Liz completes her 500th parkrun – and pays tribute to the ’brilliant’ community

A parkrun veteran was celebrated at the weekend as she completed her 500th event at The Walks.Liz Thompson has been regularly going to Lynn’s parkrun since it first started operating in September 2011.Since then, Liz, 66, who lives in Lynn, has been a regular at parkrun, which takes place in the park every Saturday at 9am.

She joins an average of 300 runners each week in completing the 5km course, which takes you around the park three times.But what brings Liz back to The Walks each Saturday morning? “It keeps you fit physically and mentally, but the main benefit is the social aspect. I can’t underplay how important it is to meet people,” she said.

“Even if you don’t know anybody there, somebody will chat to you. It is very much the case as you’re going around someone will say ‘well done’ or ‘keep going’. “I certainly think the social side is as brilliant as the running side of it. I got faster when I started doing parkrun, but now I’m getting slower, but it doesn’t matter as I’m still doing it.”Liz started running around 16 years ago when she joined the ladies’ running group the Lynnsport Ladybirds. When a friend from the Ladybirds became involved in setting up parkrun in Lynn, Liz soon got involved. What are the benefits of doing parkrun? “It’s a wonderful way to keep fit. It is really good that you’re getting out and doing something regularly,” said Liz.“It is keeping you fit and you get a little bit of encouragement when you do well. You may surprise yourself and think you can do well the next week and the week after too. “If you want to challenge yourself, you can turn up and be with a crowd of people and go around The Walks three times, it is wonderful.”Don’t take it too seriouslyAlthough it is called parkrun, many also walk and jog around the course at their own pace. It is not a race.People who take part in parkrun often dress up in fancy dress for an occasion and regularly stay for coffee and cake after completing the 5k course. Throughout the years, Liz has completed parkruns on Christmas day and likes to start the new year off by volunteering.As well as completing 500 parkruns, Liz has also volunteered at 50.“I try and give back as well, it’s not just about turning up and running, it’s also about being part of the community,” she said.“The Christmas ones are always really nice. I love to see the fancy dress, we’re not a huge parkrun for fancy dress. We tend to be more about coffee and cake at the end.” Liz added: “I’d like to say thank you to the Lynn Ladybirds that got me running 16 years ago, they’ve kept me going since then.“My friends that come to parkrun keep me going, we meet up afterwards for a coffee and a chat.”