Fivemiletown running bug bites young and old

THE young and old in Fivemiletown have officially been bitten by the running bug.

Under the guidance of running coach and Fivemiletown Primary School principal, Florence Pryce both parents and children have quickly come to appreciate the joys of jogging.

The Junior Parkrun which happens every Sunday at 9.30am is only in its second week and already, numbers have almost doubled to 60 participants.

Having taken six months to plan, along with event director Amanda Boyd, the programme is targeting four-14-year-olds and is designed to get children active, whilst helping with their mental and physical well-being.

“The programme is funded and costs the runners nothing,” commented Florence Pryce.

“If we can keep these numbers going it will be great”.

Florence, surrounded by her team of volunteers is very positive about the scheme. The route is around Fivemiletown Round Lake where the runners complete two and a half laps (2km), with their times recorded. That means they are able to see improvements and if they can beat their previous week’s time.

Not content with helping the younger runners, Florence, with assistance from Fivemiletown Primary School and Nursery PTFA also coordinates and coaches the adults’ Couch to 5k programme, which meets on Thursday evenings and Sunday mornings. Over 40 adults have signed up to complete the Couch to 5K programme over eight weeks.

“The runners are great,” said Florence. “They really are working hard, and it is fantastic to see how they are progressing.”