Grace Chambers’ journey with parkrun began as a dare, but it evolved into a lifelong passion that has seen her reach an impressive milestone of 250 runs. At the age of 97, Chambers, who was once an enthusiastic climber, found herself dares into trying parkrun after her daughter Michele signed her up for these free, weekly events. Her introduction came just a few weeks before her birthday, in September 2016, at Belfast’s Ormeau Park. This was her first of many parkruns; by the following Saturday, she had already achieved her personal best of 38 minutes and 9 seconds.
Despite undergoing minor surgery on her leg in 2016, which initially sidelined her from climbing, doctors’ advice seemed to fuel Chambers’ determination to stay active. “I was incensed, saying ‘what do you mean?’”, Chambers recalls her daughter persuading her to try parkrun instead of climbing. Little did she know, she had stumbled upon a global movement created by Paul Sinton-Hewitt in October 2004, which has now grown to include over 11 million registered parkrunners across 23 countries.
Throughout the years, Chambers has not only enriched her physical health but also her social life through parkrun. “What I like is that the friends I made. Every week I look forward to seeing all the people I know and catching up on their news,” she shares, highlighting the community aspect of parkrun. Even a recent heart procedure couldn’t stop her. Missing only one parkrun, Chambers surprisingly appeared to complete her 250th run, much to the amazement of her peers and medical team. Her persistence paid off as she completed her 250th parkrun in an impressive 51 minutes, a testament to her resilience.
Chambers attributes much of her success to having a clear goal and the support from her Ormeau Park community. She is not stopping here; her next goal is to reach 300 parkruns and become the first centenarian to complete a parkrun at Ormeau. Her story is a beacon of inspiration, showing that with determination and community support, age is just a number.
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2025/aug/27/belfast-woman-97-completes-250-parkruns-grace-chambers
