With just over one month to go until the Birmingham 2026 European Athletics Championships, figures from junior parkrun have suggested participation records for their free, weekly 2k community events are being regularly broken across the West Midlands.
junior parkrun, supported through its partnership with the London Marathon Foundation, is aimed at 4-14-year-olds and their families and encourages regular, fun participation outdoors, with events organised by volunteers.
Through Birmingham 2026’s impact plan ‘Beyond’, a programme created to inspire positive, lasting change across the region linked to the European Athletics Championships, organisers are creating new opportunities for communities and amplifying existing initiatives, such as this one, that are already making a difference in the West Midlands.
There are currently five junior parkrun events in Birmingham - Edgbaston Reservoir, Cannon Hill, Ward End, Sutton Park and Babbs Mill - and parkrun is always looking at working with local communities to see where else might benefit from the introduction of a new event.
Over 5,300 finishers and almost 1,900 volunteers have taken part in Birmingham’s junior parkrun events this year to date.
Across the wider West Midlands (where there are currently 29 events in total) the highest participation figure ever recorded was on 10 May 2026 with 3,565 junior parkrun finishers and 761 volunteers.
While year-on-year growth is around 30% UK-wide, that figure is even higher in Birmingham at around 59%.
In addition, 10.8% of primary schools in the West Midlands - 43% of which are in IMD (Index of Multiple Deprivation) areas 1 and 2 - are signed up to be a parkrun primary, an initiative that connects primary schools with their local junior parkrun event, supporting even more children to take part in physical activity within the community.
Louise Mylles, parkrun Outreach Officer in the West Midlands, said: “We know junior parkrun has such a positive impact on those who get involved, and we encourage everyone to take part in their own way, whether that’s running, walking, jogging, volunteering or cheering! Our Health and Wellbeing Surveys regularly show the benefits of junior parkrun on children’s wellbeing.
“In 2025, more than three quarters of children (77%) said they felt happy after junior parkrun, while more than half (51%) also reported feeling more confident.
“With the European Athletics Championships taking place in Birmingham this summer, we hope more families feel inspired by the power of sport to come along and try their local junior parkrun event! It’s always great to see more families being active together while connecting with their local community.”
The Birmingham 2026 European Athletics Championships take place from 10-16 August. Tickets are on sale via this link.
For more about the Beyond programme, click here.
Register for junior parkrun for free here. You can then find your local junior parkrun event here.