LONDON ¨C The thousands of Britons who take to their local green space each week for a mass 5 km parkrun can expect to reap health benefits well beyond losing 1 kg and lowering their blood pressure.
Scientists who have studied the mass participation events, which from a small start in London 10 years ago have grown to attract some 70,000 runners a week worldwide, say their effect on psychological and physical health is starting to show.
¡°Parkrun has made exercise enjoyable for people, and that¡¯s something that can make them more likely to stick to it and do it regularly,¡± said Dr. Clare Stevinson, an expert in exercise and sport psychology at Britain¡¯s Loughborough University who led some preliminary published studies on parkrun. ¡°So they won¡¯t see weight loss overnight and they won¡¯t see changes in blood pressure overnight, but those long-term benefits will come if they are more likely to stick with it. It¡¯s potentially very powerful in that way.¡±
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