By Bruce Gavin
parkrun is a free, weekly, 5k community event in open spaces around the world. In the United States, there are 73 active parkrun each Saturday, which count towards the more than 2,200 different parkrun events held every Saturday in 22 different countries. These events draw hundreds of thousands of runners, joggers, and walkers every week.
Cedar City’s parkrun starts on Saturday August 3rd, and will be held every Saturday at 8am in Canyon Park West. Runners, joggers, and walkers will follow a set 5k course up Cedar Canyon and back again. Cedar City’s parkrun will be the only active parkrun in Utah.
We spoke with Bruce Gavin who is part of the team behind bringing parkrun to Cedar City. Bruce has completed over 200 parkruns at 40 different event locations. All of which he did before he and his family moved to Cedar City from Australia in 2022.
Bruce explained that he missed being able to participate in a parkrun on a Saturday morning and talked about how parkrun is so much more than just a walk in the park, or a jog or a run. Bruce thinks that having other people on the course with you doing the same 5k makes it a bit easier to finish. He especially likes that there are plenty of opportunities to encourage others along the way.
Amber Paul completed one of the trial events and said that she really loved it. “It was great being outside and the views of Cedar Canyon from the course are stunning.” It is widely understood that exercising and being in nature can improve one’s mood, reduce stress and anxiety, and increase feelings of happiness and well-being.
Bruce also talked about the many friends that he made over his years participating and volunteering at parkrun. parkrun benefits are not just physical, there are many parkrun blogs written by people about overcoming loneliness and having a better sense of belonging.
parkruns are made possible by volunteers, each week people fill the roles of timekeeper, finish tokens, scanning, marshals and photographer out on the course. The roles are easy to learn, and training is available. There’s even a tail walker who clears the course and is designated to finish at the back of the pack.
Cedar City Events Director, Brandon Burk is thrilled that a parkrun has come to Cedar City, and he is looking forward to getting out on the course on a regular basis.
Everyone is welcome to attend, and it is free to register and participate. You can run, jog or walk or fill one of the volunteer roles and there’s no obligation to attend every week. You can find out more information, and register at www.parkrun.us or email [email protected]