Darren Wood, 43, from Carshalton, south London, is set to become the first person in the world to complete 1,000 parkruns. He insists the milestone should celebrate the event's community spirit rather than his personal achievement. Wood first participated in October 2004 and has since run at 119 different parkruns across seven countries, also volunteering 415 times.
Parkrun's Origins and Growth
Parkrun began on October 2, 2004, as the Bushy Park Time Trial, with 13 runners joining a free timed 5k run organised by Paul Sinton-Hewitt while he recovered from injury. Today, there are 913 parkrun locations in 23 countries, with over four million participants. Junior parkruns take place on Sundays in the UK, Ireland, and Australia.
Wood's Journey
Wood, a member of Ranelagh Harriers, skipped the first event thinking he was too slow but joined the following Saturday. He is 36 parkruns ahead of his closest rival. 'It is nice to be the first to do things but it’s not what I set out to do,' he said. 'Anyone could be in my situation now. I was just fortunate to know about it from the early days.'
Wood emphasised that the milestone is about parkrun's global impact, stating, 'This should be a celebration of parkrun and of what parkrun is doing worldwide.' He has struggled with mental health issues, including self-harm after his marriage ended, and credits parkrun with saving his life. 'During my darkest days, parkrun felt normal. I wasn’t judged; I could just be me,' he said.
Volunteering and Community
Wood led the team that set up Edenbrook parkrun in 2022 and highlighted the benefits for volunteers. 'It’s, in some cases, their one bit of the week where they get to meet other people,' he said. He has also worked with parkruns in prisons, including Feltham Young Offenders Institution, noting that participation can make people 'feel wanted and part of a community.'
Global Reach and Personal Records
Wood has run in England, Wales, Germany, Denmark, the US, the Netherlands, Poland, and Finland. He often runs with his partner, Kellyjo Tapsell, describing new parkruns as 'a little adventure we go on together.' His 999th parkrun was in Vaxjosjon, Sweden, where he noted the small community reminiscent of parkrun's early days. His personal best is 17 minutes 58 seconds at Bushy Park in 2007, with an average time of 23 minutes 7 seconds.
Despite his dedication, Wood, who works in card payment solutions, stressed that parkrun should not take over life. 'It’s something we do for fun,' he said. His sons, Josh, 11, and Harry, 14, will attend his 1,000th parkrun. 'They don’t quite enjoy it as much as me, but they are very proud,' he added.
Wood plans to run his milestone parkrun at a relaxed pace, saying, 'I’m going to run round with everyone else, nice and easy, just have a little bit of fun and be with people who want to run with me.'
