Romford’s Raphael park run revealed as the fifth busiest in London.

Saturday parkrun crowds are taking over London, which could be a growing concern for Havering locals as new research reveals that Raphael parkrun is the fifth most crowded location for the weekly event in the city.

The research, by flexible wellness workplace provider UNTIL, analysed London parkrun data across 59 event locations from zone 1 to zone 6 using the parkrun UK site and Strava app, to create a crowded index ranking routes from 0 to 100; those ranking closer to 100 being the most popular and least desirable for those looking for a quiet 5k, and vice versa.

In London alone, searches for local parkruns have soared by 89% over the past year on Google, with these weekly events becoming a popular way to get in an outdoor workout for both running newbies and professional runners alike. 

However, as parkruns have grown in popularity so have their crowds, which could be an off putting factor for Havering residents looking to take part in the event or planning a run in the area. 

According to the research, Raphael parkrun is the fifth busiest parkrun location in London, with a crowded score of 34 out of 100. The event has brought over 92,000 runners to the official event to date, further recorded by over 10,400 runners on Strava.

In the southwest borough of Epsom and Ewell, Nonsuch Parkrun has emerged as the busiest parkrun in London, with the highest likelihood of a crowd and the highest official event turnout to date at 278,000 attendees overall.

On the other hand, Southall parkrun has been revealed as the best parkrun in London for avoiding a crowd, with the lowest score for crowds and the least number of people to have attempted the official run or Strava route.

The top five busiest parkruns to avoid in London:

1. Nonsuch parkrun – Epsom and Ewell, zone 6
2. Banstead Woods parkrun – Reigate and Banstead, zone 6
3. Lloyd parkrun – Croydon, zone 5
4. Bedfont Lakes parkrun – Houndslow, zone 6
5. Raphael parkrun – Havering, zone 6

The top five quietest parkruns for your next 5k:

1. Southall parkrun – Ealing, zone 4
2. Lordship Recreation Ground parkrun – Haringey, zone 3
3. Hanworth parkrun – Houndslow, zone 6
4. Pymmes parkrun – Enfield, zone 4
5. Wormwood Scrubs Parkrun – Hammersmith & Fulham, zone 2

According to the research, London’s top five busiest parkruns are all in zone 5 and 6, possibly due to these areas being more densely populated areas to reside compared to the more central travel zones.

Also, despite the crowds of central London being an inconvenience experienced by many, the parkruns closer to Central London from zone 2 to zone 4 appear to be less busy on average.

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