On your marks! Booka Bookshop, in collaboration with Adrenaline Sporting Events, are delighted to present an evening with Parkrun founder Paul Sinton-Hewitt.
From the man who started it all, Paul Sinton-Hewitt tells the story of Parkrun, from his simple idea to the global phenomenon it has now become.
Growing up in the brutal care system of South Africa, Paul Sinton-Hewitt had a lonely, difficult childhood. Yet he found solace in running – a simple pleasure that taught him resilience and offered a young boy a sense of self-worth.
With dogged determination, Paul built a stable family life for himself and eventually settled in the UK. But by 2004 he was struggling to hold it all together. He’d lost the successful career he’d worked so hard for, his marriage had broken down, and now a devastating injury threatened to cut him off from the running club which had been a lifeline.
In search of connection and purpose, Paul came up with a simple idea. He would start a weekly time trial run every Saturday morning in his local park. There would be no winners or losers, it would always be free and Paul would be there every week – even on Christmas Day – whether or not anyone else came. Little did he know that from just thirteen runners on that first Saturday, parkrun would grow into a 10 million strong community across five continents. Twenty years on parkrun continues to grow, bringing together people from all walks of life in search of health, happiness and community.
Filled with hope and optimism, One Small Step is a powerful affirmation of how coming together in simple ways can change our own lives and might even change the world.
We are delighted to be hosting this event in collaboration with Adrenaline Sporting Events and look forward to welcoming Paul to Oswestry for what should be an inspirational evening!
Tickets: £15 without book (Admits One, £10 redeemable against a signed copy of One Small Step) / £27 with book (Admits One, includes a signed copy of One Small Step)