Our Story
5K QR Code was born from a simple need: making parkrun more convenient and accessible for everyone. As regular parkrunners ourselves, we experienced the common frustrations of forgotten barcodes, damaged paper cards, and the inconvenience of carrying physical tokens.
The idea came to us during a rainy Saturday morning at our local parkrun. We watched fellow runners searching through wet pockets for soggy barcodes, and we thought: "There has to be a better way."
What started as a weekend project quickly evolved into a comprehensive parkrun companion app, designed to enhance the experience for the entire parkrun community.
Our Mission
We believe that parkrun should be accessible, convenient, and enjoyable for everyone. Our mission is to:
- Simplify parkrun participation by providing reliable, digital alternatives to physical barcodes
- Enhance the parkrun experience with beautiful visualizations and progress tracking
- Protect privacy by keeping all data local and secure on your device
- Support the community by creating tools that work for individuals, families, and friends
- Promote accessibility by ensuring our app works for parkrunners of all abilities
Our Values
Privacy First
We believe your data belongs to you. That's why 5K QR Code stores everything locally on your device. No tracking, no data collection, no external servers. Your parkrun journey is yours alone.
Community Focused
parkrun is about community, and so are we. We've designed our app to support families, friends, and running groups who participate together. Everyone deserves to track their progress and celebrate their achievements.
Simplicity & Reliability
Race day should be stress-free. Our app is designed to be simple, reliable, and work perfectly when you need it most – even without an internet connection.
Continuous Improvement
We're constantly listening to the parkrun community and improving our app based on real user feedback. Every update is designed to make your parkrun experience better.
How We Built It
Technology Stack
5K QR Code is built using the latest Apple technologies:
- SwiftUI for modern, responsive user interfaces
- SwiftData for secure, local data persistence
- WatchConnectivity for seamless iPhone and Apple Watch integration
- Core Image for high-quality QR code and barcode generation
- UserNotifications for helpful parkrun reminders
Design Philosophy
We've followed Apple's Human Interface Guidelines to create an app that feels natural and intuitive. Every interaction is designed to be clear, efficient, and delightful.
Testing & Quality
Before every release, we thoroughly test the app across multiple devices and iOS versions. We also test at real parkrun events to ensure everything works perfectly on race day.
Community Impact
parkrun Statistics
Since launching, 5K QR Code has:
- Helped thousands of parkrunners digitize their barcodes
- Supported families and friends in tracking their collective progress
- Provided detailed visualizations for over [number] parkrun journeys
- Enabled offline access to QR codes in areas with poor connectivity
User Feedback
"Finally, no more forgotten barcodes! This app has made my Saturday mornings so much easier." - Sarah, regular parkrunner
"I love being able to track my whole family's progress in one place. The kids are so excited to see their stats!" - Mike, family parkrunner
"The Apple Watch integration is brilliant. I can leave my phone in the car and still have my barcode ready at the finish line." - Emma, Apple Watch user
Looking Forward
Upcoming Features
We're constantly working on new features based on community feedback:
- Enhanced data visualizations and progress tracking
- Improved Apple Watch experience with independent functionality
- Better accessibility features for all users
- Additional parkrun community integrations
Long-term Vision
We envision 5K QR Code becoming the definitive parkrun companion app, trusted by parkrunners worldwide. We're committed to maintaining our privacy-first approach while continuously improving the user experience.
Meet the Team
Matt Gardner
Lead Developer & parkrun enthusiast. Regular at parkrun and passionate about creating tools that make parkrun better for everyone.
The parkrun Community
Our app is shaped by feedback from parkrunners worldwide. Every feature request and bug report helps us improve.
Get Involved
Have ideas for improvements? Found a bug? Want to contribute? We'd love to hear from you at fivekqrcode@gmail.com
Acknowledgments
parkrun
We're grateful to parkrun for creating such an amazing global community. 5K QR Code is an independent app and is not affiliated with parkrun, but we're proud to support the parkrun community.
Open Source
This app is built with the help of various open-source technologies and community contributions. We believe in giving back to the developer community that makes apps like this possible.
Beta Testers
Special thanks to our beta testers who provided invaluable feedback during development. Your input helped shape the app into what it is today.
Get In Touch
Legal Information
5K QR Code is developed and maintained independently. We are not affiliated with parkrun or any parkrun organization. parkrun is a trademark of parkrun Global.
This app complies with Apple's App Store guidelines and is committed to protecting user privacy. For more information, see our Privacy Policy and Terms of Service.