Exploring parkrun experiences of women aged 35 to 54 in Australia: a qualitative study

To increase global activity levels, the World Health Organization’s Global Action Plan on Physical Activity includes the implementation of mass-participation, community events that provide an opportunity for individuals to be active in their local spaces. One such initiative is parkrun, with free, weekly 5-km run/walk events worldwide and around 500 events with roughly 50 000 participants every Saturday morning in Australia. While women make up half of parkrun participation in Australia, they face different barriers than men to physical activity and have lower activity levels globally. With the aim of informing how community-based physical activity initiatives like parkrun could increase women’s physical activity levels, 29 semistructured interviews were conducted with women aged between 35 and 54 years old who have participated in parkrun. Using reflexive thematic analysis, four themes were developed based on elements that are important to women in their parkrun experience: (1) parkrun can be whatever you want it to be, (2) the parkrun experience is consistent, (3) parkrun creates connections, and (4) parkrun allows growth and change. Based on these themes, and with the context of health promotion theories, some elements that should be considered when aiming to create initiatives to increase women’s activity levels through community events are to have an element of regularity and repetition; to allow for flexibility in attendance; and to create space for social engagement.