Germany was the 19th country to join the Parkrun movement in December 2017, with now nearly 300 people walking, running and volunteering at weekly parkruns in Berlin, Osnabrück, Frankfurt, Leipzig, Mannheim (currently closest location to the KMC) and Hanover. Many more locations will launch throughout 2018 and organisers are actively seeking volunteers interested in starting a parkrun in Ramstein.
Parkrun is the world’s largest running event, the largest provider of free physical activity and quite possibly the largest provider of volunteering opportunities on the planet. They are a leading light in breaking down the barriers to participation, combatting inactivity, fostering diversity and inclusion and promoting social justice.
What is Parkrun?
- Parkrun is a weekly event for running, jogging, or walking over a distance of five kilometers. It doesn’t matter how fast you go. It doesn’t matter what you wear. What matters is that you participate.
- Parkrun starts every Saturday at 9:00 am in many countries worldwide.
- The events always take place in special, easy-to-reach places – for example in parks, on beaches or promenades.
- Parkrun is free for all participants. You register once and then participate in every parkrun run worldwide.
- All parkrun races are organized by volunteers from the participants of the event – under the motto “by participants for participants”.
Neckarau Event Director, David Sweeney says: “Parkrun is simply the perfect start to an active weekend for everyone. It’s also incredibly valuable to be part of a worldwide community of people committed to more community in their region. “
Community
The Neckarau Parkrun course in Mannheim is about an hour’s drive from the KMC and a real treat for anyone who likes to be in direct contact with nature. The tree-lined path begins near the Strandbad and runs along the Rhine in the direction of Lindenhof, before it turns back through the forest park towards the start. The 5 kilometers are flat and easily accessible in the middle of one of the most beautiful areas of Mannheim – perfect in every season! The route is located near Mannheim’s city center and there is plenty of parking directly next to the start / finish area.
Following each weekly parkrun, all participants are encouraged to spend some time together with a coffee or breakfast in the nearby Purino restaurant.
“The social aspect of parkrun is as important as the physical activity itself,” emphasizes David. He adds: “Mannheim has a relatively large international expat community and we want to help make it easy to mix with the locals and meet new people. We are foreigners ourselves and therefore we are particularly pleased to create a special opportunity for community building and getting to know each other through parkrun. “
So come along any Saturday to the Neckarau parkrun at Strandbad in Mannheim and jog or walk the five kilometers, or even volunteer to help with the event.
If you have not yet registered, please do so before your first parkrun, here: https://www.parkrun.com.de/register/
The registration takes only a few minutes. Then print out your personal barcode. This is your ID card every Saturday at every parkrun event in the world. Wherever you want to run, just bring your printed barcode with you and be on time for 9:00am.
Help with parkrun – An Interesting Opportunity
Helping parkrun events is a great way to meet people, learn new things, and make a big contribution to community life.
If you feel like helping, please write an e-mail to neckarauteam@parkrun.com. You can also email your interest about starting a parkrun in Ramstein.
Further information about parkrun in Germany can be found at https://www.parkrun.com.de/Neckarau
Cover photo by Halfpoint/Shutterstock.com