Parkrun is a free and fun way of maintaining fitness on a weekly basis as well as getting out and about in the fresh air, but where exactly are Londoners getting their weekly fill of parkruns? As well as sharing the map which pinpoints every single parkrun, we’ve provided a rundown of parkruns around London, highlighting some fun and unique facts for each of the green spaces.
Starting with just 13 runners and five volunteers in 2004 at Bushy Park in Richmond , parkrun has steadily made its mark worldwide – now, there are more than 9 million registered parkrunners globally.
Every Saturday morning at 9am, thousands of runners across London are challenging themselves to a weekly 5K run, and with over 65 parkrun events in Greater London, there’s plenty of choice available.
Some keen runners are known to challenge themselves to complete as many parkruns as they can. They fondly call the completion of all London parkruns as ‘LonDone’. You too can challenge yourself with our rundown of parkruns across the capital.
There are 2 boroughs that do not currently have a parkrun event: Kensington and Chelsea and the City of Westminster. And The City of London also doesn’t have a parkrun event. Due to its small size and lack of green spaces it’s unlikely to ever have one.
We’ve provided a rundown of parkruns in each area London as well as some fun facts about them. Scroll down to view the list of London parkruns and their locations. The full map is interactive and has options to show the 5k runs as well as the smaller 2k junior parkruns.
North London
- Ally Pally – Alexandra Park in the borough of Haringay offers panoramic views over London.
- Hampstead Heath – A wild park of woodland and meadows, in London’s Zone Two, less than four miles from the centre. The park is only approximately 3.5 miles away from Trafalgar Square but will feel like an escape from the city while offering some of the best views over the capital.
- Other North London parkruns include Finsbury Park and Highbury Fields.
North East London
- Hackney Marshes – Next to the River Lea which also happens to be the river running through Adele’s song “River Lea”, the park is popular with Hackney parkrunners.
- Walthamstow – The terrain is known to be grassy and muddy.
East London
- Mile End – This Tower Hamlets park was once devastated by World War II but now hosts a healthy weekly turnout of East London parkrunners.
- Other East London parkruns take place at Victoria Dock, Barking, Beckton and Thames Path.
South London
Bromley has the most parkrun events with 5 (Bromley, Bethlem Royal Hospital, Beckenham Place, Hoblingwell, Orprington)
Burgess Park – Ranking at number 47 out of the 835 UK parkruns, Burgess Park is one of the fastest parkruns in London. It’s also known to be very flat, so it’s perfect for those wanting to avoid the hills.
Beckham Place, Brockwell Park (near Brixton), Bexley, Crystal Palace, Dulwich Park and South Norwood. Other popular South London parkruns including Tooting Common which is notable for many large oak trees.
Hilly Fields (Lewisham): As the name suggests, Hilly Fields is characterized by its steep inclines, particularly a challenging uphill section at the end of each lap. This course is known for sapping energy and making personal bests difficult to achieve.
South West London
Battersea Park – As well as hosting 200 acres of parkland in the heart of London, the space is considered many to be the most interesting of London parks.
Bushy Park – Where the parkrun community started and is still going strong. With over 1,000 runners every week though, this run is sure to be a busy one! Showing off over 1,000 acres of parkland, Bushy Park is also the second largest of London’s eight Royal Parks and even home to some wild deer and ofcourse Hampton Court Palace.
Fulham Palace – Despite being next to one of the wealthiest streets in London, and Fulham Palace which was the historic home and retreat of the Bishops of London, you don’t have to be rich or powerful to run the parkrun here!
Southwark – Did you know that this London park is actually one of the oldest? Opened in the summer of 1869, this park is not only steeped in history but it’s still serving as a peaceful retreat nestled within the hustle and bustle of the city.
Gunnersbury – Once a filming location for the 1951 British comedy The Lavender Hill Mob, every Saturday, the park transforms into a popular running location for around 500 parkrunners.
West London
Wormwood Scrubs – Also known locally as ‘The Scrubs’, the open space in Shepherd’s Bush, Hammersmith, is the largest open space in the borough and one of the largest areas of common in London. Just make sure that you don’t end up at Wormwood Scrubs prison, the local men’s Category B prison, which funnily enough has the same name as the green space!
North West London
Sunny Hill – As its name suggests, this park in the London Borough of Barnet, despite not being the hilliest parkrun in the UK, is sure to offer it’s own fair share of hills. Runners are known to wind down with a coffee afterwards at the Sunny Hill Café.
Other parkruns in the area take place at Gladstone, Wanstead Flat’s and Valentine’s Park.
Full list
(Some park runs straddle boroughs)
| Borough | Park Runs |
|---|---|
| Barking and Dagenham | Barking |
| Barnet | Oak Hill, Sunny Hill |
| Bexley | Bexley, Foots Cray Meadows |
| Brent | Gladstone |
| Bromley | Bethlem Royal Hospital, Bromley, Crystal Palace, Hoblingwell, Orpington |
| Camden | Hampstead Heath |
| Croydon | Lloyd, Riddlesdown, South Norwood |
| Ealing | Northala Fields, Southall |
| Enfield | Grovelands, Pymmes |
| Greenwich | Avery Hill, Charlton, Sutcliffe, Thames Path Woolwich |
| Hackney | Hackney Marshes |
| Hammersmith and Fulham | Fulham Palace, Wormwood Scrubs |
| Haringey | Ally Pally, Finsbury Park, Lordship Recreation Ground |
| Harrow | Canons Park, Harrow |
| Havering | Harrow Lodge, Ingrebourne Hill, Raphael |
| Hillingdon | Stockley Country |
| Hounslow | Bedfont Lakes, Gunnersbury, Hanworth, Osterley |
| Islington | Highbury Fields |
| Kingston upon Thames | Kingston* |
| Lambeth | Brockwell |
| Lewisham | Beckenham Place, Catford, Hilly Fields |
| Merton | Morden |
| Newham | Beckton, Victoria Dock |
| Redbridge | Valentines, Wanstead Flats* |
| Richmond upon Thames | Bushy Park, Crane Park*, Old Deer Park, Richmond Park |
| Southwark | Burgess, Dulwich, Peckham Rye, Southwark |
| Sutton | Roundshaw Down* |
| Tower Hamlets | Mile End |
| Waltham Forest | Walthamstow |
| Wandsworth | Battersea, Clapham Common*, Tooting Common, Wimbledon Common |
What is Parkrun and how to sign up
Parkrun has become well established within many Londoner’s weekly Saturday morning routines, but it’s also been well established in the history of London. Although parkrun has spread across the world launching in places as far out as Australia to Austria and even Canada, Denmark and Finland, parkrun actually began its humble roots in Bushy Park.
Starting with just 13 runners and five volunteers in 2004, parkrun has steadily made its mark worldwide – now, there are more than 9 million registered parkrunners globally.
You just have to sign up, where you will receive a barcode. When you finish the race, marshalls hand you a token with another barcode on it. Then you have to get both your barcode and the one handed to you scanned by a volunteer, which will register your time. You will receive your time to the email address you signed up with. You can find your local Parkrun here. On their website, Parkrun says they are ‘free for everyone forever’.
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