Since parkrun (yes, with a lower case ‘p”) officially kicked off in Renton in November 2017, 480 people have registered and nearly 1,000 have participated in this weekly, free 5K.

People from all over the world — not only Washington state — have spent their Saturday mornings with parkrun.

Koy Saechao, Renton resident and a counselor at Lindbergh High School, first spotted parkrun on Facebook when looking for local, family friendly weekends activities, she wrote in an email.

Since attending her first event, she said, she continues to meet friendly people — a part of why she comes back every Saturday.

Saechao is not new to running, she has participated in the Girls on the Run program and her and husband enjoy running marathons, she said.

When asked what she likes about parkrun, Saechao had nothing but praise — she has been able to get back into running since having her daughter, she has met new friends and she now has something her family can do together every week.

“I tell people parkrun is our second family and I’m always inviting family and friends to join us,” she said. “(parkrun is) such a great community of people who love to have fun through the engagement of running that promotes health and wellness. I’m all about that!”

Aside from participating on the running side of things, Saechao said her and her husband have also volunteered and plan to continue doing so in the future.

parkrun begins at 9 a.m. along the Cedar River Trail from the Interstate 405 bridge near the dog park to the Maplewood Golf Course. Attendees meet at the Riverview Park before beginning the 5K.

Interest from surrounding cities like Des Moines have shown interest in parkrun, according to Kortney Thoma, volunteer and event director.

Thoma wrote in an email that an official parkrun will launch June 9 in Des Moines.

For more information on parkrun, visit their website at www.parkrun.us.

To stay up to date with Renton parkrun, visit www.facebook.com/Rentonparkrun/.