IN October 2004, Paul Sinton-Hewitt organised a run in Bushy Park, London with 13 of his friends so they could continue their sessions together, and this was the beginning of the Park Run movement which has since overtaken the country, writes Marian Codling of Thirsk and Sowerby Harriers. Thousands of runners each Saturday, in normal times, descend on their local 5k Park Run course and have a timed run round it. These days, you have a bar code which is scanned at the finish, and results are incorporated on a central computer before being published on the website. The benefits to health are recognised, and park runs are even promoted in doctors surgeries.