“One Small Step” chronicles Paul Sinton-Hewitt's journey from personal adversity to spearheading a global fitness revolution with parkrun, detailing the creation and exponential growth of a free, inclusive weekly 5km walking and running community.
Paul was born in Zimbabwe in 1960 and grew up in South Africa. At age five he was made a ward of the state and then lived at boarding schools. Paul excelled at sports, but it was running that captured his imagination as he became an accomplished club runner, seconding running legend Bruce Fordyce on his 8th and 9th victories at the famous 56-mile Comrades Ultramarathon in 1988 and 1990.
Paul moved to the UK permanently in 1992 and enjoyed a successful career in IT. After suffering a long-term running injury, he started the Bushy Park Time Trial (BPTT) in London's Bushy Park in 2004 as a way of keeping in touch with his friends and promoting physical and mental wellbeing, before growing his Time Trial series into parkrun.
At its core, parkrun is about community and wellbeing, both physical and mental. And it's the simplicity and accessibility of parkrun that has seen it take off internationally, transforming countless lives along the way. The event now takes place in 2,300 communities around the world every weekend with over 9 million registered parkrunners, and continued growth planned across the globe in coming years.
From a local park initiative to a global fitness revolution, “One Small Step” shares the extraordinary journey of parkrun, proving how one person's vision can mobilize millions worldwide towards health, happiness and community.
