Runner Kathleen Hannig to celebrates 500th parkrun on Saturday with no plans of slowing down anytime soon

Albany runner Kathleen Hannig will celebrate a remarkable milestone on Saturday when she completes her 500th parkrun at Middleton Beach.

The 86-year-old has been taking part in the weekly 5km event for about 11 years and she has no plans to slow down, already setting her sights on 1000 runs.

“It’s taken me about 11 years to do it and when I get up to 1000 I’ll be about 97,” she said.

“I haven’t got time to die so I’ve got to keep going.

“I’m addicted and it’s good fun.”

While Kevin Thorpe was the first participant in the Albany parkrun club to reach the 500 milestone, Ms Hannig is the only one to have completed all 500 runs on the Ellen Cove boardwalk course.

Ms Hannig said she has completed more than 500 parkruns over the years, although not all of them had been officially recorded.

“I’ve actually done a few more than 500 but not officially,” she said.

“On Saturday my prize for 500 is a T-shirt.”

Parkrun has become much more than a weekly run for Ms Hannig, who said the event has given her an opportunity to exercise, socialise and meet people of all ages.

“You get to run 5km every Saturday morning with lots of people — we get an average of 170 people each week,” she said.

There’s new people coming all the time aged from 11 years old up until, well I’m the oldest one

Ms Hannig said the support of the parkrun community had become particularly important after she developed a motor neuron condition after COVID which has affected her mobility.

“After COVID I got a thing on my brain which causes me to shake and I can’t walk properly, I have to use sticks,” she said.

“Sometimes I can’t run at parkrun but I walk it and there’s always somebody there to help me if I start shaking and people care.”

She said the social side of park run was one of the main reasons she continued to return each week.

“You meet people, it’s really good socially and you can volunteer as well to help out with the runs so it makes you feel good to do that and park run makes you feel good.

“The best part is the walking and talking.

“I’m always near the end and you get to high-five people and say “well done” and it’s just good fun.

“Who wouldn’t want to be in parkrun.”

Ms Hannig encourages people of all ages and abilities to give parkrun a go, saying participants did not need to be runners to take part.

“You can walk it, you can crawl it and its for all people,” she said.

“Come down to parkrun because it’s plain good fun and you never come last, there is always someone behind you.

“They make sure that you get home alright and they have a defibrillator if you’re going to have a heart attack, so they’ve got everything so come on down, particularly older people.

“Exercise is the best medicine there is and it’s good to get out and socialise.”

While Saturday will mark a major achievement, Ms Hannig said she was already looking ahead to her next goals and milestones.

“I use park run as training because I hope to compete for the Australian 10km for over 85-year-olds,” she said.

“I’ve got the State record and I’m hoping to get the Australian record next April and then after that I’m looking forward to the World Games, so I plan to be around for that.”