Parkrunners Podcast
Parkrunners Podcast shares real stories from the global parkrun community—runners, walkers, and volunteers whose lives have been transformed by movement and connection. Hosted by Catherine Stenson, each episode celebrates courage, belonging, and the quiet power of showing up.
Parkrunners Podcast
Dame Kelly Holmes — From double Olympic gold champion to passionate parkrunner
New Year’s Day Special 🎧
This week on The Parkrunners Podcast, I’m joined by my extra special guest Dame Kelly Holmes — double Olympic gold medallist, passionate parkrunner, and a powerful voice for honesty around mental health.
In this episode, Kelly shares the human side of high performance: the pressure that can sit behind achievement, what it takes to rebuild confidence, and why movement and community can be such a grounding force — at any age or stage.
We talk about:
- The realities of pressure, identity and self-belief
- Kelly’s openness around mental health — and what helps in real life
- Why parkrun truly is for everyone (yes, parkwalkers too)
- The value of community, routine, and simply showing up
- A gentle approach to “getting moving” that doesn’t rely on perfection
If you’re starting the year with an intention to move a little more — or you’d like to support someone else to begin — this conversation will meet you where you are.
Listen now on Spotify or Apple Podcasts — and if it resonates, please share this episode with a friend who might need a little encouragement to take the first step.
Follow The Parkrunners Podcast for weekly stories of community, resilience and the parkrun habit in action.
Thank you for tuning in. It's been great to have you here.. If you've enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, rate, and review our podcast. Stay connected with us on social media (Instagram, Facebook & LinkedIn) for updates and more inspiring parkrunners' stories. Until next time, keep running, keep smiling and keep on showing up!
Hi there, and a very warm welcome to another episode of the Park Rus Podcast. I'm your host, Catherine Stenson, and today I'm really excited to be joined by a very special guest. Someone who needs no introduction in the world of sport, but who has become a really powerful voice for mental health, well-being, and getting people moving at every age and stage of life. She's a double Olympic champion, Commonwealth and European medalist, author, entrepreneur, fitness trailblazer, and of course, a passionate and proud Parkrunner. It's an absolute privilege of mine to welcome Dame Kelly Holmes to the Parkrunners podcast. And in our conversation, we're going to talk to Dame Kelly about how running has shaped her life on and off the track, why community events like Parkrun matter so much to her, and the realities of navigating mental health challenges in the public eye, and how she's helping people of all abilities and especially those in midlife find joy and confidence through movement. Jane Kelly, thank you so much for joining me on Parkrunner's Podcast and a very warm welcome. Well, thank you so much. Thanks for having me. Not at all. And where are you joining us from today, just for the benefit of all our listeners?
SPEAKER_01:Okay, so I'm in Kent at home before I actually travel to uh Belfast for Christmas, there for Christmas and New Year. So parkruns will be in Belfast.
SPEAKER_00:Um so can you remember your first parkrun? And where was it and how did you feel turning up as Kelly the Parkrunner as opposed to Dame Kelly the Olympian?
SPEAKER_01:Well, this is funny, isn't it? Because my first one ever was March uh 2016 in Brighton and a nice flat course. I think I might have been working down there, so I found out about part one and thought I'd just join in. And at that stage, I was always turned up as Dame Kelly Holmes because it wasn't natural for me to just turn up to public events without people knowing I was coming. It was a bit sort of encompassing, and it all felt quite like work back then. So yeah, I sort of rocked up. I think I said hello to everyone as I did for the first few years, and they used to get me up on the microphone, and I'd be like, ah, but it was always a bit of pressure. But yeah, definitely down in Brighton on a flat course.
SPEAKER_00:Lovely. And what is it about Parkrun that you've fallen in love with? Because I see that you go to a lot of different courses, and I'm sure to much fanfare because when I bumped into you at Bushy, there was a line of people wanting to get photographed with you. So yeah, what is it about Parkrun?
SPEAKER_01:Well, as I say, it's changed a little bit from when I first did it when it was about, you know, Dan Cademm's turning up. Now I just turn up because I really enjoy the vibe of Parkrun, that community feel, people all being out there. I love just going there and thinking, wow, look at all these different types of people going from your avid young athletes that are trying to use Saturday as a you know a really great part of their training, or those that are walking because they've come back from an illness injury, slightly older, may have mental health problems, may just feel like they've been encouraged by the local doctor for all different reasons and everything in between. And I just love turning up and thinking, this is brilliant. Everyone's committed to getting out of bed on all weathers and being there at the same time. And at the end of the day, we're all doing 5k. And I just love that kind of energy that's around the park.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, I mean, I I share that love as well. It's it's it's wonderful when you see all of these volunteers who show up for all of us every week. Jane Kelly, are there any particular park run mornings or events that really stand out in your memory?
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, actually, one, maybe on a sadder note, but it was uh a year after my mother passed away and I hadn't really done anything. I really wasn't feeling great still, but I knew that running was giving me that sense of purpose again, and you know, I was able to use running as a way of just getting out the narrative and the other things out of your head and just running. I went to Hastings, I just walked up. It was in August 2018, and it was the first one that I didn't tell anyone I was going to. I didn't want to speak to anyone. I just turned up on the line as they were starting, and I ran, and I literally just ran my heart out. It was my fastest time that I've done 1748. I came second overall, and then I left. And it was just the fact that there was somewhere to go, it was a destination. I know I was going to do 5k. I literally didn't want to talk to anyone. I just ran and went, and it's my fastest race. So it shows you that all different emotions bring different things out of you.
SPEAKER_00:Absolutely. And what a what an emotional run that must have been. And maybe there was the extra adrenaline there, you know, having lost your mum. But 1748, that is an incredible PB. I was 46, so I was kind of happy. For the benefit of our listeners, you've recently clocked up your century of runs, your hundred um park runs. Yeah. And I know you've volunteered as well. So um, like this is this is definitely a very sustainable habit that you are are building around parkrun. You've performed on the biggest tracks and the biggest stages in the world, Zane Kelly. What does parkrun give you that's different from elite competition?
SPEAKER_01:Well, it's not the pressure, obviously. And so, you know, it's about doing okay. I'm not trying to win medals from it. I might still be challenging myself and I might still be competitive at some park runners, but that's like a kind of self-satisfaction action. But I think it just gives you purpose. It doesn't really matter. You know, I'm retired now, and so a lot of the reasons why I keep running and keep active is for my physical and mental well-being, and I know that's why a lot of other people do it. So I find the satisfaction is being part of everybody that I wouldn't have I wouldn't have done this sort of thing as an elite athlete at all. And certainly I wouldn't have done that when I first retired because it was all about the whole pressure of being Dame Kelly Holmes and the expectations that people have, and now I can have a laugh of them to say, I'm a lot older now, and so you do your thing, let me do mine. So there's different reasons for turning up, and I just enjoy. And now to be honest, because me, my partner, and a few friends have made this whole thing around being a tourist, it's a great way of travelling, seeing the country, seeing parks that I would never ever visit. So there's multiple reasons why I do it, but it's so different to be an elite athlete where it's so intense. I was training for the big moments, even though I was racing a lot. I had to do the training. Whereas now, to be honest, sometimes I just rock up having having had a night out the night before, feeling a little bit worse for wear and thinking that I should have my butt out.
SPEAKER_00:I think I think we've all used Parkrun as a um a bit of a detox and head clearing exercises from time to time. I know I have. But it's it's amazing how many agendas I think Parkrun fits, you know, the physical well-being, the community interactions, and the mental well-being. So you've you've summed that up really beautifully. How has your relationship with running evolved um from chasing medals? Like you've enjoyed so many of those incredible moments, like unbeatable Olympic gold. What does it feel like now just embracing movement for the for the pure joy and health and community connection?
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, I think when I was an elite athlete, it was my lifestyle, my dreams, it was everything, you know, wake up, eat, sleep, train, you know, repeat is just so consuming. Because it ended up being my career after I left the military as well. So it's very different, you know. And then to be honest, when you leave Elite Spook, you have to find your mojo again. Because the reasons why I got up to train were because I had such big visions of wanting to be Olympic champion or whatever it was coming up in that year. Whereas I think time has changed, you know, that was back in 2005, part when I only started 2004 as well. So if you think about it, the movement hadn't been the same. I think the way that society has changed and the narrative around movement, exercise for the brain, the body, you know, the gut, the brain connection, like there's so many different reasons why people realise it's a benefit now. And so my relationship with running has almost been on and off. You know, I've always kept moving, but I haven't really had any goals. I haven't had the desire to have to train consistently. I did one mouth and in 2016, you know, that hurt a lot. Well done. And then to be honest, it's really been the past, I'd say, three or four years where I've just thought that actually as you get a little bit older, you should be more accountable for your body. We know we need to move more, and I don't want to get to a stage in life where I regret not have kept something consistently going that one I was good at, but also just for my own health. So I feel there's lots of different messages around age, changes, around focus and around what I need to do it for. And realistically, my whole vision now is if I can inspire people, if I know that I'm still keeping active and fit, and people go, oh my god, you're Olympic champion and still running okay. I know that inspires people because people go, Oh my god, I'm running in the same event as you, and it doesn't matter where we are, it's just the fact that I've turned up and I don't look down on something like a community event. I think that people see that. So in my head, my visions change of what it means to be part of a community and to turn up and run, do what everyone else is doing, and you know, enjoy it as well.
SPEAKER_00:I think that's a really great point because there is such a mix of people of ages, stages, backgrounds, and paces at Parkrun. So you're right, you make a really good point because when people see you there, they th they people like Joe Wicks and other Parkrunners that have a high visibility in the in the media. I think they're very inspired. One of the real, I think, wins of Parkrun is that not only has it created a brand new generation of runners, people who never saw themselves as runners, but with the introduction of Park Walk, I think it's brought even more people into that whole area of movement, which is so necessary for our physical and mental well-being.
SPEAKER_01:It is. And that's the thing. Um, which I think is great about the whole uh purpose of bringing in park walk. So I actually did a park walk in Ashford early in the year because I had had uh an injury and then I had an operation and I wanted to get back into it. A group of my friends were going down to Ashford's park run in Kent, and I really wanted to go and I was really frustrated in one way that I couldn't run because being a runner, you would just want to run. But equally, I felt maybe that's quite powerful if people see me walking to show that you know that's okay too. And I did, and the feedback was brilliant. I mean, for somebody that runs, you know, you have two mindsets of people there. You've got the ones that are avid runners that oh, it's about times and positions, and they love the stats, and I love the new K running app that no Part Run now have, and I love it because that's I'm a bit of a geek like that. But equally, those that were walking were getting as much out of it because we don't know people's stories, and that's the thing that I'm also very mindful of with Part Run. No one, unless you're close to that person or you hear it there and then, we don't actually know why people are always turning up in any one day. And then when you get to talk to people, you realize the power of part one, why people are there, and the stories are incredible.
SPEAKER_00:That is so true, and in in part, that's that's why I launched this podcast because each week you're hearing incredible stories of transformation, inspiration, and just or perspiration, even because for some people it's a huge deal to walk or run 5k. So, Dan Kelly, somebody like you who's you set goals, you you wanted to be that Olympic um medallist, you got yourself onto the podium twice and and and and won a gold medal. But you you you're now on a new kind of challenge, which is the Parkrun Alphabet Challenge. Like, when did you decide that that was gonna be your next thing?
SPEAKER_01:Well, I've completed my first one, I'm pleased to say, and I've got six more for my second. And about, I don't know, ten more for my third, because you can't repeat. So like the tourist thing is another thing that I feel you know passionate about. But yeah, going back to the alphabet one, I decided to do it, and I know is something that people would expect me to talk about, is like, you know, stats and things. Some people are driven by a knowledge that they've got a goal. Yes, it's about turning up, but you have to remember to keep people committed, they have to have something else than just turning up because otherwise it can become a little bit complacent. So some people just want to go for their milestones and they're like, oh my god, to get 25 or to get. And I really wish, and I'm gonna say this, they need to split those milestones up. We they need to be a 150, a 200, because you know, again, a goal for somebody to go from 100 to 250 can be almost demoralizing because, like, what else are you giving that little pat on the back? When I used to run for medals, it was obvious I'm getting and it's not about game because we are getting a gain, but there's a motivation in something for someone to go for. So when I see the part run up and I go in there, I have lots of reasons why I go in. One, because I want to see where my next partner might be. So it's given me a goal to keep my street tourist street going. You know, it could be a factor of the age that I am now. Like I am determined to be first in my age group at every park that I go to. And you know, I'm 55 now, so I'm determined.
SPEAKER_00:You're looking incredible.
SPEAKER_01:But equally, I'm to try and go for top three or four or five women. I like the stats. I want to see where where I am because it's keeping me motivated at this age. And I know when I rock up and somebody sees me and I come in the top 10 of a part run, even if the top three, or win be the first woman, or whatever, people are like, oh my god, you're still doing it. And I say, look, all those people either side of me on that list are in 20 to 25 or 30 to 35 or whatever. I said, so anything's possible if you put your mind to it. And these are the things why stats actually are important because for some people it's just those minute little games. Did I just get 10th in my age group? It doesn't matter. Stats are important. So that's my one thing. I think part one needs to remember. It's everyone, and some people are driven. You can't stop people who are driven by holding them back much as you want to encourage people to move forward.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, and I I'm a data nerd as well. I love those stats. I can't wait to get the email each week and have a look at age grading and like am I improving or I've had a bad week. And I love the way you celebrate on your um social channels, especially last week. There were so many different people you were celebrating and and milestones. Um but I agree with you, like it's quite a distance, isn't it, between 100 and 250? And then it's even worse from 250 to 500. Some people won't even last that long.
SPEAKER_01:I mean, but from a point of view of being a competitive person, even if I wound down that competitiveness, I go, when you go to people, well, it's it's about self-improvement or any level, people need to see those improvements to keep going. Because it's the same as somebody being in a gym. You know, a gym can become boring unless you know that you're being stronger, you're feeling fitter, you're getting faster. So it's the same as a part run because even as a walker, don't tell me that a walker doesn't get competitive if there's a walker in front of them and they just think they might just get past them. So there is a competitiveness that part run builds, but on a really healthy, connected way.
SPEAKER_00:And sometimes we just compete with ourselves, and that's good too. As as you um have just pointed out really well, it's important to have those goals and to feel like you're making progress. And some weeks some weeks you're prepared to prepare to press pause on that, and other weeks it really matters to you because you've put in some extra work. But yeah, I'd I'd love you to speak to someone who's listening who might feel unfit, low in confidence, or just not sporty. What might a gentle, realistic first step into movement look like for them, Dane Kelly?
SPEAKER_01:Oh, I think when people thinking about that themselves, generally they know that they want to feel better or do something, you know, because if somebody thinks they're not good enough to get to part one or they're intimidated by it, the fact that they've already thought about the possibility of being there that's then put them off means they want change. So I think everybody should set a reason. You know, what's your purpose? Why do you feel how you feel first, and then you can start to think about well, what can I do about it? And sometimes it's just those simple actions of changing the way you do things, looking at your step count, setting a smaller goal of moving more, putting on the trainers, going for a walk with your friend, doing a little online stretching class or something, doing things in what feels safe for you first. Because I doubt anyone that's not interested in fitness and health and well-being is going to be thinking they're intimidated because they're not even think about it. But those people that think I know I need to get fitter don't know the starting point. So there's the couch the 5k apps, which will really start you off gently and you know, explain how to get moving more. Is there a nice park near you? Could you just go for a walk um once or twice a week? If you look at the fact that they say we should, just for our general health, have a minimum of 10,000 steps, but something I know we've all got phones, they have health apps on them. Most people have watches these days. Are you doing that? Are you actually connecting with that? I talk to people in the workplace that have a lift to go up one flight, like go up the stairs, get your heart and lungs moving. You know, there's so many small bits that you can do, but most of it is psychologically setting yourself some purpose.
SPEAKER_00:I want to get fit. Definitely just making a start, start measuring things that are an improvement for you. The the couch to 5K is uh, I think an incredible, empowering way to go from. From zero to hero, because you feel like a hero and you have, you know, not been able to move, and then suddenly you can walk or run 5k, because it's still a decent distance for a lot of people. So movement, resilience, and well-being, these are some of the staples that have your hallmark on them because you've become a really strong voice in in the media for those for those things. And you've spoken very openly, Dane Kelly, about mental health and identity beyond sport. So how does movement support your mental well-being today?
SPEAKER_01:It's critical, it's vital, it's um really important because I know that when I'm moving, I'm getting the genuine rushing around my body, I'm getting the endorphins that give you the sort of happy feelings. And I, you know, I am very open about my mental health. I've had a whole, you know, a journey and highs and lows, and you know, I'm very open in all of the conversation I've had, that I've had anxiety, I've had clinical depression, I've had lots of things, breakdowns, multiple things, and it's fine to talk about and I'm not ashamed to. And I think people should be open and admit it if that's okay, because then it normalizes it. But I think what I realise now is that um, you know, me moving keeps my well-being in check, it keeps my mental health in check. If I have a bad day, there's no point me sitting down and mopping in that because it will make me worse. I have to go out and do something, and that isn't always running hard or pushing hard. Sometimes it is walking. I used to hate walking, if I'm honest, because I used to think, God, if I can run like five times quicker, why should I walk? Why am I walking now to go out in the air, to go down to the lake where my mum's bench is, to go into the woodlands, to just be at nature, I feel like it's such a healthy attitude to have for so many people. And I'm sure there's loads of more science around the fact that when we move our bodies, it will improve our mental well-being. And I think if we realise the connection between movement and the way that we feel, far more people will connect them quicker and realise that power too. And that's why I think to be honest, a lot of people also do part run because they know it's good for their mental well-being.
SPEAKER_00:And um, I think it's I think it's important to also be able to give yourself permission to rest as well as move, because sometimes we can be a little bit too relentless, and uh life is busy and you know complicated for a lot of people. So um what you've just been saying there reminds me of the conversation I had uh recently with Dr. Hussein Al-Zubaidi. He's a channel four TV doctor, but he's one of the GPs that has championed recommending Parkron as as a prescription for better mental health, better physical health. And he talks about it as movement is medicine, you know, for in in a lot of cases, because you're out in the in nature and that makes us feel good for sure.
SPEAKER_01:And I think that's right. And I have met multiple people that are on that journey of doctor prescription part run. So it works, it does work. And you say about rest, but most people aren't thinking elite athlete style training here. Most people might just be doing the odd thing and then part run is their main thing. And sometimes I haven't done a thing in a week and I rock up at a part run and realise why I can't walk for the next five days. So the reason why I do stuff in between is so that when I push myself at part run, I know I can still walk. So there's a balance. For example, I live in Kent in the countryside, and I see this guy pretty much every day walking. And the first time I saw this guy, and I'll tell you why because it connects to part run. I was going up my lane and I saw him in a high vest, vis vest, and bright shoes, and I thought he was a worker, and I don't have my glasses on, so I'm thinking, why is this work worker like walking in the middle literally of nowhere? And I thought that's a bit weird. Anyway, I do my uh my loop and I saw him on the bridge and he went, Oh Kelly, and I went, Oh hi. I said, God, I just saw you down the lane. And I just got closer to him, and he's an older guy, and he said, he said, Oh, um, I've wondered if I would ever bump into you. He says, I go to Tunbridge Park Run, he says, and I do this four times a week so that I can do park run on a Saturday. And he's only walking, he's walking very slowly, and he does his three-mile loop so that he can do part run on a Saturday. And he says, I only walk, I'm in the last ten every time. He says, but I love it. And I was like, oh my god. So I was going, keep it going. And every time I see him now, I'm like, brilliant, well done, you know. So that connection of just somebody random that was walking, who have got a vision of going to part run for the social interaction, the community, and the focus of keeping him alive and keeping him going. And I mean alive in spirit as well as you know, body. And that was just amazing, you know, that's just one person.
SPEAKER_00:A lovely story, and one that I think epitomizes what parkrun is all about. You know, that it it is it's so grounded in in community and connections as well as keeping people moving and mobile. And I'm sure, I'm sure you have been very inspirational to him. He was probably delighted to bump into you because I know he probably will have seen you at Tonbridge because you do that parkrun quite frequently, yeah?
SPEAKER_01:It's uh so Tumbridge's my local one, but like I say, I'm a tourist now, so I'll try to go around to as many as possible. We mentioned Ireland and things, so there was a lady as well that I know called Grace. She's 97. She started park run when she was 80. She's got the European record apparently for her age group of reaching 250 parkruns at age 97. I met her in um and uh and I was doing a I think a little bit of a documentary for a park run back in the day. And I met this lady back then, and then last year I went to see her again, and she's still walking, and she was on this mission. She has two people holding her to help her through the part run. And I went, hi Grace, whatever. And she was so focused because she was after this time, her part run time, she was trying to get like the record for her age group, and she was on a mission, and she was just so great because there she is, she still has this desire to you know be her best, get records, and she always has to run the last 10 meters.
SPEAKER_00:Isn't it incredible? But she started at 80. So if anybody's listening thinking they're writing themselves out of the game and you're not at least 80, please, please take some inspiration from that story that Kelly has just shared there about the lady in Belfast, I believe, because I did see BBC covered her incredible milestone, 250 runs back in August, I think. And what a what a hero, you know, for amazing. I think they actually bought her a park bench and it's now at the end of the finish line. So when she finishes, she can actually sit down and have a rest, which is what a lovely community thing to do there. Brilliant. Talking about like family and friends, I know your brother recently did his first ever park run. What was that experience like, like for you and you know, watching him take part and take some inspiration maybe from you?
SPEAKER_01:It was brilliant because you know, my brothers and sisters aren't the most active, and of course, I've got someone like me who's like always moaning at them. I've my brothers used to play football and things, they've all played order now. And my brother came to visit me in South Africa, where I go regularly, and I've done multiple runs in South Africa, and I said to him, the criteria though, if you come, you have to do a park run with me. And we did it in Fishhook. He was like, Okay, I'll I'll come. And uh I said to him, You just do your own thing, like walk run or whatever. Anyway, I'll finish mine. I generally on all my park runs, I go back through the field to congratulate everybody else coming in. I cheer people on and I do that at every park run. And um then I went back, back, back, back, and then I saw him. So I thought, oh, I'll run with him on the last part of his run. And I said, Oh, how did it feel? And he ran the whole K, he was at like 32 minutes or something, and he just said, I'm gonna try and keep it going. When I did my park run, he was there with his wife and my niece and my nephew, two of his children. He was on his fifth park run, and he's now done to 27 minutes, you know, and he's really impressive. And what's even more annoying now is he's booked a holiday to go to Singapore and Australia, and he tells me he's doing four park runs in that time, so he can get two of the flags that I haven't got.
SPEAKER_00:So he's now so he's he's found a way to compete with his sister. I love it.
SPEAKER_01:He's found a way to compete, it's got him really motivated. He said he loves it. He said he doesn't want to give up now. He said he loved the vibe, he loved the fact that no one really cares what he does, how he does it, but he's always got a goal because he's always got somebody in front of him. And uh because his nephew is faster than him and his wife's faster than him, he's now got a focus, it's now a f family challenge. So you think of multiples of that happening, that's again another reason why park run is so great.
SPEAKER_00:It's so special, and um that's that's that's really lovely that you've engaged him in that way, and he's now found his own love of parkrun. And he's he's also he's competing with himself, but he's also found a way to compete with you, which is is you know, that must make him feel really good. Just quickly looking ahead at legacy. When you think about your legacy now, Dane Kelly, and beyond the gold medals, what would you love people to say you helped them feel or do?
SPEAKER_01:That's a great question. I'd like them to maybe know my message was that everyone matters, everyone's relevant, everyone, you know, can reach their full potential. It's never too late, other than if only it's too late. And I suppose, you know, just that I brought some inspiration to people to show like the human side of life to know that like I say, we all matter. Um it's a really good question that I don't know how I can answer it because I'm not those people. Honestly. I just feel that I want to inspire people to keep going. And you know, I am a person. I am, yes, I know I'm very well titled and you know, I'm double Olympic champion, and I'm all these other things in the public domain, but from a human side of it, yeah I've struggled like lots of people have struggled, you know, had questions about myself like like other people have, and yet I still try to keep pushing to be that best version of myself. And if I can pass that down to young and old and just to normalise the fact that we're all human and we're all, you know, entitled to be heard and seen and to, you know, to give things a go, that's important.
SPEAKER_00:Well, I mean, rest assured that you you are living and breathing this because I've seen you at at Parkrun. I've seen how engaged and engaging you are with people, like you do welcome everybody and and congratulate them. And the fact that you've articulated that so beautifully about it's you it's never too late, you're never too old, and just the vulnerability that you have been prepared to share and talking about your own challenges and really, you know, humanizing the media figure that everybody might think there's no issues and it's all plain sailing, but it isn't for any of us, and parkrun can be part of a weekly remedy that enriches people's weekends but also their life. So you've you've done that really beautifully, and thank you for all of that encouragement because there'll be people listening who haven't had the courage to move yet, and maybe maybe just listening to you, they're going to think it's not too late. If you could bottle one feeling from a perfect parkrun morning and share it with everyone, what would that be, Kelly? Uh togetherness.
SPEAKER_01:It feels like the one place where everything else that's going on in the world just goes. It's the one place that doesn't give conflict, it doesn't give hatred, it doesn't give anything. We're just there. We're all smiling, we're all just being, we're all doing the same thing. And for me, that is just, you know, a real great place to be when there's so much of a noise in the world going on.
SPEAKER_00:Yes, and and I think that's what we all love about embracing that Saturday morning. Okay, so coming now to the end, we have a quick rapid fire round. Um so what's your favorite post-parkrum breakfast or coffee order?
SPEAKER_01:I have a mocha with soya extra hot.
SPEAKER_00:Non-negotiable favorite parkrun roll. Maybe if you weren't running or walking, because I know you've done some volunteering. Scanning. I'll try saying hello to everyone and congratulate everyone. The most memorable parkrun you've done so far.
SPEAKER_01:It will be in South Africa. It's a beach, which I'm trying to think of the name of, but basically run that and you see Table Mountain in the distance. It's amazing amazing. Blowberg, I think. Wonderful. A song that sums up the perfect parkrun morning for you. I suppose there's oh my god, there's so many. There's one it's called Running Up That Hill, but it's a remix. And uh another one is called It's Always Running. Anything for the word running that gets me going.
SPEAKER_00:Running up that hill. I love it. And finally, Kelly, um, one word you'd love people to use when they describe Parkrun. Togetherness. Togetherness. Dame Kelly, thank you so much for being my guest today on Parkrunners Podcast. I know as we approach the end of the year and start a new one, there'll be a lot of people looking for inspiration and making resolutions about improving fitness and well-being. I really think that your story, everything you've shared here today, your accomplishments, the ups and downs that you've been so honest about, and your parkrun passion will surely inspire a whole new generation of people to move. Thank you for taking the time today to share your parkrun joy and insights with us. It's been an absolute pleasure to have you.
SPEAKER_01:Thank you so much. And keep parunning, everyone.
SPEAKER_00:Yes, and best of luck with all of those new year resolutions. Um, keep going, you're never too old, and there's togetherness waiting for you at Parkrun. Thank you, Dane Kelly. Thank you. Thanks for joining us on the Parkrunners podcast. I'm Catherine Stenson and I love sharing stories from our amazing Parkrun community. So if today's conversation has inspired you, why not share it with a friend? Or better still, bring them along to your next parkrun. Now, don't forget to hit follow so you never miss a new parkrun story. Until next time, keep moving, keep smiling, and I'll see you at the start line.