Radio presenter Jenni Falconer is on the pod this week to chat about her love of running and parkrun. She tells us about her quirky way of counting steps while running.

Andy Large is our guest this week who tells us how finding out he had diabetes prompted him to start going to parkrun.

The brilliant Malcolm from Bolton joins us this week to chat about his decision to retire from parkrun at the tender age of 91. He completed 100 parkruns at Bolton and has volunteered 205 times making him a parkrun legend. We also hear from Hugh Brasher, the London Marathon Event Director who tells us all about his love of parkrun.

Helen’s on her own this week as we celebrate junior parkrun turning 12. She speaks to the Crebbin family about why they got involved with parkrun and how it has become an integral part of their weekend. Volunteer Adrian Dixon also joins the pod to tell us why parkrun is so important to him and his mental health. And Helen’s kids Rosie and Aston make their FWT debuts.

Author Matt Whyman is on the pod this week to talk about his new book - ‘Failure is an Option’. He tells us his story of a love of running that developed from school cross-country through parkruns, to one of the toughest events in the world. He also recounts the story of how Muhammad Ali changed his life.

Nutritionist and author Anita Bean joins the pod this week to tell us more about sports nutrition. She breaks down some of the myths about food, and explains what we can all do to improve our lifestyles.

Wellness coach Davina Driver joins the pod this week. She tells us what wellness means and how it can be used in relation to parkrun. And Vassos receives some good news, before realising it’s not that good!

Professional triathlete, Olympic gold medallist and avid parkrunner Alex Yee joins the pod this week. He tells us why parkrun is so important to his whole family, the joy it gave him taking his grandfather to parkrun to celebrate his 90th birthday and how proud he is recording the second fastest parkrun of all time.

In celebration of International Women’s Day, we hear from 19-year-old Olivia Smith who tells us why volunteering at parkrun is so important to her. Shortly after discovering parkrun three years ago, she was diagnosed with a debilitating neurological disorder that left her with limited use of her legs and arms. Determined not to let that keep her away, she is fast approaching her 70th parkrun and can be seen every week at Hillsborough parkrun.

Frances Drury from Sport England joins us this week to chat about “This Girl Can”, which is their nationwide campaign to get women and girls moving. We hear about a milestone for Mary and debate the new rules regarding dogs at parkrun.

Amy Rose O’Hanlon joins us this week to tell the story of how it took nearly 12 years for University Parks parkrun to become a reality. The inaugural event took place a few weeks ago, and Amy talks us through the journey from concept to reality. And the listeners continue to share their thoughts on the hardest and easiest parkruns.

This week we speak to BBC Politics reporter David Cornock about his love and even obsession with everything parkrun. Vassos shares his latest passport fiasco and we get more suggestions for the world's hardest parkrun.

This week we hear the story of Bedford parkrunner Marianna Slivnitskaya who contracted Covid back in March 2020, which later got diagnosed as Long Covid. Nearly two years on, she tells us that while even standing up is a struggle and the thought of running is a distant dream, the opportunity to volunteer every Saturday as part of the core team has given her a welcome dose of positivity.

New parkrun CEO Russ Jefferys is on the pod this week to chat about his promotion. Vassos has an idea to bring Valentine’s Day and parkrun together and we indulge ourselves as FWT features on a BBC podcast.

We chat to Sean Doyle - a real life parkrun miracle man. Louise is off touristing, and we hear how you’re all getting on with the challenge we set to bring at least one new person along to parkrun.

Minreet Kaur is back on the pod this week to tell us about her quest to find love at parkrun. Having gone through a divorce 13 years ago, she has decided to find the man of her dreams by going to a different parkrun every week.

We head to Australia this week to chat to North Sydney parkrunner David Crook who has just written a book celebrating parkrun’s first decade Down Under. He tells us how he went about the research for the book and shares some stories about the people and places that make parkrun in Australia so popular.

To kick off a new year of pods who better to get on than the brilliant Kirsty Woodbridge from the parkrun comms team. She tells us all about the new campaign “Start with…parkrun” and what it actually involves.

For our last pod of the year we speak to the inspirational Liam Critchett who, along with 5 other people with spinal injuries, completed his first ever parkrun a few weeks ago. Having been told he'd never walk again, he talks us through the incredible journey that saw him cross the finish line at Hull parkrun.

Nothing says Christmas more than Flying Boobies! This week we speak to parkrunner Richard Banks about his love of Saturday mornings, and why he set up the Flying Boobies to keep him and his friends connected. Helen and Vassos also talk about what their Xmas parkrun schedule normally looks like. *This episode was recorded before the news broke that parkrun in Wales is to be suspended from the 1st January*

CEO Nick Pearson joins the pod today to discuss why he’s leaving his role at parkrun. He also looks back at what has been a difficult,  yet rewarding 12 months for everyone at parkrun. We also read out more of your emails.

Minreet Kaur is our special guest this week. The journalist, presenter and, of course, parkrunner tells us how getting fit and healthy changed her outlook on life. She also gives us the inside track on her dad - The Skipping Sikh.

This week’s special guest is Doctor Simon Tobin, who tells us about the importance of parkrun for one’s mental health. He shares his own personal story how parkrun gave his father a sense of community after the passing of his mother. And Vassos has some big news about a potential “Great Big parkrun quiz” Xmas special.

COO Tom Williams joins the pod to discuss parkrun’s decision to allow the scanning of barcodes on mobile devices. He discusses why they made the decision and how it impacts participant’s ICE details. Tom also breaks the FWT record for the longest ever answer!

This week’s special guest is TV presenter, model and author Nell McAndrew. She tells us about her love of parkrun, what her favourite volunteer role is and how she will celebrate her 100th. We also hear more of your parkrun challenges.

Our special guest this week is CBeebies presenter and avid parkrunner George Webster. George is the first BBC children’s presenter with Down’s syndrome, and he tells us all about his new job. He also shares with us his love of parkrun, how he got into it and why it is so special to him.

Avid parkrunner Elise Downing joins us this week, she talks about her experience of running around the coast of Britain, why she decided to do it, how she ended up writing a book about it and how parkrun helped her return to running after injury. And we find out why the “always late” Vassos arrived at junior parkrun an hour early!

Rick Pearson from Runner’s World is our special guest this week. He tells us all about his journey to working for the UK's biggest-selling sports magazine, his inspiration for writing songs about running and his love of parkrun. And Vassos makes a pledge to never forget his barcode!

With Vassos and producer Patrick away on their holidays (not together), Helen continues our celebration of everything volunteering. This week she speaks to visually impaired parkrunner Neil Skene who took on the role of Run Director at Ury Riverside parkrun. He tells us what the challenges were and why he finds parkrun and volunteering so rewarding.

Not content with just one guest who has run across America on the podcast, we have found another one - Rob Pope. He is the first person ever to run across the USA four times in one year - and he also followed the same route as Forrest Gump. His latest achievement was to run 24 different parkruns in 24 hours and he tells us all about it.

Fresh from doing the London Marathon, Vassos tells us how it transpired that he did all 26 miles dressed as a Minion. Plus, parkrun’s head of volunteer management Jaz Bangerh joins us as we continue to celebrate our hi-vis heroes.

As parkrun turns 17, we join the celebration of everything volunteering. Who better to speak to than the first ever volunteers Paul and Jo Sinton-Hewitt. They take us back to that first event in 2004, and tell us how the role of the volunteers has evolved.  We also hear from a 19 year old Run Director at Harrogate juniors.

This week we caught up with a man who has run across America seven times. Swede Bjorn Suneson tells us why he does it, and how at the age of 71 he’s not finished. Louise checks in from her parkrun travels and we hear about an extraordinary act of generosity from the good folk at Hadleigh parkrun.

With parkrun resuming in the Republic of Ireland, we hear from those involved with Monaghan Town’s first event back. The inspirational Kevin Webber talks to us about living with incurable cancer and how running and parkrun has kept him going. And we find out whether Vassos finally made it to parkrun, or conjures up another poor excuse for not going.

parkrun founder Paul Sinton-Hewitt joins the pod this week to discuss his delight that many 5K events have now returned. He also tells us about his mammoth cycle ride from Land’s End to John O’Groats. Vassos reads out a belter of an email and we find out how his first parkrun in 18 months went...or maybe we don’t!

Vassos manages to rope in producer Patrick to co-host the show with Helen away on her holidays. The listeners pile in on the debate regarding scanning tokens attached to shoes and we hear from the inspirational Tim Beynon on how running helped him deal with prostate cancer.

Vassos is back from his holidays to join Helen for a busy show. They celebrate parkrun’s return in Wales and hear from many of those involved. Louse is back and reports from Kingdom parkrun in Kent and Vassos and Helen have differing views on barcode tokens being scanned while attached to one’s shoe!

With parkrun having restarted in Scotland, we hear from husband and wife team John and Moira Smith. John was RD for the day at Strathclyde parkrun and tells us how it all went and Moira was dispatched with a microphone and spoke to many of the participants. Vassos catches up with comedian, podcaster and author Rob Deering to chat about his running journey, parkrun and what’s on his playlist.

With Vassos away on holiday, Helen is joined by husband & parkrun COO Tom to chat through some of the news coming out of HQ including the return of parkrun in Scotland. We also hear how the plan for the return in Wales is going.

This week we hear from Natasha Joseph, who attended her first parkrun as it resumed in England back in July and tells us why it was so special. Louise Ayling is back in her role as roving reporter, and Vassos claims to have the greatest stat in the history of stats!

After parkrun resumed in England, Helen gives us a first hand account of her day at Harrogate parkrun, and speaks to some of the volunteers, runners, walkers and joggers. Patrick tells us why he’s parkrun rusty and out of pocket after the weekend, and there the return of the FWT stats quiz.

In celebration of parkrun’s return in England this week, Vassos and Helen have decided to add a musical element to the pod, playing out a selection of songs to get everyone in the mood. And COO Tom Williams pops in for a chat to discuss the resumption in England.

With just over a week until parkrun’s resumption in England, we hear from a couple of Bangor parkrunners who have been using the Virtual Volunteer app for the first time after parkrun returned there last month. We also got a lovely email from a couple with the subject - “a parkrun love story”.

This week’s special guest is Mike, who shares his parkrun journey - and it’s a journey that we can all identify with. Vassos is left a little bewildered with Mary’s reaction after he broke the news that Whitstable junior parkrun had been cancelled, and we read out more of your emails.

With parkrun events returning in Northern Ireland, we speak to country manager Matt Shields. He tells us what it was like having parkrun back and how special the day was. We also hear from the inspirational parkrunner Charlotte Proud, who suffers from a debilitating condition that makes exercise very dangerous.

This week’s special guest is Nicola Miller, founder of the charity A Mile in Her Shoes, which encourages women who are at risk of homelessness or affected by related issues to try running as a way of exercising, socialising, lifting confidence and boosting self-esteem.

Russ Jeffries, parkrun’s Head of Communications joins Vassos to reflect on the news that there will be a further delay to parkrun’s return in England. Russ also gives us an honest and frank assessment on how difficult and also how rewarding his job has been over the last few months.

parkrun CEO Nick Pearson joins Vassos to bring us the good news that parkrun in England and Northern Ireland will return on June 26th after they received over 500 permissions from land owners. He praises the work everyone associated with parkrun has done to get to this point.

In this special episode we hear from a group of visually impaired parkrunners and their guides about the challenges they’ve faced in these Covid times of social distancing.

Jack Kelly is our special guest this week. He tells us how parkrun helped process the grief of losing his father and kept him going during those tough times. We hear more of your parkrun tales and continue our new feature “Get on my Land!”.

COO Tom Williams is back on the pod to explain the decision to delay the return of parkrun. He maps out what needs to happen over the coming weeks and why there’s reason to be positive.

This week we speak to Deri Thomas, Country Manager for the Nordics who gives us the general picture of what is happening in his region. He also tells us how he’s now helping parkrun’s resumption in the UK.  And Greg Fell, Director of Public Health in Sheffield joins the pod to discuss the importance of parkrun to the local communities and how they are hoping to get the relevant permissions from landowners in the coming days.

London Marathon Race Director Hugh Brasher joins the pod this week to encourage people to take part in the  “The Reunion 5K” at Kempton Park next weekend, which is one of the pilot events in the government’s Events Research Programme. It is hoped it will provide crucial scientific data on how mass-participation events can resume safely. Also, we also hear from a parkrunner who is breaking all sorts of endurance world records and we say a big thank you to landowners who have given their consent for parkrun to return.

COO Tom Williams joins the pod this week to give an update how plans are going for the resumption of parkrun in June. He lays out what needs to happen and urges the parkrun community to do what they can to help.

Our guest this week is the inspirational Jordi Hooper who tells us how she went from not being able to walk to being a passionate parkrunner. And Vassos is rumbled for making up Mary’s parkrun number!

After junior parkrun resumed in England at the weekend, Helen and Vassos talk us through their Sunday morning. We also hear from some of the volunteers and families that took part at Harrogate juniors.

Vassos and Helen get a little giddy as junior parkrun resumes this weekend in England. Chrissy Wellington, parkrun’s Global Lead for Health and Wellbeing joins the pod to discuss its return and the effort put in to get to this point. We also hear from Ramona Mulligan who has just completed the challenge of running a parkrun every day for a year.

Our special guest this week is Lynn Chedham, who tells us how parkrun gave her strength and a place to feel comfortable. She explains how she went from being someone who hated exercise to becoming an avid parkrunner. Helen updates us on how plans are progressing ahead of the return of junior parkrun in Harrogate, England, and we hear more of your names for parts of your local parkrun.

Eileen Jones, author of “how parkrun changed our lives” is our special guest this week. She tells us about the inspiration to write the book and the novel way she decided to launch it. Also, parkrun’s Head of Support Jane Niven tells us how things are progressing ahead junior parkrun’s return.

parkrun CEO Nick Pearson joins the pod this week to explain the decision to charge for milestone T-shirts from September this year. He also tells us how there will be a volunteering equivalent to the current ones for walking, jogging and running. And author Michael Crawley chats about his new book “Out of Thin Air”.

Three different Helens are on the pod this week. Our Helen chats to Helen Bates who ran her first parkrun on International Women’s Day last year only for parkrun to stop the following week. She was recovering from a stroke and had made parkrun her goal. And Vassos checks in with HQ and chats to Helen Hood who is Head of Event Delivery.

Joining us this week is Carol Cunningham, who is head of volunteer management in Australia. She explains what her role at parkrun entails and why working in such a huge country has its challenges. We also hear about some of your favourite parkrun moments and Vassos gets a little obsessed with pirates!

Chief Operating Officer Tom Williams joins the pod to outline the plans for parkrun’s return in England for both junior and 5K. And we hear the lovely story of the Highbury Fields parkrun team who volunteer for the COVID-19 vaccination programme in north London.

Coach and athlete Martin Yelling joins the pod to discuss his new book “Running in the midpack”. He tells us about his love of parkrun and what inspired him to write the book. We also check in at parkrun and speak to Rowan Ardill, as well as a trip to Canada to hear from Euan Bowman.

TV & Radio presenter and parkrun enthusiast Jenni Falconer is our special guest this week. She tells us about her new series Cook with Co-op, how she got into running and why she loves parkrun so much. We also speak to Lucy Gossage, co-founder of “5K Your Way, Move Against Cancer”, who tells us all about the community she has created and how beneficial it has become to those living with and beyond cancer.

Former army major Kate Philp is our special guest this week. Kate lost her left leg below the knee in 2008 when the military vehicle she was commanding ran over a Taliban bomb in Afghanistan. She talks about how she used parkrun to become more integrated in her local community and recounts some of the amusing experiences she has had both volunteering and running. We also check in at parkrun with Jake Lodge, and Deri Thomas updates us from Sweden.

Our special guest this week is Lauren Reid, who broke the female parkrun world record last weekend in Sydney, Australia. She tells us how her preparations were far from ideal and how overwhelmed she was by all the support. Also, Claire Maxted tells us about writing her first book on trail running, Poland’s Country Manager Jakub Fedorowicz keeps us posted on how things are looking there and Cathy from the parkrun ops team makes her debut on the pod.

We chat to Tony Piedade, the founder and CEO of Jogging Buddy which connects local runners and walkers with each other. He tells us where the idea came from and how it has grown over the last 11 years. Renee Gimbert sends love from Australia where parkrun has resumed in all six states and Helen questions Patrick’s production skills.

parkrun Communications Manager Kirsty Woodbridge joins us this week to tell us how the team is staying positive at HQ and how people can register their parkrun resolution. Vassos gives his new book a plug and Helen tells us how much she is enjoying homeschooling!

Nick Pearson and Tom Williams join us on the pod this week to reflect on a tough 10 months for parkrun and share the latest from HQ.  And author and running coach Shane Benzie gives us some tips on how to improve your running technique.

Vassos is joined by parkrun’s Global Head of Health and Wellbeing Chrissie Wellington to look ahead to what we can expect from parkrun in 2021. She tells us about The parkrun Resolution and what it involves and how we can all join in.

parkrun founder Paul Sinton-Hewitt and Vassos take a stroll round Bushy Park, venue of the first ever parkrun in 2004. They chat about the early days, where the idea came from and how it has grown into what it is today.

Best mates Hughie and Freddie join us on the pod this week to share their heart-warming story. Hughie, aged 10, was diagnosed with Leukemia back in September, and his best friend Freddie wanted to do something special for him, so decided to run 2km a day for 50 days to raise money for the hospital treating Hughie.

Helen chats to international best-selling author Peter James about his love of parkrun. And Danny Bent is back on the pod to talk about his latest project - One Run, which is the first ever truly global running event. 

Physio Paul Hobrough joins us this week to tell us all about a new app he has developed to help people connect with physiotherapists around the UK . And with parkrun returning in Japan, we check in with country manager Chiaki Okada.

parkrun Chief Operating Officer Tom Williams joins us this week to talk more about the news that junior parkrun in the UK could be returning sooner rather than later, and Vassos and daughter Mary try to get us in the Christmas mood... in November!

Our special guest this week is British adventurer, author and grandmother Rosie Swale Pope. Despite running round the world, sailing solo across the atlantic and numerous other bonkers challenges, she tells us about her love of parkrun. We also hear from a listener who is taking in 7 parkruns as he aims to complete his first ever marathon.

As more parkrun events return around the world, we check in with Renee Gimbert - parkrun territory manager, Asia Pacific. She tells us about the challenges they face as more and more events re-open. And Vassos gets some advice to pass onto his son Matthew. 

This week, we check in with Eileen Clarke, one of the volunteers at Nobles parkrun, which restarted this week on the Isle of Man. She tells how the rain didn’t dampen the spirits as 132 parkrunners turned up.  We also hear from Tim Jones who set himself a remarkable running challenge that made use of the clock’s changing!

Hannah Corne, Executive Director of Mini Mermaid Running Club UK, joins us this week to tell us about the programme she has set up which uses physical activity and mindfulness to strengthen young girls' self-confidence, self-esteem and self-compassion. We also receive the most romantic email we have ever had.

BBC Sport commentator Andrew Cotter joins us this week to talk about his dogs Olive and Mabel, who rose to fame during lockdown when he would commentate on them performing regular dog acts.  We also catch up with Josephine from the “Ugandan Crew” from Burgess Park in South London.

Our special guest this week is Sandy Gilmour, who answered parkrun founder Paul Sinton-Hewitt’s offer of a (not)parkrun round Bushy Park. She tells us how it came about and why there was more talking than running! We also hear from parkrun’s newest recruit Callum who shares his tips on how to impress during a job interview.

As parkrun prepares to resume in Tasmania, we speak to Ivor Leonard about the good news. He tells us how the community has filled the gaps without parkrun over the last 6 months. Vassos and Helen share their stories from last weekend’s London Marathon and we receive a rather lengthy email.

parkrun's Global Head of Communications Russ Jefferys joins us to talk about parktoberfest, which encourages people to get together with friends, family and neighbours to inspire each other to complete as many (not)parkruns as possible in the month of October. We get a sneak preview of Vassos’ chat with Paul Sinton-Hewitt on the eve of parkrun’s 16th anniversary, and we check in with the return of parkrun in the Falkland Islands.

parkrun CEO Nick Pearson joins us to explain the news that parkrun events in England will not restart at the end of October as planned due to the rise of Covid-19 cases across the UK. Helen checks in with the return of parkrun in parts of Australia and in an FWT first, we have music from a marching band.

Visually impaired parkrunner Kelly Barton joins us this week to talk about finding love at and with parkrun. We also hear from parkrun’s Head of Health & Wellbeing Chrissie Wellington. And we learn Vassos doesn’t practice what he preaches!

Tim Hollingsworth, the boss of Sport England joins us to chat about their part in helping parkrun return in England. We hear more of your bad jokes and Helen speaks to someone who helped Witney get to the top of the (not)parkrun leaderboard.

In this special edition of FWT, parkrun Global Chief Executive Officer Nick Pearson joins us for a detailed discussion around the announcement of parkrun's intent to resume events in England toward the end of October.

Amanda Jennings from Co-op joins us to chat about their upgraded partnership with parkrun and some of the initiatives they've been involved with. Mike Weed is back to tell us about his review  regarding the transmission of Covid-19 in outdoor settings. And Vassos and Helen disagree on whether an email we received is our best or our worst!

Ahead of publishing his findings, we hear from Professor Mike Weed who has been commissioned by parkrun to carry out a review of the evidence regarding the transmission of COVID-19 in outdoor settings. Also, Helen finds out how to improve your running technique.

Our special guest this week is Martin Yelling, who tells us about his new project Stormbreak - which aims to improve mental health in children by promoting physical activity in primary schools. We also hear about a listener's experience of running their local parkrun course in reverse. You can follow us on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/freeweeklytimed

parkrun’s Chief Operating Officer Tom Williams is back again this week to answer your questions after publishing the COVID Framework for how parkrun events will return. You can follow us on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/freeweeklytimed

parkrun’s Chief Operating Officer Tom Williams talks us through the framework for how parkrun events will return, when the time is right. You can follow us on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/freeweeklytimed

BBC TV and radio presenter Rachel Burden joined us for a chat this week. She tells us how a trip to Moscow introduced her to parkrun and why it is now part of her weekend routine. Kirsty Woodbridge from HQ talks us through her role as Communications Manager and how parkrun has changed her life.

After setting himself the challenge of breaking 20 minutes for his downhill (not)parkrun, Vassos talks us through how he got on. Mike Graney, parkrun’s Head of Analysis joins us to discuss some of the surveys that have been done regarding the return of parkrun and we hear from Taz, who tells us what it is like turning up on a Saturday morning wearing a hijab.

With the huge success of (not)parkrun, we speak to HQ’s Technical Lead and IT wizard, Ian Rutson. Ian talks us through some of the numbers and why it’s been such a success worldwide. We also hear from the ED whose parkrun has the highest number of walkers, and the listeners help Vassos find his ultimate downhill 5k. You can follow us on Twitter here https://twitter.com/freeweeklytimed

As parkrun returns in New Zealand, we speak to Trevor Masters, Event Director at East End parkrun to find out how it all went. parkrun COO Tom Williams tells us what HQ learnt from that first weekend back. Finally, we speak to an avid parkrunner who has just finished an amazing challenge for charity… and he’s from Helen’s hometown! You can follow us on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/freeweeklytimed

parkrun CEO Nick Pearson is back on the pod this week. He tells us about the partnership with World Athletics, why the New Year’s Day double is no more and the latest on puppy Apollo! Helen chats to someone doing 100 parkruns in 100 days, and the stats quiz returns... sort of!

To mark the two year anniversary of the parkrun practice initiative, we’re joined by parkrun’s Global Head of Health and Wellbeing Chrissie Wellington. She tells us how proud she is of it and how much of a team effort it was to get off the ground. We also check in with two doctors who have different stories about how parkrun has helped them and their local community.

With the announcement that parkrun will resume at the beginning of July in New Zealand, we speak to COO Tom Williams. He tells us how it happened quicker than they expected and why it’s a boost for all parkrunners around the world. Helen breaks down some of the myths of running during pregnancy with Andrew Shennan, Professor of Obstetrics at King’s College London and Vassos gives us an update on his plans to be a running coach. Follow us on Twitter here https://twitter.com/freeweeklytimed