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This one’s for you, Will: losing a friend and learning not to hate running | Max Rushden

Like many others I rediscovered running during lockdown, and a school friend’s death has given it extra purpose“Distance. One kilometre” says the computerised Strava voice into the wireless headphones. “Time. Five minutes. And 48 seconds.”Almost six minutes? That must be wrong. Please no more than five. It felt fast. Suddenly my calves start burning. My lungs tighten. Psychologically defeated by an app. Nine more of them? There’s no way. I could just do 5k. I didn’t sign a binding contract before I left the house. No one will know. Related: Great British Farce if parkrun does not return but clubs and casinos do | Sean Ingle Running has succeeded in helping us in some small way remember the importance of...

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How Parkrun’s 13 became five million and changed weekends for ever | Sean Ingle

Parkrun began 14 years ago and has now mushroomed into a heartwarming worldwide success story that is about to register its 5,000,000th runnerOn Wednesday somebody somewhere will become the 5,000,000th person to register for Parkrun. Think about that. Let it marinate. It is an extraordinary number for an extraordinary success story. Parkrun began 14 years ago this week, with a simple idea: a free five-kilometre time-trial around Bushy Park, south west London. It was low-key, lo-fi, and unofficial. Thirteen people turned up. The results were typed up in a nearby Caffè Nero. No one bothered to ask the park for permission.Now close to 250,000 people do it on a good weekend – across 20 countries, including Russia, Malaysia and Swaziland....

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