Parkruns plan as Belfast revealed as city that runs the most in UK
Belfast is the city that runs the most in the UK, with public Parkruns being particularly popular in the city.
A recent study by Strava, a fitness tracking and social networking platform, showed Belfast leads the UK cities that run the most at 24 percent of its population, seven percent higher than the UK average in cities.
London came second at 22 percent, Birmingham at third with 20 percent, Liverpool next at 20 percent and Manchester fifth at 19 percent.
At the monthly meeting of the council’s People and Communities Committee, officials presented a report in relation to the council’s ongoing and potential support for Parkruns, along with statistical breakdowns across the city.
Officers also said they would be looking at a mass Parkrun across the city as part of the Belfast City of Sport programme.
The Parkrun phenomenon, now a global health initiative, started at Bushy Park in Teddington, UK, in 2004, with 13 runners. Over 10 million people have now signed up worldwide, and in 2025 there were 18.2 million 5K finishes across 111,000 free events globally.
Currently, Belfast hosts 10 senior and six Junior Parkruns each week. Since the first Belfast Parkrun was established at Waterworks Park in 2010 in partnership with North Belfast Harriers, more than 140,000 participants have completed a Parkrun event in the city.
In that time Ormeau Park has seen the most finishers, at 30981, with Victoria Park second at 24327, Stormont Park third at 18034, Waterworks fourth at 16385 and Queen’s fifth at 15926.
The council’s leisure development unit has given £23,550 to support the establishment of Parkrun events across the city between 2015 and 2024.
Active Belfast, an initiative involving Belfast City Council, the Public Health Agency, the Belfast Health and Social Care Trust, and local community and voluntary groups set up the Jog Belfast programme.
In 2025/26 19 Jog Belfast programmes ran across the city with 413 of 656 registered graduating from the programme. 87 percent of participants were female, the majority aged between 35-64 years. 97 percent completed a 5K run after the programme.
The council says: “The council has invested significantly in park infrastructure and improvement works that support parkrun activity, including pathway developments and park signage.
"Parks outreach and operations officers also directly support the establishment of these events across the city. As local volunteer teams became established, council involvement has transitioned from direct support to an advisory and facilitative role.”
At the People and Communities Committee meeting this week, Sinn Féin Councillor Matt Garrett said: “The figures speak for themselves. Over 140,000 people have participated since 2009, and the council has invested around £23,000.
“When you split that across the 16 Park Runs in Belfast, it amounts to about £160 a year to each Parkrun. The recommendation is we allow officers to go out and engage with Parkrun groups and see what their needs are.
"I 100 percent believe we should do that, and bring a report back within two or three months, to see how we can help them and increase budgets.
“Some of the things are simple, first aid kits, defibrillators, and signage in some of the parks. Small stuff, but if 140,000 people are participating, it is money very well spent.” Elected representatives agreed to the officer’s recommendation.
A council officer said: “We will try to get a report back as soon as possible. I would ideally like it to be a conversation as part of Belfast City of Sport 2026, and we will be looking to explore all the Parkruns occurring over one weekend.
"As a celebration, and maybe to ensure we have standardised equipment across the board. We would aim to do that before the end of the calendar year.” Elected representatives also agreed to this.