Medibank partners with Parkrun to get Aussies active

As part of an ongoing commitment to improve the health of communities nationwide, Medibank today announced its official partnership with parkrun – Australia’s largest running community.

Now in its fifth year, parkrun has more than 230,000 registered runners taking part in its free-timed, five kilometer running events in 172 parks and open spaces across Australia. The weekly events, which take place every Saturday morning, enable Aussies of all ages and abilities to get more active – from walkers or first-timers, to experienced runners and athletes.

As part of the three-year partnership, Medibank will roll out a number of initiatives designed to make it easier for Aussies to get out on the track. To kick things off and help achieve record levels of participation nationwide, Medibank and parkrun will launch ‘Personal Better’ day later this year – a national event which encourages Aussies to take part and set their own ‘personal better’ – by simply turning up to participate, or by finishing the run in record time.

Commenting on the partnership, Medibank general manager brand and marketing Fiona Le Brocq, says Medibank is looking forward to supporting parkrun in its mission to make physical activity fun, free and accessible to local communities, and in turn help create a healthier Australia.

“Parkrun has seen huge success in getting thousands of Aussies outdoors and exercising. As a nation, we’re not as active as we should be, with less than one in two Aussies having exercised in the last three months1. That’s why, in partnership with parkrun, we want to help encourage even more Aussies to head outdoors and experience the social, mental and physical benefits of healthy activity.”

Parkrun general manager Tim Oberg says, “This is an exciting and important partnership for us, as Medibank shares our passion for improving the health of the nation through increasing participation in physical activity. We’re thrilled that with Medibank’s support, we’ll be able to ensure parkrun events remain readily available to all Aussies, and will be able to continue to expand into even more communities across Australia.

The parkrun partnership supports Medibank’s current ‘I Am Better’ brand proposition and focus on making physical activity accessible to all, supporting existing initiatives such as its sponsorship of the Medibank Melbourne Marathon and Australian Open.

For more information, or to register for a parkrun near you, visit www.parkrun.com.au.