It’s never too late for parkrun

Jan Stachow is a 94-year-old retired Polish army major who recently completed his 400th parkrun in Krakow, making him the oldest parkrunner in the world to boast such an achievement! 

Jan enjoyed doing sports from an early age including: pole vaulting, gymnastics, fencing, swimming, parachute jumping, skiing and just before he turned 70, he began his adventure with long-distance running, when he completed his first marathon.

Forward to today, Jan has clocked up many more marathons, but he gets the most joy from charity runs and weekly parkrun events in Krakow.

“I have such a lifestyle,” he admits. “Some people think I’m fooling around, but… this is my life! I don’t force myself to do anything. I’m looking forward to meeting others and being able to run together.

“I can’t have a Saturday without taking part at parkrun,” says Jan, “Even if I have some other activity planned, I just put it off because I have my parkrun. That’s how it fits in with my training”.

He adds, “People who participate at parkrun are just brilliant. These are the kind of people you’d like to be around all the time, everywhere you go.”

“I see the enthusiasm of people who admire me for parkrunning at my age, whereas I don’t see anything special about it. It’s what I am. I really like the friendliness of the participants as I come in towards the end and they are waiting for me.”

Jan is constantly looking for opportunities to be on the move, walking and running around 50 kilometres every week. He is an inspiration to others and a perfect example that it is never too late to start your adventure with physical activity and parkrun!

#loveparkrun