Why parkrun has played a big part in ABC News Breakfast host Lisa Millar’s life

I'm not sure of the moment black started becoming my preferred colour. But I knew I needed it in my wardrobe.

Not the stylish black, high-street fashions that made this Queenslander feel out of place on a Melbourne tram, but a simple T-shirt.

A black T-shirt with the number 100 in large white print up high along the back.

One hundred parkruns completed — a symbol of persistence, not necessarily performance. 

And I could relate to that.

parkrun is a free community event held every Saturday around the world.

You receive a barcode when you sign up and your times each week are tracked and emailed to you within hours of the event. There are more than 400 locations across Australia. Some people have favourites. Others try to get somewhere different every weekend.

Millions of people across the world take part but parkrun's name is a misnomer.

Sure there are sprinters and young guys desperate to wipe another second off their time.

But then there's the rest of us.

You don't have to run, you don't even have to jog. Walking is embraced, as are dogs and children and strollers.

And if none of that appeals you can simply volunteer and never put a foot on the path to the finish line. Plenty have taken that option too. Laughter and chatter is encouraged.

It is a wonderful combination of exercise and community and my friends joke that I am so enthusiastic about its benefits it could also be a cult.

My first parkrun was in Southwark Park, in London, in 2015 when I forced myself into the cool autumn air after one of my first challenging weeks as the ABC's Europe bureau chief.

I wondered what people wore, maybe expensive running gear, where would I keep my printed barcode (which tracks your weekly times), would I end up so far at the back of the pack I'd