The initiative is calling on people to boost their mental and physical wellbeing by walking at their local parkrun every week, including on April 26th as part of a special ‘Let’s Walk Day’ where they will bring together the most number of walkers ever at parkruns across the country.
Vitality Ambassador, Root, who won the 2019 Cricket World Cup with England and joined hundreds of parkrunners at the city’s Millhouses parkrun event, said: "Walking today at Millhouses parkrun with my local community has been fantastic.
“Vitality’s research shows we all crave connection, yet finding the right opportunity can be tough.
“The best part is, anyone can come along and walk at their local parkrun, enjoying the chance to meet new people, reconnect with friends, and boost their mental and physical health."
New research from Vitality has found talking and walking can supercharge the effects of the latter – with half (50%) of Brits recently surveyed say they walk further when deep in conversation and 27% say they walk for longer when they’re with someone.
A further 22% of those who go for a walk are more motivated to do so when with company, helping them get more steps in.
The research also highlighted how walking and talking boosts mental wellbeing too, with 24% of those who go for a walk say having company lifts their mood and 28% say it makes conversations flow more easily and helping them feel more connected, a fifth (21%) of Brits would go as far as to say walking with someone helps reduce feelings of loneliness.
However, despite understanding the benefits, a staggering 35% say they struggle to find someone to walk with, two fifths (40%) admit that they rarely or never strike up conversations with people they don’t know, and 47% say they hardly ever find themselves in situations to do so.
For many, the challenge lies in knowing where to start with over a third (36%) unsure how to meet new people or begin conversations.
Walking at parkrun is the perfect way to stay active while building social connections, creating an environment that enhances both physical and mental wellbeing.
Vitality has been a headline partner of parkrun for over 10 years, together, they have supported hundreds of thousands of people to get active and live healthier lives. parkrun in the UK has over five million registered parkrunners, with over 200,000 taking part on a weekly basis nationwide at over 800 5k events.
The charity are now refocusing efforts on the benefits of walking at parkrun and encouraging people to take the first steps to being active by walking at their local event.
Founder, Paul Sinton-Hewitt CBE, said: “parkrun has always been about being active and connecting with the community around you.
“[It’s] a great way for people to connect to others and start to make improvements to their physical and mental health and parkrun is also free, for everyone, forever.”
Everyone’s welcome to walk at parkrun.
Everyone starts at the same time and walks the same 5k parkrun route, alongside runners and volunteers.
Vitality and parkrun’s ‘Let’s Walk Day’ takes place on Saturday April 26. To find your nearest event visit parkrun.org.uk/parkwalk/