London Runner Achieves World-First 1,000 Parkruns

A runner from London has become the first person in the world to complete 1,000 parkruns. Darren Wood, 43, from Carshalton, south London, said taking part in the free community events had "saved [his] life" at a time when he was struggling with his mental health, and he hoped it would help others. He was given a guard of honour from his fellow Sutton Runners as he approached the final finish line on Saturday at Morden in south London, surrounded by friends and family. Wood was presented with a yellow 1,000 parkrun T-shirt, a cape and a crown as he was dubbed "the king of parkrun". Wood first took part in October 2004 and has regularly participated in the free weekly event ever since. He had been struggling with his mental health over debts and the break-up of his marriage. But when he went to parkrun "everything felt normal", he said, adding: "I wasn't judged any more, I could just be me and I could talk to people and explain how I was feeling." Wood, who is 36 parkruns ahead of his closest rival, said the attention around being the first to 1,000 had been "a little bit overwhelming" but added it was "just a nice celebration". "Everyone is welcome and it will change and save lives if we can get more and more people involved. "Because parkrun has changed and saved my life and it will do that for others, I would almost guarantee that."