Darren Wood is on the cusp of making history as the first person in the world to complete 1,000 parkruns. The 43-year-old from Carshalton, south London, will reach the milestone on Saturday, an achievement representing 5,000 kilometres of running over nearly 22 years. Yet Wood insists the milestone is not about his own feat but a celebration of the community spirit that defines the free weekly event.
Wood first took part in October 2004, the second-ever parkrun, then known as the Bushy Park Time Trial. He initially hesitated, believing he was not fast enough for a timed run. But he joined the following week and, as he told the Press Association, “the rest is history.” Since then he has run at 119 different parkrun locations in eight countries – England, Wales, Germany, Denmark, the United States, the Netherlands, Poland and Finland – and he completed his 999th parkrun at Vaxjosjon in Sweden. He has also volunteered 415 times at the 5km event or at a 2km junior parkrun.
A Lifeline in Dark Times
Wood has spoken openly about the struggle that gave parkrun its real meaning in his life. When his marriage ended, he faced mounting debt and problems at work. He struggled with his mental health and began self-harming. “I think it’s good for people to know I’m only human. I had those battles,” he said. During his darkest days he worried about going to parkrun but found that the routine helped and the community supported him. “Everything felt normal. I wasn’t judged any more, I could just be me and I could talk to people and explain how I was feeling,” he said. Parkrun, he says, “changed and saved my life.”
Wood, who works in card payment solutions and is a mental health first aider at his workplace, now urges anyone at a low point to speak out and visit their GP. “We’re all going through our own different battles. Don’t be afraid to talk,” he said. “There’s nothing to feel ashamed of, lots of people go through it.”
His commitment to parkrun has endured through injury as well. After foot surgery he completed a parkrun on crutches – “the hardest thing I’ve ever done,” he recalled. His personal best remains 17 minutes and 58 seconds, set at Bushy Park in 2007, with an average time of 23 minutes and seven seconds. Beyond the numbers, he has completed the “parkrun alphabet” challenge, running events starting with each letter of the alphabet, which he says gives him a focus between the big milestones.
The Growing Reach of parkrun
Parkrun was founded by runner Paul Sinton-Hewitt on 2 October 2004, when 13 runners and five volunteers gathered for a free timed 5km run in south-west London while he was recovering from an injury. It has since grown into a global movement. According to parkrun figures, there are now 913 locations in 23 countries and more than four million people have taken part. In July 2025, the organisation recorded 788 weekly events attracting 182,000 participants and more than 19,000 volunteers. Junior parkruns – a 2km version for children aged four to 14 – take place on Sundays in the UK, Ireland and Australia.
Research suggests that parkrun significantly improves life satisfaction, happiness and general mental wellbeing, with benefits particularly pronounced for those with pre-existing mental health conditions. Volunteering, which Wood has done 415 times, is also shown to enhance happiness and a sense of purpose. The inclusive nature of the event – welcoming everyone from elite runners to walkers – is reflected in the gradually increasing average finish times over the years.
Wood led the team that set up Edenbrook parkrun on the Hampshire‑Surrey border in 2022 and has worked with parkrun initiatives in prisons, including Feltham Young Offenders Institution. He says volunteering can be as transformative as running. “It’s, in some cases, their one bit of the week where they get to meet other people. The friendships which are built from that are something I’m really quite passionate about.”
He often runs with his partner, Kellyjo Tapsell, describing a new parkrun as “a little adventure we go on together.” His sons, Josh, 11, and Harry, 14, will be watching on Saturday, and he will take Josh to junior parkrun the following day. “They don’t quite enjoy it as much as me but I think they are very proud of their dad. They often google me and show me to their mates,” he said.
Reflecting on his 1,000th parkrun, which will be followed by a celebration in south London, Wood said: “I’m going to run round with everyone else, nice and easy, just have a little bit of fun and be with people who want to run with me. It’s not about it being a race. I’m not going to go out and pb or go extra fast, I just want to enjoy it and soak up the atmosphere. At the end of the day we just want to run and have fun. It’s just a run with friends.”