Olympic stars joining in the fun at Parkrun
GOLD MEDAL-WINNING ACE AND FELLOW STARS GET BEHIND THE THOUSANDS WHO GO RUNNING EVERY WEEKEND IN REGION
OLYMPIC and Paralympic athletes will be joining Parkruns across Greater Manchester today.
Taekwondo’s Max Carter and Luke Jones will run alongside participants at Platt Fields Park.
Boxing champion Crystal Barker will be in Salford at the Worsley Woods event.
Paralympic cyclist James Ball will join runners at Heaton Park, while cyclist Sophie Capewell will be at the Cheadle Hulme Parkrun in Stockport.
Olympic gold medal-winning cyclist Joanna Rowsell Shand will be taking part in the Congleton run.
They are among 100 UK Sport National Lottery funded Olympic and Paralympic athletes who will be acting as tail walkers at events around the country - to thank the public for their support.
5k Parkrun events take place in parks across the UK every Saturday at 9am in England.
UK Sport chair and five-time Olympic medallist Dame Katherine Grainger said: “By playing The National Lottery, you have done an incredible job of supporting our Olympic and Paralympic athletes as well as grassroots sport in the UK.
“You’ve been right behind the athletes and now they want to get behind you to say thank you. Whether you’re thinking about taking your first steps towards a more active lifestyle or maybe you’re already a regular, please come along to #teamparkrun.
“It’s a fantastic experience as I found out myself recently when I took part in my local Parkrun as a tail walker.”
“There were so many people of all ages and fitness and they were all united by a great sense of enjoyment and personal goals.”
London 2012 Olympic long jump champion Greg Rutherford added: “I’ve always been a strong advocate for getting people involved in fitness and health, and Parkrun is a really nice way to start that.”