Free organised 5km 'Parkruns' will resume across the North East next month.
Parkrun chief executive officer Nick Pearson confirmed the fun runs and junior events will return in England towards the end of October. The weekly events, designed to encourage people to take up running, have been cancelled since March due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Mr Pearson says Parkrun held detailed discussions with Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), Sport England, and Public Health England when developing plans to relaunch the events.
In the North East, there are Parkruns across the region, including Exhibition Park, Newcastle; Rising Sun Country Park, Benton; Saltwell Park, Gateshead; Tyne Green Hexham, Northumberland; Graham Sports Centre, Maiden Castle, Durham and Silksworth Sports Complex, Sunderland.
Parkrun commissioned a review with Canterbury Christ Church University, which concluded that "with appropriate evidence-based mitigations in place, it is possible to deliver outdoor events and activities across a range of sectors, and of varying sizes and formats, in a way that does not significantly increase risk of Covid-19 transmission".
A survey of UK Parkrun runners found 80% would like to return within four weeks, Mr Pearson wrote in his blog.
He added: "Everything in life comes with a risk, and we know and accept that we cannot remove all risks from the Parkrun environment. However, it is also important to balance the public health benefits of reopening our events, against the associated public health risks. We now believe, having spent considerable time gathering and understanding the evidence, that the benefits to reopening Parkrun far outweigh the risks.
"Today represents the start of the next phase in reopening our events, and we know there is much work ahead. Over the coming weeks we will be working closely with landowners and stakeholders across the country so that we can best address their concerns and support their own positions relating to gatherings at their venues."
