Parkrun is set to return to Southampton Common with new safety measures in place.

The restart is planned for October after Parkrun Global Chief Executive Officer, Nick Pearson, announced his intent to resume events across England.

There is no confirmed date for the return of the Southampton Parkrun but organisers have said that the plan is to start again by the end of October.

The volunteers that run the event are currently applying for permission from the council to utilise Southampton Common again.

The 5km course has been redesigned with social distancing in mind and Hand Gel stations will be available, as well as masks and visors for volunteers.

Briefing’s that take place before each run will now be cut down to two minutes rather than ten to minimise the amount of time runners are in a group.

When asked about the new planned route, event director Rob Kelly said: “The new route will be very similar.

“Over the years we have chopped and changed routes to suite our size.

“The route is two laps of the hill and the last mile will be downhill towards the new play park, we do a short trip around the playpark, finishing on the gravel path”

Rob has been preparing for the return for the past month.

He added: “I wasn’t expecting to come back until maybe the new year, but now, fingers crossed, we will be back by the end of October.

“So, I’m pleased we did a little bit of preparation before hand.

“I have a team of 6 run directors, that take care of the event on the day, and everybody’s really excited.”

The Southampton Parkrun is the second biggest of it’s kind in the country, and seventh biggest in the world but organisers think numbers will be down as a result of the pandemic.

Rob said: “I hope people come back to the common because it’s really important for their mental health and physical wellbeing and our big focus will be keeping people safe as best we can.”