Why people travel thousands of kilometres to run just five as part of parkrun tourism
The parkrun at Queenstown in New Zealand is known for its impressive vistas. (Supplied)
Simply getting to the finish line in parkrun's weekly 5,000-metre leg-stretch is achievement enough … for most participants.
But many Australians are travelling hundreds and often thousands of kilometres just to reach the start line.
This group — dubbed parkrun "adventurers" — have formed a network that shares the wonders of their travels across internet forums, social media and even a podcast.
Across hundreds of parkrun sites in Australia, and thousands around the world, they compare notes about just how different a 5-kilometre run (or walk) can be.
"They're all the same distance, but they have their own distinct flavour," 48-year-old nurse Nadine Crawford said.
Nadine Crawford celebrated completing 250 parkruns in Rosebud, Victoria. (Supplied)
"There's been places where we've turned up and we've thought, 'gee this is somewhere where I'd never visit'.
"And yet in middle of it, hidden away, off the tourist track is this beautiful community of parkrunners in a location that's just lovely, that you'd otherwise never know about."
Along with her husband, Ian, she will hop in her motorhome and travel around her native Victoria — and beyond — whenever she gets the chance.
"We just love to on Friday, get away in the afternoon, go to somewhere where there's a parkrun, do a parkrun event, spend some time in the area, and then come home, or spend a couple of days," she said.
The motorhome Nadine Crawford and her husband Ian use to travel to parkruns. (Supplied)
"Never go anywhere where there's not a parkrun on a Saturday."
The Crawfords are not alone.
There is Darren from the Central Coast of New South Wales, who has done 188 parkruns at 90 different events.
And Julie and Gordon, who have completed hundreds of parkruns in their retirement, and are currently travelling in regional New South Wales.
Then there is Anne from Adelaide, who's known as a "statesperson" as she has completed every parkrun in South Australia.
Challenge accepted
All look forward to meeting new people and discovering new places. But some, like Anne, are also motivated by what are known as "challenges" in the community.
The opportunity to travel to Darwin for a work conference this weekend allowed Sam Schroder to tick off another parkrun.
Samalinda Schroder at a parkrun at Bar Beach in NSW. (Supplied)
But she chose the Northern Territory's original Darwin CBD site, rather than the picturesque Nightcliff run on the city's northernmost coastline.
"Doing Darwin parkrun means ticking off one for the 'pioneer' challenge, for the first parkrun for every state and territory, while Nightcliff is the northernmost parkrun in Australia, so that's a 'geographic compass' one to tick off," she said.
"I'm not prepared to do that without my husband."
Samalinda Schroder and her husband Luke at Bellerive in Tasmania. (Supplied)
This fascination with levelling up has created a phenomenon where parkruns beginning with rare letters such as 'Y' and 'Z' become tourist attractions.
"Cleve [in South Australia] is really clever because their trail is called Yeldulknie Weir," Sam said.
"They get plenty of people to visit their town to do the 'Y', and there's only one 'Z' in Australia."
"There's a lot of people committed to this."
Samalinda Schroder at the Torrens parkrun in Adelaide. (Supplied)
International calling
While Sam hits the pavement in the NT, Nadine is this week travelling further afield.
Nadine Crawford and her husband Ian in Singapore. (Supplied)
She has already been to parkruns in England, New Zealand, Singapore, France, South Africa and Namibia, and soon she will experience what an Irish event has to offer.
Her experience in South Africa, she said, was typical of what the community provides.
"I'm just standing there talking to someone, and the next thing I hear on the megaphone, 'is there a Nadine Crawford?'," she said.
"I had a welcoming committee at this parkrun in Green Point, South Africa, just simply because of the connections of parkrun and someone telling them I was coming.
"I got to volunteer as well, which was a great experience, and after the event the team stood around chatting to me, and they were just so interested, and then one of them even kindly drove me back to my hotel and they gave me lots of travel hints."
Samalinda Schroder (second from right) along with other parkrun volunteers at the Eynesbury Heritage Trail in Victoria. (Supplied)
Schroder returns home to Picton in New South Wales from Darwin in a few days, but she has already lined up a trip to Perth.
A run in WA will secure her a place in the Peel Club — named after its first member Brendan — for having completed at least one event in every state and territory.
"This conference I'm attending now, it will eventually be in Western Australia, but we'll go over in April next year," she said.
"I'm not going to wait."