Medibank and parkrun celebrate millionth parkrunner

Medibank and parkrun have celebrated Australia's millionth parkrunner, making the country the second globally to mark 1-million participants.

In partnership with Medibank, there are parkrun events every Saturday morning in Australia, across over 480 locations that are completely free to take part in.

Since the first Australian parkrun launched in 2011, over 995,000 people have walked, run and volunteered, including 221,000 participants at Victorian parkruns.

Whether you identify as a runner or not, parkrun is for everyone. Approximately 13% of Aussies who take part in parkrun do so as walkers and around 5,500 people volunteer at parkruns around the country each week. The average parkrun finish time gets slower every year – a sign that more people are walking parkrun and seeing it as a social community event with fitness benefits.

Females lead the way at Australian parkruns, with 540,000 women and girls having taken part compared with 455,000 males.

Glen Turner, Head of Communications and Health and Wellbeing at parkrun said: “It’s remarkable to think that one in every 25 Australians have participated at parkrun as walkers, runners and volunteers.

"Because parkrun is free, every Saturday and requires no commitment it’s the perfect activity to fit into our busy lives. Whether you run the 5k, walk and talk with friends and family or help out as a volunteer, there is something at parkrun for everyone.

"Whether you’re a seasoned parkrunner or a first-timer, we’d love to see you this Saturday to be part of parkrun history.”

Milosh Milisavljevic, Medibank Chief Customer Officer said: “As partners of parkrun since 2016, it’s amazing to see the positive impacts of our work together. An initiative centred in health and community, we’re excited to cheer on the next one million parkrunners as they continue fostering meaningful connections, supporting their communities and forming healthy routines.”