Earlier today, parkrun officials announced plans to launch parkrun in the Netherlands in 2020. Locations in the pipeline include Eindhoven, Amsterdam, Rotterdam and Maastricht.
parkrun was established in 2004 in Bushy Park, London and has since expanded to nearly 2000 locations in 21 countries worldwide. The Netherlands will be its 22nd country.
Its founder is South African doctor Paul Sinton-Hewitt. He created parkrun to encourage social connections between people as well as physical exercise. Every parkrun event is free and is organised entirely by volunteers. It involves walking, jogging or running a 5 kilometre distance.
As part of the launch process, parkrun officials will visit various cities in the Netherlands from 25th to 29th October this year. They will meet with different individuals and organisations, as well as the teams of volunteers in each location who have been working behind the scenes to plan their parkrun events. They will also meet with the Dutch Athletics Association, who have already shown their support for the launch.
Exactly where and when the parkrun events in Eindhoven will take place has not yet been announced. Updates and announcements will be made on its website and social media pages.
Source: parkrun Nederland
Written by: Rachael Vickerman
