Paul Sinton-Hewitt

You've seen them, haven't you? Hundreds of smiling, slightly out-of-breath people running around your local park every Saturday morning. (You may even be one of them!) Well, this is the surprisingly heartwarming origin story of parkrun, told by the person who started it all – Paul Sinton-Hewitt.Paul's love affair with running started as a lifeline during a tough childhood, offering a taste of freedom. Years later, sidelined by injury and feeling adrift, he had a simple idea: a free, weekly timed run for anyone who wanted to join. No pressure, no prizes, but guaranteed to happen every weekend come rain or shine (and yes, even on Christmas Day!).From a humble group of thirteen slightly bewildered runners, parkrun exploded. Now, twenty years later, it's a global community of over 10 million runners, walkers, and enthusiastic cheerers. Proving that the simplest ideas can bring together people from every walk of life in pursuit of fitness, happiness, and community spirit.Whether you're a seasoned marathoner, or someone who once thought about going for a jog, One Small Step reveals how something as easy as turning up in a park on a Saturday morning can change your life, start a global movement, and maybe, just maybe, make the world a slightly better place.

The Sunday Times bestsellerThis is the story of a simple idea that turned into a global movement. This is the story of parkrun, told for the very first time from the man who started it all.Paul Sinton-Hewitt’s love for running was forged through a difficult childhood. It gave a young boy a sense of freedom and helped him build a life for himself. Years later when he suffered a serious injury that held him back from competitive running, Paul felt he’d lost all purpose in life.That’s when he 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.

From a local park initiative to a global fitness revolution&i>, One Small Step &/i>shares the extraordinary journey of parkrun, proving how one persons vision can mobilize millions worldwide towards health, happiness and community.

'Everyone's parkrun journey is different and yet we share so many experiences. Eileen covers these and many more shared pleasures. I know you are going to enjoy this book as much as I have.' Paul Sinton-Hewitt (Founder of parkrun) Millions of people around the world each week take part in the free 5k parkruns, held in city parks, seaside proms and country areas. In this fascinating new book, Eileen Jones joins parkruns around the UK, finding the individual runners' stories behind what has been hailed as the most significant public health initiative of our time. She talks to those whose lives have been changed by parkrun. parkrun has rapidly become a social movement for the common good and even, Eileen suggests, a new religion. Eileen's book looks as well at the academic studies which demonstrate that simply being at a parkrun is beneficial for health and wellbeing. The idea which Paul Sinton-Hewitt first came up with for a run in a west London park gets its deserved and timely celebration in Eileen's wonderful book.