Kensington parkrun

We are Kensington parkrun, a volunteer-run, timed, inclusive, all-pace, multi-generational, community 5k that takes place every Saturday year-round, rain-or-shine.  We are one of thousands of parkrun events around the globe.  Our volunteers are the key to make it possible for participants to run, jog, or walk with others in the natural places of our community.

We are part of parkrun USA and parkrun Global, which spells 'parkrun' with a lower case "p" to reflect our inclusive mind-set.  One of many signs of that mind-set is the presence of our volunteer tail-walker, who ensures that no one finishes last.  We have elementary school students and octogenarians regularly participate, and recreational walkers and fast runners mingle together at our event.  All are welcome.  Check out parkrun.com and the parkrun entry on Wikipedia to learn about our values and history.

parkrun is a non-profit, 501c4 organization - a social welfare organization. Although social welfare organizations may partake in political activities, parkrun has never and will never do so.

We are grateful to Montgomery County and the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission Parks for providing permits for Kensington parkrun.

Kensington parkrun organizes a free, weekly, timed 5K event on Rock Creek Trail in Montgomery County. Events are held every Saturday morning at 9:00am. Kensington parkrun starts and finishes at Cedar Ln and Beach Dr on Rock Creek Trail. After the event is over, participants and volunteers have the chance (optional) to gather at La Gelatteria for  beverages, snacks, and socializing. Lots of additional information is available at our website, parkrun.us/kensington. A free one-time registration at http://www.parkrun.us/register/ will provide you with a barcode that you can use at any of the 2000+ parkruns world-wide. parkrun occurs solely because of the generosity of volunteers.

Volunteer activities last about 2 hours and include tasks such as handing out our finisher tokens, operating smartphone-based stopwatches and scanners, taking photographs, and directing participants at turnaround locations.  

We have a loose progression of volunteer roles for the MCPS student seeking SSL hours, and that includes encouraging the student to complete a parkrun as a participant at some point to understand how our system works.  Parents and guardians often participate by running, jogging, or walking while their student is volunteering - many of our regulars started out by accompanying their student to parkrun.

If you would like more information or would like to volunteer, you MUST email us directly at kensington@parkrun.com. In your email, identify yourself as an SSL volunteer. We cannot guarantee a response if you use the MCVC system to contact us.