HUNDREDS of people are expected to take part in Bournemouth’s inaugural parkrun this weekend.

The free 5k event will take place on Saturday at the Kings Park Athletics Centre from 9am.

It follows on from the parkrun in Poole, which draws up to 500 people every week.

Co-ordinator Ade Holloway, who has previously organised running events including the Littledown Marathon, said: “This has been a long-time coming.

“We need something like this for Bournemouth, and the demand really seems to be there, which is fantastic.

“We’re hoping for about 300 people on the first day.

“We’ve got 411 ‘likes’ on our Facebook page, and we haven’t even started yet.”

A test run last Friday drew in 67 participants, and Mr Holloway said he hopes the Bournemouth race will prove very popular after it launches.

“The event is open to everyone regardless of age or ability,” he said.

“Our aim is simple – to encourage people that want to be slightly more active and mobile and enjoy the fresh air as well as each other’s company.”

Runners will be timed, with many aiming to better their personal best during each week’s parkrun.

The event was first launched in London’s Bushy Park in 2004 with just a handful of people, but almost a decade later, operates in eight countries with close to 375,000 runners who have collectively walked, jogged or sprinted a total of 14 million kilometres.

Poole’s parkrun launched on April 2 2011, and Mr Holloway said: “We’d love to emulate its success.

“It’s a really great event and it’s grown in popularity hugely.”

For more information, or to volunteer, email bournemouth office@parkrun.com