Russ Jefferys has stepped down as CEO of parkrun, a global running initiative known for its free, weekly 5K events.
Jefferys, who took on the role in 2022, spearheaded a major shift in the organization’s identity, which was met with significant outrage from many longtime participants and volunteers within the parkrun community.
During his tenure, Jefferys faced a notable controversy in early 2024 when parkrun decided to remove certain performance statistics from its website to promote inclusivity, according to the company.
This decision sparked widespread debate within the running community, leading to petitions and open letters from participants advocating for the reinstatement of these records. The organization later indicated plans to reintroduce the statistics through a dedicated platform, aiming to balance data accessibility with privacy considerations.
Jefferys’ departure marks a pivotal moment for parkrun, as many long-time participants had drifted away from the events in the wake of the controversy, and it is unclear if parkrun’s mission to be more inclusive has connected with new runners.
The organization has yet to announce his successor.
Russ Jefferys posted the following statement on parkrun’s official facebook page:
“It has been an absolute honour to lead parkrun and I will be forever grateful for the opportunity. The greatest priviledge of all has been working alongside brilliant colleagues, volunteers, and partners, helping to open parkrun up to more people”.
The company also released a statement of its own on its website.
Marathon Handbook broke the story last month that parkrun exploring how it might bring back certain stats for its events, following 12 months of campaigns from factions within the parkrun community.
Parkrun, founded in 2004, has grown into a global movement with events in over 20 countries, encouraging people of all ages and abilities to participate in regular physical activity by hosting free 5K runs in public parks.
