Changing people’s lives – one 5k at a time
Ironman triathlete Chrissie Wellington reveals how parkrun is getting the nation moving – with help from National Lottery players
AS global head of health and wellbeing for parkrun – which organises free weekly community 5k events around the country and benefits from National Lottery funding – Chrissie Wellington OBE is on a mission to get people active.
In a previous life, she was pretty active herself, as four times Ironman Triathlon World Champion and the first Brit to hold the title. But even Chrissie had her weaknesses…
“My coach captured it better than I ever could. He said, ‘Physically, you’ve got what it takes, but I’m going to have to chop your head off,’” laughs the 45-year-old, who lives in rural Somerset with her husband and fellow former Ironman Tom Lowe, 44, and their six-year-old daughter Esme. “It was his way of telling me I had a lot of work to do to hone myself psychologically to be the warrior I needed to be to succeed.”
Some of that work involved overcoming years of disordered eating when Chrissie was a teenager and in her early twenties.
“For years I’d not been consuming enough to sustain even normal metabolic activities, let alone sport. So when I decided I wanted to take triathlon more seriously, I knew I had to empower myself with knowledge about fuelling effectively,” says Chrissie, who gave up her job as a civil servant at 29 to compete professionally.
“It was a long, hard process, but just equipping myself with that understanding and having a performance-related goal overrode the image-related goal I’d had previously.”
Chrissie became the only Ironman triathlete – male or female – to have won the World Championship less than 12 months after turning professional, and remained undefeated throughout her career.
Despite retiring from professional competitions in January 2012, physical activity remains a driving force in Chrissie’s life through her role with parkrun.
The runs – or walks; the pace is up to you – are primarily about having fun, getting fit and removing barriers to physical activity. They’re easy to join, and all fitness levels and abilities are encouraged, with no time limits imposed.
And thanks to National Lottery players, £3.6million has been raised for parkrun over the past eight years. “The National Lottery funding has been instrumental in enabling us to engage many more participants and make parkrun as accessible as possible,” says Chrissie.
“It has allowed us to focus on launching more events, as well as step up our efforts to encourage women and girls, and those with health conditions or from areas of social deprivation to take part.”
Chrissie only has to pop along to
National Lottery funding has meant we can engage many more participants and make parkrun as accessible as possible
one of the 1,147 events taking place around the country each weekend to see how the team’s efforts have paid off. “I’ve seen people of all ages and abilities, including those with health issues and disabilities, for whom physical activity had not previously been accessible – who have had their lives changed by parkrun.
“There’s Alison, a phenomenal visually-impaired parkrunner in Southport, for example, who is guided around the course by other members of the parkrun community. National Lottery funding has opened up opportunities for people like her, because parkrun is accessible to those with visual impairments.
“We’ve also got a wonderful lady, Grace, who is 83 and took up parkrun after being diagnosed with a heart condition. Now she’s completed 139 parkruns and volunteered at least 22 times.
“Another gentleman, John, lost his wife six months ago, and coming to parkrun has been his way of rebuilding his life and his sense of connection within the local community.” And for people who are unsure about going
along, Chrissie has one important message: just try. “Last year Tom and I climbed Snowdon with Esme, who was only five at the time. Someone at the bottom asked, ‘What if she can’t do it?’ I turned to them and said, ‘Well, what if she can?’
“It’s not for me to decide if she can or can’t do something
– we just try. My parents were always of that mindset and it was a very instructive lesson for me. It can apply to any aspect of our lives – and that includes parkrun. Just try.”