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The free and open to everyone weekly parkrun events are scheduled to return to England by Saturday, June 5, 2021.

Government restrictions are proposed to be lifted gradually. Parkruns could re-start much earlier, however, parkrun organisers are being cautiously optimistic.

It’s been nearly a full year since the Covid-19 pandemic cancelled the global event calendar.

“Following the publication of the Government’s roadmap for exiting lockdown, we are excited to share our plans to restart both junior and 5k parkrun events across England,” wrote Nick Pearson, CEO of parkrun Global in a blogpost at parkrun.com.

“Based on the published guidance, our 5k events could technically return from Saturday 4 April. However, due to the other national restrictions in place, the expected level of infection at that time, and a number of our 5k events regularly exceeding 1,000 participants, we do not believe it would be appropriate for them to return this early,” the statement read.

The situation is not as clear in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland, though. “As things stand we are unable to pinpoint a date for returning either junior or 5km parkrun across these three devolved nations, but we continue to work closely with relevant authorities and stakeholders to understand when it may be appropriate.”