’s one-year anniversary on July 15. parkrun is an international organization with the goal to get people into parks and public spaces for a weekly, free, timed 5k run/walk. The local parkrun takes place at 9 a.m. Saturdays at Osborn MetroPark, 3910 E. Perkins Ave.
After completing a one-time registration that provides participants with a unique barcode that can be used at other parkruns, people can track their parkrun data online. Participants can earn milestones, which gives them access to certain official merchandise. Even if people don’t want to run or walk, they can get involved by volunteering at an event. The same milestones are available for volunteering at a certain number of events.
“We are always appreciative of volunteers, as our events do not happen without them,” says Event Director Martyn Drabik-Hamshare via a recent email interview. “A total of 90 different people have volunteered at our events over the past year, but we are always looking for more help. A minimum of 6 volunteers are needed each week for the events to go ahead.
All parkruns around the world (more than 2,000 of them across 22 countries) celebrate their anniversary runs with returning, new, and “tourist” parkrunners, says Drabik-Hamshare. He and his wife, Morgan, have attended anniversary runs in the past, including the 5th anniversaries for Livonia, Michigan and Mansfield, who are now celebrating their 11th and 5th anniversaries, respectively.
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Kyle Roth hit his 25-run milestone on June 17.
“[The anniversary runs] are often memorable occasions where runners wear their milestone tees (if they have any), so it can be very colorful!” Drabik-Hamshare says.
Why is it important: parkruns aren’t just about exercise. Just ask two frequent parkrunners, Kyle Roth and Justice Foreman. Roth is one of the only parkrunners who has visited a separate parkrun, as three of his 24 runs (as of mid-June) have been at the Ohio & Erie Canal Reservation parkrun, while Foreman has completed more Osborn MetroPark parkruns than anyone else (31 as of mid-June).
“The consistency of parkrun is what I enjoy,” Roth says. “I know it is there every Saturday year-round. I also like that parkrun is not only a local event, but it is a global event.”
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Justice Foreman received his 25-run milestone shirt in February. (Courtesy of Osborn MetroPark parkrun)“I'm so grateful to have found such a great community of people,” Foreman says. “I really enjoy bringing my family and dogs whenever possible. It's the perfect start to every Saturday.”
How to get involved: To get involved in parkrun, register at
parkrun.us/register, and find information about the local event at
www.parkrun.us/osbornmetropark. Osborn MetroPark parkrun also can be found on
Facebook and
Instagram, or email the group at
[email protected].
While the group usually meets at Vine & Olive after each parkrun, parkrun coordinators plan to celebrate at the Frost Center at Osborn MetroPark at the conclusion of the anniversary event to enjoy coffee, snacks, and, of course, cake, Drabik-Hamshare says.
“I am hoping that we will break our attendance record of 42, which was set at our inaugural event last year,” he says. “We may also get some interesting tourists. Over the past year we have had people from 18 parkruns, including ones in the United Kingdom, South Africa, and Australia.”