The freerunning freedom of parkour

Parkour is climbing, running, jumping and swinging its way into Marlborough.

The discipline, which pits practitioners against an urban environment in moving from one point to another as quickly as possible, is coming to Marlborough with a professional clinic next week.

About 90 children and adults have signed up to take part and the organiser says the activity opens up endless possibilities for fitness.

Parkour Marlborough organiser Darlene Purdie says the philosophy of the sport is to overcome obstacles in life, both physical and mental.

‘‘I feel like we’re so risk adverse that we don’t teach to normalise risks,’’ she says.

Three instructors from Parkour New Zealand will travel from Hamilton to attend the clinic on Wednesday and Thursday.

The classes are already booked out and more are planned to be held in the next three to six months.

Darlene, who also works with Family Works as the youth mentoring service co-ordinator, says the sport is an exciting addition for children in Marlborough who are looking for a taste of something new.

‘‘Not every kid wants to play cricket or rugby, but it’s important that they can be active and passionate about something,’’ she says.

‘‘It doesn’t matter how much money you have. You don’t need equipment, just the urban environment.’’

Parkour Marlborough began as a Facebook page at the start of the year and has grown to 25 members.

While Darlene does not practice parkour herself, she says she was captivated by images of the sport and thought it could inject something interesting into the Marlborough community.

The interest shown by both adults in children shows that simply because Marlborough is a smaller region does not mean there is no interest in alternative sports, Darlene says.

‘‘Just because Blenheim is small doesn’t mean we can’t have it either,’’ she says.

Weekly practice sessions are in the pipeline and more events will be scheduled based on demand, Darlene says.

The parkour clinic will be held at Blenheim School.

For more information on the clinic, visit the Parkour Marlborough Facebook page.

PHOTO: SCOTT HAMMOND/FAIRFAX NZ Getting the knack of parkour are, from left, Conlan Purdie, 12, Gibson Purdie, 10, and Jack MacLean, 10, before a professional clinic next week.