South Belfast woman, 97, breaks Parkrun record at Ormeau Park
"Grace is truly an inspiration to us all, and we are so proud of her."
A 97-year-old former teacher from South Belfast has become the oldest person in Europe to complete 250 Parkruns.
Grace Chambers took up running after undergoing open heart surgery aged 88 and hasn't looked back, becoming a regular attendee at Ormeau Park's weekly 5K run.
On Saturday, August 16, Grace completed her milestone 250th run at Ormeau with her fellow runners and well-wishers cheering her on throughout the run and across the finish line. She took on the 5K just four weeks after having heart surgery.
In a post on social media, Ormeau Parkrun said: "Today we celebrated Grace's 250th Parkrun, Grace is 97 years young and is a massive part of Ormeau Parkrun.
"Today was filled with smiles, photos and cake to celebrate Grace and her amazing achievement. Grace is truly an inspiration to us all, and we at Ormeau Parkrun are so proud of her."
Grace now has a bench named after her at the finish line with a plaque saying: "Grace's Bench, Park runner extraordinaire."
Born on June 29, 1928, Grace spent her early childhood on a farm near Killylea in Co Armagh with her four brothers and four sisters.
After teacher training at Stranmillis, she went on to have a very successful career in education that eventually led her to Barbados.
The Parkrun series was started in London in 2004 and has spread around the world. There are now 1,346 Parkrun events taking place around the UK every weekend.
The free community event gives people the chance to walk, jog, or run a 5K every Saturday morning.
Junior Parkrun events are 2K and dedicated to 4-14 years olds and their families, taking place every Sunday morning.
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