Amazing parkrun celebrates millionth event

LONDON, June 11 : The cake and balloons will be out again at Bushy Park in south-west London on Saturday as the phenomenon that is parkrun marks yet another milestone, this one surely the most incredible of all along its 22-year journey - the millionth event.

That is not the one millionth individual run - there have been almost 140 million of those - but, including junior 2km versions, the one millionth free, timed, 5km run organised and delivered by an army of volunteers.

The origin story is as well-trodden as Bushy Park's lush turf at 9am every Saturday, but never loses anything in the retelling. In October 2004 Zimbabwe-born, South Africa-raised Paul Sinton-Hewitt organised a time trial in his local park for fellow club runners.

Thirteen people took part, with another five helping out from the sidelines in what came to be called the Bushy Park Time Trial.

Within a few years the concept had spread to other U.K. locations and took on the new name of parkrun. Then came the explosion into the astonishing movement it has become today.

There are no entry fees or race numbers. People register once and get given a bar code which is scanned by a volunteer at the finish. A few hours later an email with their finishing position, time and age-grading drops into their inbox.

More than 12 million people are registered and there are 2,800 parkruns across 23 countries. Every week around a quarter of a million people take part - some busting their lungs in search of a personal best, others enjoying a leisurely walk or a run with dogs, children or buggies.

Some events have a handful of runners, others have several hundred. When Bushy celebrated its 1,000th event two years ago more than 6,000 turned up.

What Sinton-Hewitt is most proud of,