Parkrun, the world’s largest weekly timed 5K event, has made headlines again. This time, it’s over the ongoing lack of parkrun events in France. “We have regrettably concluded that parkrun events in France will remain suspended, for the foreseeable future,” Tom Williams, the managing director of the event, explains on the website. “We will continue to review any information relating to French regulations or legal requirements or further changes to the procedures around the health declaration for French running events.”
A history of legal issues
Originating in the U.K., parkrun attracts hundreds of participants of all abilities to take part in timed 5K runs held in parks, trails and open spaces every Saturday morning, with 2,200 locations across the globe. France put their parkrun events on hold in 2022, when French legal requirements first became an issue. “We reached the conclusion that, due to French legal requirements relating to medical certificates, operating in France without requesting medical certificates from participants placed too great a risk on volunteers, staff and the parkrun organization itself,” Wiliams explains. “All French parkrun events have been closed from that time.”
Medical certificates were not an actual requirement for parkrun participants in 2022, but they were necessary for runners who competed in official 5K races. After seeking legal advice, parkrun organizers paused all French events due to a concern that if a medical incident occurred, a judge would view parkrun as the same as an official 5K race, and those involved could face legal action, even criminal charges.
Parkrun cancels A-Z records in an effort to deter “parkrun tourism”
Health requirements and French Athletics
Fast forward to 2024, and French Athletics has entered the picture, along with stricter requirements. While parkrun had hoped to resume in France, French Athletics recently entered the picture with new regulations requiring participants in events to complete an online educational course about the health risks (as defined by French Athletics) associated with participation in running events, prior to being involved.
Parkrun says medical requirements will deter runners
Parkrun officials have connected with French Athletics to share the data they have compiled regarding medical incidents at their events. “With almost twenty years of experience, during which time we have supported the delivery of almost 700,000 events enabling over 100 million instances of participation, we remain confident in our approach to medical incidents. This approach has been independently reviewed by a group of world-class sports doctors, demonstrating a low incident rate and high survival rate,” Williams writes. “We therefore do not believe that requiring participants in 5k races or parkrun events to complete pre-activity courses or obtain medical certificates makes any positive difference to health outcomes.”
The authors of the paper on incidents at parkrun events suggest that the new requirements may actually prevent runners from competing, with the researchers stating that: “…future potential mandates for comprehensive onsite medical services at parkrun, or a requirement for preparticipation screening, may translate into a marked decline in the number of communities capable of hosting parkrun or deter individuals from participating.”
Disappointed runners
Parkrunners have responded with disappointment to the news. “I have heard about it because I’ve known people to run at events in France but I didn’t realize it was as far-reaching as a 5K…It’s absolutely nonsense, isn’t it. They must be the only place in the world that does this,” @runningtucker posted on X, with others expressing concern that French bureaucracy had reached as far as parkrun. “We would like to express how sorry we are to all parkrunners impacted by this situation, but we also hope that sharing this information will help people to understand our position,” Williams said.
