Parkrunners Podcast

What keeps a World Champion and Olympic medallist coming back to a free 5K in the park on a Saturday morning?
This week, Catherine is joined by one of Ireland's greatest ever athletes, Sonia O'Sullivan, 5,000m World Champion, Olympic silver medallist and, these days, a passionate parkrunner with more than 200 events to her name.
But this isn't simply a conversation about medals and elite athletics.
Sonia shares how she discovered parkrun in its early days at Bushy Park, how it fitted around family life and training, and why she now seeks out parkruns on her travels around the world. She even arrived for this conversation fresh from a parkrun in Krakow.
Sonia and Catherine talk about longevity in running, learning not to train harder and faster all the time, the importance of building from the fitness you have today, parkrun tourism, family, dogs, post-parkrun coffee and the simple motivation of having somewhere to be on a Saturday morning.
And for anyone who has been thinking about trying parkrun but hasn't quite made it to that first start line, Sonia has a wonderfully simple message: once you decide to do it, you may walk away wondering why you didn't do it sooner.
From World Championship gold and Olympic silver to the enduring pleasure of running in a park with everyone else, this is a warm and uplifting conversation about what keeps us running long after the finish lines that once mattered most.
And Sonia's three words for parkrun?
“Saturday wake up.”
🎧 Listen now to Sonia O'Sullivan on The Parkrunners Podcast.
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Thank you for tuning in. It's been great to have you here.. If you've enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, rate, and review our podcast. Stay connected with us on social media (Instagram, Facebook & LinkedIn) for updates and more inspiring parkrunners' stories. Until next time, keep running, keep smiling and keep on showing up!

What does it take to turn a Saturday morning idea into a movement that half a million Australians now call part of their weekly routine?
In this episode, Catherine sits down with Tim Oberg, the founder of parkrun Australia, for a warm, candid and often surprising look back at how it all began, including the true story of how a rescued street dog from Montenegro named Clarence was the reason Tim discovered parkrun in the first place (dogs used to get their own barcodes — yes, really).
Tim, a former national junior weightlifting champion who "actively avoided" endurance running for most of his life, talks about the email that started it all, the coffee meeting with parkrun founder Paul Sinton-Hewitt, and arriving in Australia in 2011 with nothing but a licensing agreement, three stopwatches and no idea what he was about to build.
From the first 110 finishers at Main Beach to parkruns now running inside Australian prisons, on Hamilton Island, and in the country's smallest regional towns, Tim shares:
The real reason parkrun works so well in the modern world - his theory of the lost "third space"
The candid, funny truth about working with parkrun's famously blunt founder, Paul Sinton-Hewitt
How he borrowed a idea from Flight Centre's "Family Village Tribe" model to scale parkrun across the country
A moving tribute to the late Professor Richard Scolyer and fellow parkrun advocate Lisa Millar
Why he walked away from parkrun in 2022 after 11 years — and the new mission driving him now: getting a million Australian kids moving before Brisbane hosts the 2032 Olympics, through his Healthy Kids Project and RAD Run Club
This is a founder's story about community, purpose, and knowing when it's time for the next chapter.
Find out more about Tim's current work: radrun.club
🎧 Listen now — and if this episode moves you, share it with someone who needs their own "third space."
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Thank you for tuning in. It's been great to have you here.. If you've enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, rate, and review our podcast. Stay connected with us on social media (Instagram, Facebook & LinkedIn) for updates and more inspiring parkrunners' stories. Until next time, keep running, keep smiling and keep on showing up!

What happens when an ordinary Saturday morning at parkrun suddenly becomes a matter of life and death?
Dr Wendy White is an NHS GP, passionate Bushy parkrunner and self-confessed former non-runner who once hid in the bushes during school cross-country.
Today, she has more than 300 parkruns behind her, has completed a 54K ultramarathon and describes parkrun as her “church”.
But in 2022, Wendy was waiting among around 1,500 people for Bushy parkrun to start when a man arriving on his bike suddenly collapsed and went into cardiac arrest.
Wendy and a small group of fellow medics stepped in. A defibrillator was rushed through the crowd. He was shocked more than once — and survived.
Wendy was subsequently recognised with the Spirit of parkrun award, although she's characteristically quick to credit the whole team who helped save his life that morning.
In this warm, funny and refreshingly candid conversation, Wendy joins Catherine to talk about:
Her journey from hiding during school cross-country to 300+ parkruns and an ultramarathon
The extraordinary morning a fellow parkrunner's life was saved at Bushy
Why she believes parkrun is an enormously powerful public-health tool
Why nervous first-timers don't even need to run or walk — they can simply turn up and watch
Her own experience of movement and weight loss
Midlife and women's health, and why there's really no such thing as an “average patient”
Why Saturday morning parkrun has become her “church”
And why she describes parkrun as “possibly the only useful addiction I can think of.”
From medicine and midlife to movement, community and the extraordinary things that can happen in a park on a Saturday morning, this is an uplifting conversation about just how far the impact of parkrun can reach.
🎧 The Parkrunners Podcast —> stories from the people who make parkrun much more than a 5K.
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Thank you for tuning in. It's been great to have you here.. If you've enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, rate, and review our podcast. Stay connected with us on social media (Instagram, Facebook & LinkedIn) for updates and more inspiring parkrunners' stories. Until next time, keep running, keep smiling and keep on showing up!

What happens when parkrun becomes more than a Saturday morning habit and grows into a family legacy spanning three generations?
In this warm and uplifting episode, Catherine is joined by Sonya Byers OBE, a parkrun trustee, dedicated volunteer and CEO of Women in Transport.
Sonya’s own parkrun journey began through volunteering at junior parkrun before she finally took on her first 5K in Kraków, Poland, in temperatures of minus eight degrees — where her 70-year-old father beat her in a sprint finish.
She shares how her involvement at Barking junior parkrun  led to community outreach work, an ambassador role and eventually a seat on parkrun’s global board of trustees.
Sonya also introduces us to her extraordinary parkrun family. Her father, now 80, has completed more than 550 parkruns and over 500 volunteer occasions. Her mother is fast approaching her 500th volunteer credit, her brother is a junior parkrun Run Director, her husband is also a Run Director, and her young daughter already has an incredible record across both adult and junior parkrun.
Together, they offer a remarkable picture of parkrun as a truly multigenerational community built on participation, generosity and belonging.
Catherine and Sonya also discuss:
• Why volunteering builds confidence, skills and friendships
• The growth and impact of junior parkrun
• parkrun’s role in public health and community wellbeing
• Creating welcoming and inclusive events
• Safeguarding and trust within local communities
• Sonya’s work supporting women across the transport sector
• Why keeping parkrun simple is central to its global success
This is a joyful conversation about family, service, inclusion and the lasting impact of showing up for others.
Listen now to The Parkrunners Podcast wherever you get your podcasts.
Send us Fan Mail
Thank you for tuning in. It's been great to have you here.. If you've enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, rate, and review our podcast. Stay connected with us on social media (Instagram, Facebook & LinkedIn) for updates and more inspiring parkrunners' stories. Until next time, keep running, keep smiling and keep on showing up!

We all want to live longer. But perhaps the better question is... how do we live better?
This week on the Parkrunners Podcast, Catherine is joined by Tim Howe, founder of The Longevity Games, former parkrun Run Director, passionate volunteer, and someone who believes that healthy ageing isn't about expensive gadgets or miracle supplements—it's about movement, community and purpose.
With 235 parkruns, 122 volunteer credits and years spent inspiring others to become more active, Tim shares why he believes parkrun may be one of the greatest public health initiatives of our time.
Together they discuss:
🏃 Why parkrun is about far more than running
💛 The surprising connection between community and longevity
🙌 How volunteering can be just as rewarding as taking part
💪 Why functional fitness matters as we age
👴 The remarkable lessons Tim learned from his grandfather, who lived independently until the age of 97
🌍 His mission to help more people enjoy healthier, happier and more connected lives through The Longevity Games
Whether you're chasing a PB, walking your first parkrun or simply looking for inspiration to move a little more, this episode is packed with practical wisdom and uplifting stories.
Because getting older doesn't have to mean slowing down.
🎧 Listen now wherever you get your podcasts.
Send us Fan Mail
Thank you for tuning in. It's been great to have you here.. If you've enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, rate, and review our podcast. Stay connected with us on social media (Instagram, Facebook & LinkedIn) for updates and more inspiring parkrunners' stories. Until next time, keep running, keep smiling and keep on showing up!