Iwan Thomas hopes Commonwealth success inspires greater parkrun participation

Iwan Thomas hopes the success of British track stars at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games has encouraged people to seek out their local parkrun and follow in the footsteps of their heroes. This week, The National Lottery is teaming up with parkrun to inspire people across the country to take part in their local event.

Ad Thomas, who has taken part in over 100 parkruns since 2012, believes that parkrun is as much about socialising with friends and being immersed within a sporting community as it is a running event, and wants more people to give it a go. AthleticsMatthew Hudson-Smith backed for European success by Iwan Thomas34 MINUTES AGO National Lottery players raise more than £30million a week for good causes including vital funding into sport — including over £3.6m of funding to parkrun alone.

Sport England have also invested £35 million into the Commonwealth Games — a combination of National Lottery and government funding — to support a long-term legacy of more active and connected communities across the nation. «I've been doing parkrun since it started and I sometimes pinch myself to think, 'how do they put this on for nothing?» explained Thomas.

«Whatever your shape or size or running ability, everyone is welcome. I can go there and get thrashed by some youngsters, but I also get the same smile off seeing people go around in 45 minutes, that's the beauty of parkrun.» Thomas confessed that his favourite parkrun is Netley Abbey, principally because of its proximity to his home, meaning he can wake up just half-an-hour in advance of the 9am start time.