Joe Wicks brings record-breaking crowd to Parkrun
Chris Brudenell PhotographyA Parkrun event had a record-breaking turnout when a celebrity fitness coach took part.
Joe Wicks visited Ferry Meadows Parkrun in Peterborough as part of a tour of events across England and Scotland.
More than 1,200 runners and walkers descended on the park on Saturday, more than double the event's average attendance.
Wicks, who is also known as The Body Coach, became a household name during the pandemic when he livestreamed PE lessons to hundreds of thousands of people each morning.
"I like knowing that there's a family that might never come to Parkrun who are here today," he told the BBC before the starting klaxon was sounded.
"That, for me, is a win."
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Co-event director Gary Parr said more than 130 first-timers came to Ferry Meadows on Saturday, about 100 more than on a typical week.
He said Wicks promised before the run he would stay in the park until everyone who wanted to meet him had done so, "and he was true to his word".
Carly Vine, a personal trainer from nearby Whittlesey, met Wicks on Saturday and thanked him for inspiring her to build her business during lockdown.
She said he was "lovely, charming, and encouraging".
Carly VineWicks described Parkrun as "one of the greatest organisations that have ever existed".
His tour has also taken the 40-year-old to Manchester and Maidenhead, and he will be visiting Coventry in August and Lochore Meadows in Fife in September.
The first Parkrun was held at Bushy Park in London in 2004, where the organiser was joined by 13 runners.
Now, about 200,000 runners, walkers and joggers take part in a free 5km (3.1 mile) event every Saturday across more than 900 locations in the UK.
The first event at Ferry Meadows was held in 2013, with 210 finishers. Since then, it has attracted an average of 482 weekly participants.
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