PARKRUN Australia saw its one millionth new participant sign up on Saturday 27 January.

With 999,503 different people having participated in Australia up to that moment, someone somewhere in Australia joining a parkrun for the first time was the one millionth parkrun debutant.

Urunga parkrun welcomed the broader organisation’s seven-figure milestone.

“Last weekend was extra special because somebody in Australia doing parkrun was the millionth new individual person signing up to take part in our events,” said Pim Heaney, volunteer Event Director of Urunga parkrun.

“The great thing about parkrun is that you don’t need to run to take part – you can also participate by walking the course or volunteering.”

The Glyde and Davis families from Bellingen have been partaking in the Urunga parkrun for the past three weeks.

Some of the family members run, others run/walk, and some walk the whole way.

“They like that parkrun is something they can all do together that is also healthy and keeps them fit,” said Peter Glyde.

Shirley Sneddon from Valla said she loves parkrun as it keeps her active, adds to her triathlon training and has helped her get involved in the local community and meet new people, having moved to the area 18 months ago.

Stephen Boyd from Bellingen loves the community aspect of parkrun and being able to exercise with no pressure to be fast or competitive.

“You can just show up, have a run or walk, chat to some people and have a good start to your weekend,” he said.

Urunga parkrun starts at 7am and takes place at Urunga boardwalk, near the play equipment.

Ten minutes before the event each week, a volunteer welcomes first-timers and introduces them to the event.

“parkrun is very inclusive because it’s free, it’s every Saturday, and there are lots of different ways to be involved,” said Pim.

“We have families taking part together, friends walking and talking their way around the five kilometre course.

“parkrun is all about having fun and taking part in a way that’s comfortable for you.

“Some of our regulars take part most weeks, but the beauty of parkrun is that it doesn’t require any commitment.

“You register once for free on the parkrun website and then you can come along to any parkrun in the world on any Saturday morning if you feel like it.”

The first Australian parkrun launched on the Gold Coast in 2011, with the simple concept spreading to a further 480 communities nationwide.

Each parkrun takes place every Saturday morning year-round and is open to everyone, with a volunteer welcoming first-timers and introducing them to the event.

Registration is free at www.parkrun.com.au/register.

By Andrea FERRARI