Free Weekly Timed

CEO Nick Pearson joins the pod today to discuss why he’s leaving his role at parkrun. He also looks back at what has been a difficult,  yet rewarding 12 months for everyone at parkrun. We also read out more of your emails.

Minreet Kaur is our special guest this week. The journalist, presenter and, of course, parkrunner tells us how getting fit and healthy changed her outlook on life. She also gives us the inside track on her dad - The Skipping Sikh.

This week’s special guest is Doctor Simon Tobin, who tells us about the importance of parkrun for one’s mental health. He shares his own personal story how parkrun gave his father a sense of community after the passing of his mother. And Vassos has some big news about a potential “Great Big parkrun quiz” Xmas special.

COO Tom Williams joins the pod to discuss parkrun’s decision to allow the scanning of barcodes on mobile devices. He discusses why they made the decision and how it impacts participant’s ICE details. Tom also breaks the FWT record for the longest ever answer!

This week’s special guest is TV presenter, model and author Nell McAndrew. She tells us about her love of parkrun, what her favourite volunteer role is and how she will celebrate her 100th. We also hear more of your parkrun challenges.

Our special guest this week is CBeebies presenter and avid parkrunner George Webster. George is the first BBC children’s presenter with Down’s syndrome, and he tells us all about his new job. He also shares with us his love of parkrun, how he got into it and why it is so special to him.

Avid parkrunner Elise Downing joins us this week, she talks about her experience of running around the coast of Britain, why she decided to do it, how she ended up writing a book about it and how parkrun helped her return to running after injury. And we find out why the “always late” Vassos arrived at junior parkrun an hour early!

Rick Pearson from Runner’s World is our special guest this week. He tells us all about his journey to working for the UK's biggest-selling sports magazine, his inspiration for writing songs about running and his love of parkrun. And Vassos makes a pledge to never forget his barcode!

With Vassos and producer Patrick away on their holidays (not together), Helen continues our celebration of everything volunteering. This week she speaks to visually impaired parkrunner Neil Skene who took on the role of Run Director at Ury Riverside parkrun. He tells us what the challenges were and why he finds parkrun and volunteering so rewarding.

Not content with just one guest who has run across America on the podcast, we have found another one - Rob Pope. He is the first person ever to run across the USA four times in one year - and he also followed the same route as Forrest Gump. His latest achievement was to run 24 different parkruns in 24 hours and he tells us all about it.

Fresh from doing the London Marathon, Vassos tells us how it transpired that he did all 26 miles dressed as a Minion. Plus, parkrun’s head of volunteer management Jaz Bangerh joins us as we continue to celebrate our hi-vis heroes.

As parkrun turns 17, we join the celebration of everything volunteering. Who better to speak to than the first ever volunteers Paul and Jo Sinton-Hewitt. They take us back to that first event in 2004, and tell us how the role of the volunteers has evolved.  We also hear from a 19 year old Run Director at Harrogate juniors.

This week we caught up with a man who has run across America seven times. Swede Bjorn Suneson tells us why he does it, and how at the age of 71 he’s not finished. Louise checks in from her parkrun travels and we hear about an extraordinary act of generosity from the good folk at Hadleigh parkrun.

With parkrun resuming in the Republic of Ireland, we hear from those involved with Monaghan Town’s first event back. The inspirational Kevin Webber talks to us about living with incurable cancer and how running and parkrun has kept him going. And we find out whether Vassos finally made it to parkrun, or conjures up another poor excuse for not going.

parkrun founder Paul Sinton-Hewitt joins the pod this week to discuss his delight that many 5K events have now returned. He also tells us about his mammoth cycle ride from Land’s End to John O’Groats. Vassos reads out a belter of an email and we find out how his first parkrun in 18 months went...or maybe we don’t!

Vassos manages to rope in producer Patrick to co-host the show with Helen away on her holidays. The listeners pile in on the debate regarding scanning tokens attached to shoes and we hear from the inspirational Tim Beynon on how running helped him deal with prostate cancer.

Vassos is back from his holidays to join Helen for a busy show. They celebrate parkrun’s return in Wales and hear from many of those involved. Louse is back and reports from Kingdom parkrun in Kent and Vassos and Helen have differing views on barcode tokens being scanned while attached to one’s shoe!

With parkrun having restarted in Scotland, we hear from husband and wife team John and Moira Smith. John was RD for the day at Strathclyde parkrun and tells us how it all went and Moira was dispatched with a microphone and spoke to many of the participants. Vassos catches up with comedian, podcaster and author Rob Deering to chat about his running journey, parkrun and what’s on his playlist.

With Vassos away on holiday, Helen is joined by husband & parkrun COO Tom to chat through some of the news coming out of HQ including the return of parkrun in Scotland. We also hear how the plan for the return in Wales is going.

This week we hear from Natasha Joseph, who attended her first parkrun as it resumed in England back in July and tells us why it was so special. Louise Ayling is back in her role as roving reporter, and Vassos claims to have the greatest stat in the history of stats!