It has been some time since my last update in January, so I wanted to share what has happened since then. When I spoke with CEO Russ Jefferys earlier in the year, he outlined a new project to create a dedicated stats section of the parkrun website that would bring back some or all of the removed statistics. He said he hoped something could go live "in the next few months," and introduced me to Calei Smith, Head of Digital Transformation, who would be leading the project.

Since then, there have been significant changes. On 4 March, parkrun announced that Russ would be stepping down as CEO, remaining in post until 31 July. On 24 April, it was confirmed that Elizabeth (“Lil”) Duggan had been appointed Interim CEO, starting on 30 April. In May, it was announced that Calei Smith had also resigned. Her position was re-advertised in June, with applications closing in July, but no replacement has yet been announced.

During my exchanges with Calei to understand the status of the project, she wrote on 8 April:

“The project is a bit more complex than publishing statistics, meaning we need extra time to plan it properly. We are involving some additional folks to help us understand the community's needs and co-design with you and others keen to help. We're super excited about your and others' interest and want to ensure we do it well.”

At the end of May, I wrote to Lil Duggan to congratulate her on her appointment and to raise our concerns regarding the progress of the stats project. She replied:

“I am clear on the commitment made by my predecessor to find a way forward which balances parkrun's strategy priorities whilst also doing more to support those who want to have access to a broader set of statistics and data. Please bear with me during this period of change and I will be in touch again when I am in a position to give a more concrete update.”

At the start of the summer, parkrun began the process of recruiting a new permanent CEO. The role was advertised at the end of June, with informal conversations with the Chair, Helen Weir, scheduled for August and panel interviews due to be held in early September.

At this stage, it is disappointing that there has been no visible progress on the stats project since it was introduced in January. Leadership changes at parkrun — moving from Russ Jefferys, to an interim CEO, and soon to a permanent successor, alongside the need to appoint a new Head of Digital Transformation — have undoubtedly slowed things down. However, the commitments made by both Russ and Lil remain on record. I very much hope that when a new permanent CEO is appointed under Helen Weir’s leadership, they will bring fresh energy and opportunity to move this project forward. Once they are in post, we will seek to connect with them directly so that we can work together to bring this issue towards resolution.

If you would like to take part in group discussions and share your views with others who care about this issue, please feel very welcome to join our Facebook group here. It’s a good place to keep the conversation going, share ideas, and stay connected between these wider updates.

Thank you all again for your patience and continued support. We will keep pressing for progress and updates, and will share any further news as soon as we receive it.