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I started parkrun in 2014. My son who was 12 years old was a good runner and was keen for us both to try it. The experience was uplifting. Each week we would embark on the 5 km course among friendly camaraderie among fellow runners. My times improved over 18 months and I passed the 50 parkrun milestone fitter than I have ever been.
However, I then found my times plateaued at around 26 minutes. I couldn’t improve. My son who attended parkrun with me regularly commented I wasn’t moving my left side properly when I ran. My left arm was not swinging and my left leg dragging. I had not noticed.
I went to my GP, who referred me for a neurological opinion following a normal MRI scan. The neurologist diagnosed Parkinson’s disease and a dopamine scan (DAT scan) confirmed the condition with sparse take up of dopamine in the basal ganglia. So parkrun aided in identifying my early symptoms of Parkinson’s.
The parkrun, a 5 km timed run, is a good challenge for everyone and can, as well as improving long-term health conditions, unmask conditions such as Parkinson’s disease.Competing Interests: None declared.