Bushy parkrun in Teddington hosts the millionth parkrun where it all began

Every Saturday morning, thousands of people gather in Bushy Park to run, jog or walk five kilometres together. In June 2026 the park hosted a very special edition, as parkrun celebrated its one millionth event in the place where the whole movement began.

The milestone run took place on Saturday 13 June 2026. Among the runners was double Olympic champion Dame Kelly Holmes, wearing a "Celebrating 1m" T shirt, alongside parkrun founder Paul Sinton-Hewitt and Elizabeth Duggan, chief executive of parkrun Global. Runners held up cards spelling out "thanks a million".

It all started very simply. Sinton-Hewitt organised the first event in October 2004, then called the Bushy Park Time Trial. Just 13 runners and five volunteers took part on that first morning. Sinton-Hewitt has said that reaching a million events was "never in the plan", and he expects the next million to arrive much more quickly.

Today parkrun holds free, weekly, timed 5km events on Saturdays and 2km junior parkruns on Sundays, at more than 2,800 locations in 23 countries. Duggan said around half a million people take part each weekend worldwide.

Bushy's own story is just as impressive. The event celebrated its 1,000th run on 31 August 2024, when 6,204 finishers took part, supported by 136 volunteers in high visibility vests. On that day the oldest debutant, Miriam Jarrett, ran in the 85 to 89 age category and recorded the highest age graded score of the day.

What makes parkrun special is its welcome. Anyone can take part, whether running for a personal best or walking with friends, and the events rely entirely on volunteers who marshal, time and scan barcodes each week.

For Teddington and the surrounding area, Bushy parkrun is a weekly community gathering as much as a sporting event. The volunteers who make it happen each week are as much a part of the story as the runners, and its place in running history is now secure.

Bushy parkrun starts at 9am every Saturday in Bushy Park, near Teddington. It is free, but you need to register once in advance. Visit parkrun.org.uk/bushy to sign up and find out how to volunteer.