his week has finally seen the return of the great indoors, with pubs, theatres, cinemas, galleries and casinos opening their doors for the first time in months. If all is well, we could be back clubbing in a matter of weeks. So why is the return of an outdoor activity like Parkrun still hanging in the balance?
Despite the weekly community 5ks being legally allowed to return during stage one of the roadmap in March, confusion around the lockdown timeline, hesitancy and red tape has created a bureaucratic nightmare threatening the future of Parkrun indefinitely.
Although the events are free and run by volunteers, they rely on local councils and landowners to let them be staged. Pent-up demand for events has meant councils have received about 600 per cent more applications for outdoor events than normal, and many event organisers are looking to use the same outdoor spaces.
It seems that Parkrun is falling victim to a wholly preventable logistical headache. Councils appear not to be communicating with one another, with some suggesting it will take months for safety advisory groups to…
