2026 Summer Parks Challenge

Explore parks, stay active, and win exciting prizes!

Challenge Details

The challenge is to run (or travel on foot) in as many parks as you can during the 100-day Challenge period.

With many accessible local urban parks as well as plenty of rural and wilderness parks, this summer-long event caters to all. Travelling? No worries. You may challenge yourself anywhere in the world. So, get out there, explore the wealth and variety of parks at your disposal. Discover some new ones, and most importantly, have fun.

Deets

There will be weekly prizes announced to participants.

For the summer-long event, there are three challenges:

  1. Volume: Most parks entered regardless of the number of repeat visits.
  2. Variety: Largest variety of (different) parks.
  3. Consistency: Most consistent challenge entries over the 100 day period.

The 2026 Summer Parks Challenge begins May 18, 2026 (12:00 AM) and ends August 25, 2026 (11:59 PM).

Eligibility

Eligible activities must be completed on foot, such as running, hiking, or walking. Qualifying ventures must be at least 3km in distance or 30 minutes of moving time. To qualify for a park “tag,” at least 50m of the park must have been covered, unless the park is smaller than 50m lengthwise and widthwise.

Registration

Register and pay for the 2026 Summer Parks Challenge directly on parksrun.ca — payment is handled securely by Stripe at checkout. The price is $40 season fee all-in. No tax, no admin fees. Already a member? Renew here.

Prizes

Weekly prizes will be awarded over social media for achievements such as uniqueness of parking, volume, length, best photo of a park, and more. Prize packages will be awarded to the summer-long challenges noted above. Other draw prizes will be randomly awarded from time to time.

Register Now

Complete Challenge Rules

Summer-Long Challenges

For the summer-long event, there are three challenges, with matching grand prizes:

  1. Volume: Most parks entered regardless of the number of repeat visits.
  2. Largest variety of (different) parks.
  3. Most consistent challenge entries.

In addition, there will be weekly prizes with more random criteria, that do not require volume or consistency.

Challenge Period

The 2026 Summer Parks Challenge begins May 18, 2026 (12:00 AM) and ends August 25, 2026 (11:59 PM).

Detailed Eligibility Requirements

Eligible activities ("runs") must be completed on foot, for example, "run," "hike," "walk" or a combination thereof. No bicycling, rollerblading, powered vehicles or any assistance whatsoever.

Qualifying ventures must be at least 3km in distance or 30 minutes of moving time. To qualify for a park "tag," requires that at least 50m of the park must have been covered, unless the park is smaller than 50m lengthwise and widthwise (these tiny parks do exist). For example, there is a category called 'PARKETTE' that can be found in certain municipalities, and which are accepted as a park for the purposes of this challenge.

Qualifying Parks

Qualifying parks are as per the following but not limited to: Municipal, CRD, Provincial, National, State, UNESCO or National Historic Sites. Other park-like lands may be included, organizers will consider all submissions or appeals. The idea is to include as many as possible, so we are on your side.

Additional Rules

  • Many parks can be counted in a single or same run, but each only once for that run.
  • There must be at least one hour between two different (separate) runs.

*Parks Challenge Administrators are exempt from prizes but are eligible to participate in the challenge.

**If you are in doubt about the validity of any of the parks, please send an email to the Race Director at secretary@pih.bc.ca. All decisions related to volume and number of unique parks will be determined by the Race Director.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I download GPX files from my phone?

No. Neither Strava, Garmin, nor Apple Fitness support GPX download from a mobile device. Login to your Strava, Garmin, or Apple account from a desktop or laptop computer and save the GPX file from each run/walk to a folder on your computer. Upload all GPX files from your desktop or laptop computer when you are ready. Each upload will be a new entry. Note that you can actually open a browser on your phone and login to Strava and download GPX files directly to your phone.

Can I save my runs/walks and upload them later?

Yes you can save them, but note that the date will all show as the day that you upload them to the Parks Challenge App, not the day you did them.

Can I upload each activity manually?

Yes you can. Simply search the name of the park where you ran, select it from the dropdown menu, and add the details about time and date.

How do I add a park that is not on the list?

To add a park, simply select 'Add New', enter the name of the park and the date of your run/walk, then Save and it will be added to your list, as well as to the Master List of parks.

Who do I ask to find out whether a certain location qualifies as a park or not?

Send an email to secretary@pih.bc.ca