The Wall Street Journal (July 11, 2017) featured an article titled “The Rise of the Free 5K” that discussed Parkrun, a grassroots program developed and delivered by non-parks and rec staff. Rachel Bachman writes, “It’s called Parkrun, and it’s very simple. Participants register online once and print out a personal bar code. They bring the bar code to a participating park where 5K runs are held every Saturday. The registrants run—or walk—the course, scan their bar code with a volunteer at the finish, then head to a nearby coffee shop to hang out with other Parkrunners. There are no road closures or finish-line ceremonies; it runs every week and it costs nothing.”
A Model Program Empowering community members to develop recreation programs can be a winning formula, given the tradition of limited resources in parks and recreation agencies. Changing the paradigm of operation from direct- services provider to a facilitator role is resource-savvy and can lead to a more robust menu of recreation program offerings. For example, F3, representing Fitness, Fellowship, and Faith, is a non-profit and volunteer- led exercise group, now in 18 states with over 15,000 participants in this free program. It has five core principles.
F3 workouts: