If there’s one thing guaranteed to motivate you during a run, it’s a high five from Dame Kelly Holmes.
The Olympian posted a video of herself taking part in her local Parkrun this weekend. Unsurprisingly, Holmes had energy to spare at the free, 5K route, so she doubled back on herself to provide other runners with some encouragement.
The feel-good video soon received more than 18,000 likes, inspiring people to share stories of encouragement they’ve received and witnessed at their own Parkrun.
HuffPost UK previously spoke to amateur runners about the difference Parkrun has made to their lives.
Student Charlotte Saunders, 20, from Newcastle, said she could barely complete the first kilometre on her first week, but thanks to the encouragement of regular runners was motivated to return. Seven months later she ran her first 10K for charity.
“I’m really proud of my achievements,” she said. “The good thing with Parkrun is that there’s always a tail runner, so even if you’re slow, you’ll never be the last person.”
For Peter Johnson, 49, from Ross on Wye, signing up to Parkrun was a way to lose weight, but an unexpected benefit was the boost it gave his social life.
“It was pretty intimidating to just turn up at Parkrun and I was anxious about being last,” he recalled. “I was always last at school, but everyone was so friendly and there was zero pressure from anyone.”
To anyone thinking about giving it a go, he said: “Just do it. It doesn’t matter how slow you are, you can walk it and no one cares. It’s all about taking one step forward.”