AN ISLE of Wight runner will join an elite club this weekend should she complete her 500th parkrun on Saturday.

Arielle Elton-Walters will be aiming to reach the landmark in the weekly Medina IOW Parkrun at Seaclose Park, Newport.

With only a few exceptions on special occasions, parkruns are held only once a week, so it takes a year to do 50. 

Since her first run on November 19, 2011, Arielle has clocked up more than a decade’s worth of parkruns — most often on one of the Isle of Wight courses. 

Set to become an incredible achievement, it means Arielle would join an elite club eligible to wear the coveted blue ‘500’ t-shirt. 

The honour is shared by only 446 people across the world. 

It is all the more remarkable considering that, in any one week, around 275,000 complete a parkrun.

Arielle has taken part in parkruns in seven different countries, which includes Canada and New Zealand, and she has volunteered on 88 occasions — giving up her time to help others take part.

"Everyone at Medina IOW Parkrun is very proud of Arielle, as she continues on her way to notching up a thousand parkruns and beyond," said John Hepworth, a Medina IOW Parkrun organiser.

Parkrun is a free community event, where you can walk, jog, run, volunteer or spectate.
It runs for 5km and takes place every Saturday morningat 9am. 

Junior parkrun is 2km, dedicated to children aged four to 14 years — and their families— every Sunday morning.

John added: "Parkrun is positive, welcoming and inclusive. There is no time limit and no one finishes last. 

"It is completely free. Everyone is welcome to come along to run, walk, or volunteer and is not a race."

Medina IOW Parkrun started on May 7, 2011. Since then, 12,998 participants have completed 109,347 parkruns, covering a total distance of 546,735km, including 13,100 new personal best times. 

A total of 1,132 individuals have volunteered 15,891 times. 

Everyone meets by the side of Medina Leisure Centre.

"To take part in parkrun, there are only two requirements — to register at parkrun.com and download a barcode, which will have a unique number dedicated to you. This can be used at any parkrun, anywhere in the world," said John. 

"The other is to simply turn up! There is a first-timers briefing each week, before the run, where everything is explained to anyone who has not taken part before."

The group also has its own 'Medina IOW parkrun' pge on Facebook.