Exploring parkrun experiences of women aged 35 to 54 in Australia: a qualitative study
Charlotte Benkowitz, Paul O’Halloran, Helen Quirk, Alice Bullas, Steve Haake · 2026
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Description
Charlotte Benkowitz and co-authors asked women in midlife what parkrun means to them in a 2026 interview study from Australia. Parkrun offers free weekly five-kilometer run or walk events, with about five hundred Australian events each Saturday. Women face distinct barriers to exercise and move less than men worldwide, so the team explored how this format works for them.
Twenty-nine women aged thirty-five to fifty-four who had taken part shared their experiences. Four themes emerged: the event can be whatever a woman wants it to be, it stays the same each week, it builds social ties, and it allows personal growth and change. The authors suggest event designers keep the steady weekly rhythm, allow flexible attendance, and protect space for social contact.
Catalog record
| CREATOR | Charlotte Benkowitz, Paul O’Halloran, Helen Quirk, Alice Bullas, Steve Haake |
|---|---|
| YEAR | 2026 |
| COLLECTION | PAPERS |
| FORMAT | TXT |
| FILE SIZE | 55 KB |
| VERSION | 1.0 |
| LICENSE | CC BY 4.0 |
| RIGHTS | CC BY |
| SOURCE | Europe PMC |