Jane breaks age-grade barrier at parkrun

Fast times were the order of the day as a bumper field of runners turned out for the latest instalment of Lynn Parkrun.Karl Brown was first to finish in a great time of 18 minutes, while Beth Moden was the first female to cross the line in a personal best time of 18:46.However, this week’s hero accolade goes to veteran parkrunner Jane Ashby, who finished, breaking the age-graded 100% barrier, with a fantastic age grading of 100.2%.This puts her better than the world age grade for her age, gender and finish time – a truly remarkable achievement.Among the 533-strong field, organisers welcomed 21 first-time runners to park run today, together with 63 first-time visitors from as far afield as Chesterfield, Bromley and Bristol.Shout-outs and congratulations went to Karen Henderson and Julie Woodhouse, both on their 50th parkrun, Elizabeth Gatward and Rebecca Burgess, both on their 100th, Jeanette Stapleton on her 250th and Andy Doyle on his excellent 350th run.In addition, three volunteers, Jane Greenwood, Trevor Sutherill and Connor Greenwood, all volunteering together, celebrated their 100th session at parkrun volunteering. Lynn parkrun is inviting everyone in the community to take part in Let’s Walk Day on Saturday as part of a nationwide initiative led by parkrun and headline partner Vitality, to celebrate the simple yet powerful act of walking. Event director Gary Walker said: “Lynn parkrun is a welcoming environment for all. Whether you wish to walk, run, or jog, you’ll find a very supportive team there to greet you and a very social atmosphere to get started.”Parkrun is free, friendly and inclusive, held every Saturday morning in The Walks. You can walk, jog, run, volunteer, or simply come along to cheer others on. No experience needed, just a willingness to take part.”Walking has always been an important part of the parkrun experience.