Fell legend Joss Naylor has accomplished so much in his running career but last weekend enjoyed what was for him a first when he made his parkrun debut.
The 85-year-old lined up at the Millom event in Cumbria, having been challenged by parkrun book author Eileen Jones when they were both speaking at an event at the Kendal Mountain Festival last month.
Eileen asked him: “Joss, you have done everything there is to do in the running world, bar one. You’ve never done a parkrun. How about it?”
Joss, who has set numerous fell running records, signed up and took his barcode to his local event to clock 50:45 for the 5km distance.
The Cumbrian sheep farmer said afterwards: “Anything that keeps people moving is a great idea, and parkrun is helping them to do it regularly.”
Eileen added: “I think Millom was probably too flat for the mountain man. We need to get him to Whinlatter next. He’ll feel more at home there.”
Joss won countless races at his peak. His record for the Wainwright round of 214 peaks was held from 1986 until 2014 and he still holds the record for the 105-mile Lakes, Waters and Meres circuit (19 hours 14 minutes), which he set in 1983.