PEOPLE of all ages, some with dogs and others with children in prams, line up for the start of the five kilometre Gloucester parkrun every Saturday morning at 8am in District Park.

“It (parkrun) offers an opportunity for all the local community, regardless of age or gender, to come together on a regular basis to enjoy the outdoors and get physically active,” the event website states.

“We want to encourage people to run, jog, walk and volunteer together – this event is truly open to all, and best of all it really is free!”

There have been over 174 parkrun events held in Gloucester.

Former Gloucester Mayor John Rosenbaum, 79, is an enthusiastic regular participant.

“Although it’s called the parkrun, it is not just for runners,” John said.

“I walk at my own pace, as do many others.

“It is an important social event in my week where I chat with friends and feel no pressure to compete.

“It helps enormously with my physical and mental wellbeing.”

For local GP Joanne Charlier, parkrun is a family affair where she is joined by partner Andrew and their four children.

“Parkrun is great on so many levels,” Joanne said.

“I’ve just come back from a knee injury and it’s been good to track my times as I slowly improve.

“After the run we head to one of the town’s cafes for a catchup.”

Joanne’s daughter, Samantha Charlier, 10, loves to run and has taken part on over 50 occasions, proudly coming first on one memorable Saturday.

One of the event’s keenest participants is Steve Robinson, who has completed 115 runs and has no plans to stop.

“I was not a runner in my youth and had only been in a couple of fun runs when my kids were at school,” Steve said.

“I run for mental and physical health reasons.

“Although I am 80 and have a pacemaker, I am not the oldest participant in Gloucester.”

At the other end of the age spectrum is Eli Soupidis, who at 12 has completed 33 runs.

Eli says his main motivation for taking part is as part of his training regime for other running events, such as cross-country.

“My best time is 22m 12s, but my aim for this year is to get a PB of 21 minutes,” Eli said.

“I really enjoy parkrun because some of my friends are there, people are encouraging, and I just love running.”

By JOHN Watts