Sanctuary Runners Australia

28/10/2026

Thinking about joining Sanctuary Runners at Cooks River parkrun? This Saturday is the perfect opportunity!

We'll be gathering from 7.45am on Saturday 31 October at Saint Mary MacKillop Reserve, Berna Street, Canterbury, for a special morning of walking, running, friendship and community. Catherine and the local Sanctuary Runners team will be providing food and Halloween treats.

Getting there will be easier than ever, with the NSW Government's new Metro service opening to Canterbury on Friday. Trains will run every 10 minutes on Saturday morning, taking just 14 minutes from Central and 13 minutes from Bankstown, with the parkrun venue only 250 metres from Canterbury Station.

Can't make it to Canterbury? Sanctuary Runners members will also be gathering at Casula Parklands parkrun and Auburn Botanic Gardens parkrun from 7.45am. We'd love to see you at whichever location is most convenient.

Parkrun is a free, timed 5km event where you can walk, jog or run at your own pace. As our photos from last week's Auburn parkrun illustrate, some choose a pace so leisurely that they can even enjoy a coffee as they walk. Sanctuary Runners brings people of all backgrounds together to build friendships, foster inclusion and help create more welcoming communities.

Whether you're a regular parkrunner or joining for the first time, come along, invite some friends, and be part of a great community experience.

18/10/2026

Yesterday was a great day of friendship and community for the 75 Sanctuary Runners members who participated in four parkrun events in Sydney and Adelaide.

Auburn Botanic Gardens parkrun in Sydney had a special first birthday celebration, with the cake, food and drink provided by run director Nina and the Auburn parkrun crew helping walkers and runners to replace some of the calories burned up on the 5km course.

In Adelaide, more than 30 Sanctuary Runners members participated in the Carisbrooke parkrun in perfect spring sunshine for our local group’s third event.

Members were also active in the Cooks River parkrun at Canterbury and Casula Parklands parkrun in Sydney, wearing the iconic blue Sanctuary Runners shirts promoting solidarity, friendship and respect between all people.

In the seven months since Sanctuary Runners Australia participated for the first time at a parkrun event at Auburn, more than 250 people have worn our colours at 60 local events.

Our aim is to encourage Australians of different backgrounds to walk and run together to promote exercise, friendship and a culture of welcome for people who have arrived in Australia recently.

Next weekend (Saturday 24 October), we will be active at the Auburn and Casula parkruns, while the Cooks River parkrun takes a one-week break because the venue is unavailable. We will be back at those three Sydney parkruns (Auburn, Cooks River and Casula) on 31 October and the weeks that follow. The Adelaide crew will meet again at Carisbrooke parkrun on Saturday 19 December.

Sanctuary Runners Australia is a movement of volunteers supported by Refugee Council of Australia (RCOA) and Sanctuary Runners Ireland. The Sanctuary Runners movement began in Ireland in 2018 and is growing internationally.

If you’re interested in more information about us or would like to join, visit www.refugeecouncil.org.au/sanctuary-runners-australia/ We're interested in hearing from people who would like to help us establish Sanctuary Runners groups in other cities and towns in Australia.

16/10/2026

For anyone near Auburn in Sydney, come along to Auburn Botanic Gardens parkrun for the celebration of the first birthday of a great local event.

𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭 #𝟓𝟎 - 𝐒𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝟏𝟕 𝐎𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔

Guess who earns a red shirt this week?

Auburn Botanic Gardens parkrun! ❤️

Join us as we celebrate not only event #50 but our 1st Birthday 🎉

Please wear your red tops or the colour of your favourite zooper dooper.

We will have cake, snacks, and of course, zooper doopers 🧊

Our timings will be slightly different this week so we can highlight and thank those who helped bring events to life each week.

⏰ 7:45am: First-timers Brief with Linda
⏰ 7:50am: Welcome & Briefing by Nina
⏰ 8:00am: Start Time by Alice

𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐨 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐮𝐬:
📍 Auburn Botanic Gardens - Community Picnic Area
🚕 GPS: Auburn Botanic Gardens - enter via the roundabout on the corner of Chisholm Road and Chiswick Road - the car park is located at the end of the park near the 2nd roundabout.

Looking forward to celebrating with you this week for our special milestone.

Let's hope the rain stays away 🌧

Auburn Botanic Gardens parkrun Team 🦆

16/10/2026

Tomorrow (Saturday 17 October), Sanctuary Runners Australia members will be walking, jogging or running in four parkrun Australia events - at Salisbury in Adelaide and at Auburn, Canterbury and Casula in Sydney. Everyone is invited to join us for some healthy exercise and to promote positive connections between Australians of different backgrounds.

Here are some photos from last weekend's parkrun at Auburn Botanic Gardens, at which 18 Sanctuary Runners members were among the 105 runners and volunteers who braved some badly timed heavy rain. The pain of the rain was eased by a wonderful array of pastries, muffins and fruit brought along by Jennifer Ferng of the Sydney School of Architecture, Design and Planning, a demonstration of the School's support of the parkrun movement and Sanctuary Runners.

While we can't promise the same quality of catering this week, you can be part of the friendly and welcoming atmosphere with us from 7.45am at:
* Carisbrooke parkrun, Carisbrooke Park, Main North Road, Salisbury Park SA
* Auburn Botanic Gardens parkrun, Auburn Botanic Gardens picnic area, Chiswick Road, Auburn NSW
* Cooks River parkrun, Saint Mary Mackillop Park, Berna Street, Canterbury NSW; or
* Casula Parklands parkrun, Casula Parklands, Powerhouse Road, Casula NSW.

Anyone of any level of fitness is welcome to come along and walk, jog or run the 5km course at whatever pace they like. And it's all free!

11/10/2026

Today, people in more than 100 countries are gathering to walk and run together as part of the 2026 Global Solidarity Run in support of people who are forcibly displaced or living in extreme poverty.

In Sydney, people from 15 countries of origin on six continents ran and walked together in Parramatta Park as part of this global symbol of solidarity being coordinated by Sanctuary Runners Ireland. The Sydney run was organised by Sanctuary Runners Australia and the Consulate General of Ireland, Sydney.

In a world where division between people seems to be growing, the Sanctuary Runners movement is encouraging people to take a different path - to walk and run together, to promote friendship and respect between people of different backgrounds, and to celebrate the dignity of all people.

07/10/2026

Join us at Parramatta Park on Sunday morning (11 October). People in more than 100 countries will be running to show support for people who are forcibly displaced. A free event, open to everyone. You can walk 3.2km or run 6.4km.

We're meeting at 7.45am at the carpark 100m west of the Macquarie and Pitt Sts entrance to the park.

When we move together, we send a powerful message: We are one. We care. We act🤝

On Sunday 11 October, take part in the Global Solidarity Run — standing in solidarity with people who have been forcibly displaced or are living in extreme poverty.

In Sydney, the Asylum Seekers Centre will gather at Parramatta Park with Sanctuary Runners Australia, the Irish Consulate, community members and advocates.

Wherever you are, you can take part:
👕 Wear blue
👣 Move your way — walk, jog, roll or run
📸 Post using

06/10/2026

The Sanctuary Runners team in Adelaide is planning another get together - at Carisbrooke parkrun at Salisbury on Saturday 17 October from 7.30am. You can join in the fun by walking or running the 5km course at whatever pace you like - and it's free!

The goal is simple: to bring people of all backgrounds together for exercise and friendship, promoting diversity and belonging. This will be the third event organised by our Adelaide group since June, with plans for similar gatherings every two months.

As with any parkrun Australia event, if you would like to be involved but currently can't make the 5km distance, you can volunteer to help make the event possible. Just DM Carisbrooke parkrun and ask what help is needed.

We really appreciate the support of the groups who are helping to promote Sanctuary Runners in Adelaide - Justice for Refugees SA, Circle of Friends Australia, Intercultural Peace Forum and the City of Salisbury, SA, Australia.

Please share details of this event with friends and connections in Adelaide. For more information, see the attached flyer - and some photos from previous events.

30/09/2026

Every weekend, new connections are being made and new friendships formed when Sanctuary Runners members participate in local parkrun Australia events in Sydney. Here are some photos from last Saturday - a walk or run and, for some, a post-event coffee.

For us, it is all about movement - getting people moving no matter how leisurely the walk or fast the run, and building a stronger movement of people of different backgrounds connecting with each other. We want to encourage people to meet people they might not otherwise encounter, and to make it more possible for people who are new to their neighbourhoods to make new friends.

If you are in the Sydney this Saturday morning or any Saturday morning in coming months, please join us from 7.45am at:
* Auburn Botanic Gardens parkrun, Chiswick Road, Auburn:
* Cooks River parkrun, Saint Mary Mackillop Park, Berna Street, Canterbury; or
* Casula Parklands parkrun, Powerhouse Road, Casula.

Participation is free and open to anyone - of any age, background or level of fitness.

29/09/2026

Not only does getting people from different backgrounds to walk or run together have benefits for social connection, but it is also a very valuable strategy for promoting public health and reducing chronic disease.

Yesterday, Roman Abasy spoke about his involvement in sport and his experience as a member of Sanctuary Runners at the launch of a new video on diabetes detection and prevention for members of the Afghan community in NSW. The video is in Dari and English and was launched by Western Sydney Local Health District and the Kateb Hazara Association Inc-Sydney.

Sarah Driscoll from Western Sydney Diabetes pointed out that in Western Sydney around 20% of the population has diabetes and 30% have elevated blood glucose levels, with these rates being three to four times higher in some communities of recently arrived migrants and refugees.

Sanctuary Runners members walk or run 5 km together each Saturday morning at parkrun Australia events in Auburn, Casula and Canterbury. It provides a simple entry point to regular exercise for people of all ages and fitness levels.

The video launch also featured two other regular Sanctuary Runners members: Julia Finn MP, State Member for Granville, and Dr Ali Mohammed Sama, who worked in Afghanistan for nearly 30 years as a GP and surgeon. Dr Ali was resettled with his family in Australia last year and has a wealth of knowledge to share with Sydney's Dari and Farsi speaking communities.

Refugee Council of Australia (RCOA), Sanctuary Runners Ireland, Auburn Botanic Gardens parkrun, Casula Parklands parkrun, Cooks River parkrun, Paul Power

24/09/2026

The Sanctuary Runners Australia team in Sydney is ready for some more exercise on Saturday morning after enjoying the spring sunshine last weekend.

As always, we will be gathering from 7.45am at Auburn Botanic Gardens parkrun, Cooks River parkrun and Casula Parklands parkrun. Parkrun events are free and open to everyone, of all ages and all levels of fitness. Perspiration is a choice - but enjoyment is inevitable.

We were delighted to be joined last week for the first time by Edris, Bobbi, Julie, Van, Jess, Gabby, Lise and Gabriel. At Auburn, Paul got to wear a green cape to mark his 250th parkrun.