The thousands of Britons who take to their local green space each week for a mass 5 km parkrun can expect to reap health benefits well beyond losing 1 kg and lowering their blood pressure.
Scientists who have studied the mass participation events, which from a small start in London 10 years ago have grown to attract some 70,000 runners a week worldwide, say their effect on psychological and physical health is starting to show.
"Parkrun has made exercise enjoyable for people, and that's something that can make them more likely to stick to it and do it regularly," said Dr. Clare Stevinson, an expert in exercise and sport psychology at Britain's Loughborough University who led some preliminary published studies on parkrun. "So they won't see weight loss overnight and they won't see changes in blood pressure overnight, but those long-term benefits will come if they are more likely to stick with it. It's potentially very powerful in that way."