Parkrun, a 5-kilometre (3.1 mi) event for runners, walkers and volunteers that takes place every Saturday morning at more than 2,000 locations in 22 countries across five continents is celebrating its 20 anniversary this week. It started in London on 2 October 2004 and grew into a global phenomenon with many millions of runners registered.
It was founded by Paul Sinton-Hewitt, 12 August 1960 (Company check), who was born in Zimbabwe, grew up in South Africa, was made a ward of the state aged five and lived at boarding schools. He has said that the personal challenges he experienced, including bullying during childhood, and the way exercise and activity have helped him deal with them, were influential in motivating him in creating parkrun and its inclusive approach to sport.
Parkrun has an exuberant, high-energy Mars Jupiter Mercury all conjunct a Libra Sun. With two wide-ish yods of Saturn in Cancer sextile Jupiter Mars inconjunct Uranus in Pisces (on the cusp of the sporting 5th assuming a 9am start) – and a Taurus Moon sextile Saturn inconjunct an influential Pluto.
Paul Sinton-Hewitt is an unconventional Sun Uranus in Leo in a confident trine to Jupiter in adventurous Sagittarius. With a charming Pluto Venus in Virgo in a tough-minded trine to Saturn sextile a compassionate Neptune – and more significantly Neptune sextile Saturn inconjunct Mars in Gemini giving him giving him the hyper-energy that would suit constant activity and exercise. His Pluto square his Mars adds a layer of trauma from his childhood spurring his determination on.
Many women are against Parkrun as it allows men to identify into the women’s category regarding record times. This has an effect on grassroots competitions further down the line. Does the astrology show that Parkrun has a problem with women, Taurus moon?
With all the Libra planets plus Neptune in Aqua (and maybe due to Uranus in Pisces); parkrun favours ideological equality and letting everybody be ‘themselves’. Making choices inherently means choosing one thing over another. But this isn’t about having a problem with women, just wanting to be ‘inclusive’. Just as when running was a male-dominate sport, parkrun would have been encouraging female runners to take part. About 42% of the 1,500 people at Bushy Park last Saturday were women, which is a good stride towards gender equality.
I’ve done a few parkruns along the way and let’s not forget it is FREE and each event is led by volunteers. It’s been the only decent sporting/health initiative of the past 40+ years. Currently totalling about quarter of a million people out at their local parks every Saturday morning and over 6,000 people turned out at Bushy Park earlier this month for the 1,000th run there.
The organisation has encountered a few problems in recent years with payments to PSH and its old CEO Russ Jefferies. Plus this year it has alienated some runners by scrapping all the course and age-graded records so that they don’t have to deal with the transgender issue.
Noting transiting Uranus is taking a swipe at the Taurus moon and will be squaring the Leo Venus next year.
Here is Paul Sinton’s speculative chart. Click link then click magnifier to enlarge it.
https://ibb.co/W5nh1ym