Masters On The Move
Every Saturday morning at 8am, thousands of New Zealanders gather in parks across the country for a shared ritual—parkrun. But this global phenomenon didn’t just appear overnight. In this episode, host Justin Hill is joined by parkrun New Zealand pioneers Lian and Noel de Charmoy, who helped bring the concept from the UK to Aotearoa in 2012. What began as a leap of faith—starting with a single event in Lower Hutt—has grown into a nationwide movement spanning 72 events and over 155,000 registered participants. They share: How their friendship with Paul Sinton-Hewitt led to parkrun arriving in New Zealand The early challenges (and surprising ease) of launching events Why “free forever” and inclusivity became the foundation of success Stories of connection, community, and even weddings born at parkrun The powerful role of volunteers in sustaining the movement The episode also explores their connection to running legend Bruce Fordyce and the wider global running culture that shaped parkrun’s philosophy. This is a story about more than running—it’s about belonging, accessibility, and the power of community to change lives. Photo & Video Credits: With heartfelt thanks to the incredible parkrun photographers and camera operators across New Zealand and beyond, whose generosity and talent help capture the spirit of parkrun every week. 📖 Paul Sinton-Hewitt – One Small Step https://books.apple.com/nz/book/one-small-step/id6744083500?utm_source=chatgpt.com 📘 Bruce Fordyce – Winged Messenger https://www.amazon.com.au/Winged-Messenger-Running-Comrades-Marathon/dp/1776056817/ref=asc_df_1776056817?mcid=222404a3e0903c4b8b57fba7433b3952&language=en_AU&tag=nzgoshpadsp-22&linkCode=df0&hvadid=725041153858&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=844406988357412464&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9121802&hvtargid=pla-1131917420820&psc=1&language=en_AU&gad_source=4 🏃 Find Your Local Parkrun (NZ) https://www.nzrunning.co.nz/run-clubs/parkrun-new-zealand? 🌍 Official Parkrun Website https://www.parkrun.com/ ⏱️ Chapters / Timestamps 00:00 – The Saturday Ritual Begins The rise of parkrun as a Kiwi weekend tradition 01:05 – Meeting the Pioneers Introduction to Lian and Noel de Charmoy 01:18 – First Encounter with Parkrun Discovering the original Bushy Park time trial 02:29 – A Friendship That Sparked a Movement Connection with Paul Sinton-Hewitt 03:30 – The Leap of Faith Why they said yes to bringing parkrun to New Zealand 04:05 – The First Event in Lower Hutt Partnering with Richard McChesney 05:10 – Building Cornwall Parkrun Launching Auckland’s first event 05:26 – Early Challenges & Lessons Admin struggles, logistics, and learning on the fly 06:30 – The First Turnout Memories from the early Cornwall Park days 07:19 – The Power of Community Coffee, connection, and friendships 07:44 – Overcoming Barriers Working with councils and keeping it simple 08:47 – “Free Forever” Explained Why accessibility is the foundation of parkrun 09:28 – Not a Race Redefining running as inclusive and welcoming 10:51 – When It Took Off The moment growth became exponential 11:55 – Scaling Nationwide From a handful of events to 72 across NZ 12:39 – Volunteers: The Heart of Parkrun Why the model works 13:41 – Beyond Fitness Mental health, belonging, and life-changing stories 14:13 – Community Stories From friendships to weddings 15:25 – Parkrun Culture vs Traditional Events Why it feels different 18:11 – The Oldest Parkrunner Inspiration from Colin Thorne 19:34 – Inclusivity at the Core Walk, jog, run—everyone welcome 21:14 – Enter Bruce Fordyce Connection to Bruce Fordyce 24:28 – A Running Legend Explained Why Bruce’s achievements matter 27:44 – Bruce’s Visit to New Zealand What to expect and why it matters 30:13 – Parkrun Tourism & Gamification Collecting flags and global participation 31:00 – Looking Back with Pride Reflections on building a movement 32:01 – The Future of Parkrun NZ Vision for the next decade 32:40 – Message to First-Timers “Just come along and have a go” 33:21 – Closing Thoughts Why parkrun means more than just a run Get in contact and follow us - Send in your questions, show suggestions and comments (good or bad) to: Facebook https://www.facebook.com/share/17EN4yrAqp/?mibextid=wwXIfr [https://www.facebook.com/share/17EN4yrAqp/?mibextid=wwXIfr] Instagram https://www.instagram.com/motmpod?igsh=MW8yamF4cHBkZWpxZg%3D%3D&utm_source=qr [https://www.instagram.com/motmpod?igsh=MW8yamF4cHBkZWpxZg%3D%3D&utm_source=qr] email justinhillcoach@gmail.com [justinhillcoach@gmail.com] ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.
78 episodios
Comentarios
0Sé la primera persona en comentar
¡Regístrate ahora y únete a la comunidad de Masters On The Move!