Parkrun to celebrate 'legend' volunteer's landmark

Celebrations will take place at Telford Parkrun on Saturday as a woman marks her 500th day volunteering at the weekly event.

Kim Fawke has been volunteering for more than 12 years, and in that time has missed just 12 of the runs.

The local running community will meet at the start line before the event and present her with gifts, before lining the hill to cheer her on as she heads to her marshal point.

"I was trying to keep it quite quiet, but that got lost in translation somewhere," she told BBC Radio Shropshire.

She said that upon hearing the milestone, people had called her "a legend".

"The Parkrun put a post up… just outlining what they were planning for this Saturday, which I had no idea about," she said.

"I was like 'I better make sure I'm there then'."

"I just enjoy everything about it, the fact that it's for everybody," she said.

"You watch people come on a journey of fitness, whatever it is, they might be recovering from illness. It's just an amazing atmosphere to be involved in."

She added: "It's a massive social thing for people to come along, see familiar faces, share stories, chat and say 'well done' to each other."

As well as helping to organise the weekly 5km (3.10m) run and its crew of volunteers, one regular runner said Ms Fawke had helped his physical and mental health.

"[The run] gave me the opportunity to come along and take part... and if it hadn't been for that... I probably wouldn't have gone on to run, and I've done a number of marathons since," said Dene Muir.

"More poignantly," he added, "about a year ago… my wife passed away unexpectedly... and Kim reached out to me to see if I wanted to take part in volunteering more often.

"Over the last year that has completely changed my mental health and outlook."

He told the BBC that socialising while volunteering at the event meant he was not sitting at home on his own.

"Kim, you say that other people call you a legend... you genuinely are a legend," he added.

Ms Fawke said of Mr Muir and his praise: "It's quite humbling and I also might kill him when I see him."

"It's lovely to hear and it's quite humbling, the effect that it has on people, but I've just always done it because I love it and I enjoy it."

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