During the rush of wedding preparations, would you manage to squeeze in a parkrun? These couples did. In fact, they made parkrun an important part of their wedding celebrations. From proposals to pre-wedding stag or hen celebrations, to attending a parkrun on the big day itself, they found parkrun and the “parkrun family” made tying the knot extra special.
Hen Do in the parkrun.
For Arabella Payne, pictured above, parkrun was “an essential part” of her hen weekend and “a perfect excuse to drag friends along” to one of her favourite activities. It was the one day her friends couldn’t say no – and they were lucky she chose the flat Poole parkrun. Arabella remembers, “It was such a laugh! My friends got me a ‘hen’ inflatable costume to wear, which definitely caught everyone’s attention!” Her friends had a second opportunity to become parkrun regulars when her husband, Janek, encouraged wedding guests to join him at Burnham-on-Crouch parkrun on the morning of the wedding itself. He says, “I know Arabella was secretly a bit gutted she didn’t have time on the morning to join too!”
To say that Ali Lavendar and her husband Callum Rowlinson are keen runners is an understatement. Ali has run for team GB and Callum’s best marathon time is 2h22m. So when they got engaged after a parkrun on Christmas Day 2016, it felt natural for Ali to make parkrun a part of her hen do (pictured right). “Saturday featured Penrhyn Castle parkrun,” says Ali. “Being able to do something active with my closest friends as part of the celebration was fitting, given how large a part running plays in my life.” Ali kept up going to parkrun while she was pregnant and has begun her postpartum journey with a parkrun in Canada.
Pre-Wedding parkrun Party.
Michael Escoe and Mary Chadwick chose to get married in Aberystwyth. As a lover of funicular railways and a self-confessed parkrun addict, Michael was keen to make Aberystwyth parkrun a part of their festivities. On the morning of 13 December 2013, while the bride was having her hair done, Michael was joined by clubmates from Sandbach Striders. “What I didn’t expect was that they all turned up in fancy dress, adding a real touch of carnival colour to Plascrug Park!” says Michael. “It felt like a thousand people that morning all wished me ‘Llongyfarchiadau!’ (which is Welsh for congratulations).”
Another pair of parkrun devotees, Liz and Paul Humphries (right), ran at their picturesque home event, Delamere parkrun, on the morning of their wedding in August 2016. “I introduced Paul to parkrun,” says Liz, “so it felt like the right way to start our wedding day, taking part at our home event. It was a celebration with our parkrun community.” Having both completed over 180 parkruns, the couple relish the “friendly and relaxed atmosphere” there and regularly take part – either volunteering or running the event.
Richard and Debbie Van Berkel also chose to make Delamere parkrun an important part of their wedding day on 19 November 2022. “Quite early on in the wedding planning we reserved time to be at parkrun,” says Richard. “We made sure to book the church and venue later in the day.” Debbie turned to running during Covid-19 and Richard soon discovered he loved it too.
They felt parkrun was “the perfect way to honour this shared passion and celebrate with the community that has become so meaningful to us”. Their families and friends enjoyed refreshments at the Delamere Station café afterwards. “Looking around and seeing our family and friends enjoying the day just as much as we were… was very heart-warming for us.”
So how do event directors and volunteers feel about being part of someone’s special day? Bertie Field, event director of Witney parkrun, was on duty when Sophie and Owen – a couple not local to the area – brought along their wedding party and ran in wedding outfits. He tells us that, “All the volunteers seemed to enjoy it. I definitely did!” At Witney parkrun they’ve had two or three wedding parties already in 2024 and a number of hen and stag dos take part.
The Perfect Location.
For Sophie and Matthew Richardson, a parkrun on the big day was a no-brainer. They married at Bramhall Hall on 27 July 2024 and added Bramhall Hall parkrun to the wedding invites. A regular parkrunner at Woodbank parkrun, with over 100 events under her belt, Sophie found the experience was great for relieving the stress of wedding preparations. It was also a fun way to spend time with the wedding party and her local friends (below). She admits the hairdresser was surprised when she said she wouldn’t be there until ten and might still be a bit hot from parkrun!
Sophie’s favourite part of the experience was “talking to everyone – sharing memories”. Sophie had a clear idea of how she wanted to make the day “a personal experience”, and she met lots of people at parkrun that day who wished they’d done the same. As a primary school teacher who regularly involves children in physical activities, Sophie’s wedding story will definitely be inspiring the next generation of parkrunners.
