London GP Praises parkrun as a Life-Changing Community 'Church'
At 9am on a Saturday in Bushy Park, London, a man collapsed at the start line of a parkrun event. Within moments, strangers rallied into a makeshift resuscitation team, deploying a defibrillator to save his life. Then, in a remarkable display of resilience, the group pressed start on their watches and jogged off to complete their 5K run. For GP Wendy White, who describes the weekly ritual as her "church," this incident epitomises what parkrun truly represents: not merely a run, but a steadfast community that emerges when it matters most.
The Dramatic Bushy Park Rescue
Wendy White, a GP at The Red Practice in Walton, witnessed this profound sense of togetherness unfold in the most dramatic way possible. As the run was about to begin at Bushy Park, a man collapsed beside her. She recalls, "People know I’m a doctor, so they look at you and expect you to do something. I’m a GP, so I don’t generally resuscitate people - but within about 60 seconds there was this whole little resuscitation team ready to go." A defibrillator was swiftly brought over, the man was revived, and an ambulance arrived shortly after. "He went from dead to alive with the aid of a defib," Wendy said, describing it as one of the most extraordinary moments of her life.
After the ambulance departed, the group simply looked at each other, started their watches, and proceeded with their parkrun. Wendy reflects, "It was a pretty epic day, so I mean that’s a pretty big achievement in my world." Her actions that day earned her the 'Spirit of parkrun' award in 2022, presented by parkrun founder Paul Sinton-Hewitt.
From Hiding at School to Nearly 300 parkruns
Wendy has completed an impressive 292 parkruns to date, a far cry from her school days when she hid during cross-country runs. She admits, "I’m not somebody who did cross-country at school. I’m somebody who hid when people ran around the field and I waited until they were on the last lap and joined in. Parkrun has got me to be a runner." This transformation has led to significant fitness improvements, including running 50K ultramarathons and losing over 25kg since she started participating.
parkrun as a Public Health Powerhouse
Wendy passionately advocates for parkrun as one of the most powerful – yet often underestimated – public health tools available. She explains, "Everybody knows that exercise has got a huge amount of physical benefits, but also for your mental health as well. If you ever tried to go out for a run by yourself, it’s pretty miserable, but if you meet up with a whole load of people who are there for the same reason every week without fail, no flaky friends, nobody cancels on you, it’s completely different."
This consistent routine has provided Wendy with crucial structure during difficult times. She says, "Anytime you have something difficult going on, you just need a bit of structure, for some people maybe they get that from going to church, I guess parkrun is kind of my church. I turn up every Saturday at the same time and I do the same thing."
The Growth of parkrun in London
Parkrun, a global charity organising free weekly 5K and 2K community events, has grown exponentially from its humble beginnings in Bushy Park with just 13 runners. Today, Greater London hosts 65 events every weekend, making it a staple of the city’s Saturday mornings. Wendy emphasises that parkrun is about "prevention and developing better lifestyle habits and just generally improving your physical and mental wellbeing."
London parkrun Events at a Glance
For those inspired to join, here is a snapshot of parkrun events across London:
- Central & North London: Highbury Fields, Hampstead Heath, Finsbury Park, Ally Pally, Grovelands, Oak Hill, Lordship Recreation Ground, Pymmes.
- East London: Victoria Park, Hackney Marshes, Wanstead Flats, Walthamstow, Mile End, Beckton, Barking, Valentines, Raphael, Harrow Lodge.
- South East London: Greenwich, Southwark, Burgess, Brockwell, Dulwich, Peckham Rye, Hilly Fields, Catford, Crystal Palace, Bromley, Bethlem Royal Hospital, Foots Cray Meadows, Bexley, Greenwich Peninsula.
- South West London: Bushy Park, Richmond Park, Wimbledon Common, Old Deer Park, Kingston, Crane Park, Tooting Common, Clapham Common, Wandsworth Common, Fulham Palace.
- West & North West London: Gunnersbury, Wormwood Scrubs, Gladstone, Canons Park, Harrow, Northala Fields, Hanworth, Osterley.
All London parkruns start at 9:00 AM every Saturday. Participants must register at parkrun.org.uk and bring their personal barcode for timed results.
