Tasmania’s parkruns had a record attendance of 700 across its three locations of Hobart, Launceston and Devonport last week, and with three new destinations ready to go, and three more in the pipeline, organisers want to see that reach 1000 by the end of the year.
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There are currently three new parkruns ready to launch in Tasmania, including Railton, Georgetown and the Windsor precinct at Riverside.
There are also three more potential destinations, including Meander Valley, Burnie and Campbell Town.
The five-kilometre weekly run, which started in the UK 13 years ago, is now attracting tourists to destinations around the world, including Launceston.
“Parkrun tourism is a very popular phenomenon, with many parkrunners planning their holidays around attendance at events where they may not have run before,” Tasmanian parkrun territory director Christine Timms said.
“We had a group of interstate parkrunners who were in Hobart for the Cadbury marathon last weekend and had flown in early to attend Hobart parkrun on Saturday.
“Upon learning that Hobart parkrun was cancelled due to a severe weather warning, they drove to Launceston to attend our event rather than missing out on their parkrun tourism.
“We see several interstate or international parkrunners at Launceston parkrun every week, and this is a consistent experience across Australia.”
Catherine Stark is behind the Railton parkrun startup.
“Parkruns are very inclusive, which is what I like about them. People can turn up with their dogs. You can walk, or run, and it also attracts athletes who run them in amazing times. It’s not just the physical health side of it, but the mental health as well.”
Ms Stark designed a course that will take runners along bush tracks in Railton, including part of the Tasmanian Trail. She is hoping it will be running by late March.
“We’re still trying to get funding for it, so we’re looking for sponsors at this stage. We’ve raised $1600 so far, and need $5000.”
Devonport’s Stacey Cowling-Linnell started participating in the Devonport parkrun after her husband died.
“We used to walk everywhere together, so the parkrun has been really good for me. I’ve been to them all over the state, and to some of the mainland. You meet lots of people along the way.”
Ms Timms said the key to parkrun’s success was the removal of barriers for participants. “It is free to register and attend, and once registered, parkrunners can attend any parkrun in the world using the same barcode, which they simply bring with them each week.”
For information on participating, sponsoring, or starting a parkrun, contact Ms Timms at christine.timms@parkrun.com.
