Telford parkrun smashes attendance record as runners pay tribute to one of their own
Telford's latest parkrun event was a "sea of pink" as attendance records were broken in memory of a popular participant who died recently.
A record-breaking 718 people turned up for Telford parkrun, as the community came together to celebrate the life of regular runner Mel Humphreys.
Mel, who recently died following a battle with breast cancer, was a regular face at the 5k run around Telford Town Park and remembered by organisers for her motivating spirit.
Runners were asked to wear pink on Saturday in her memory, and "special kudos" were given to those who beat her personal best of 20 minutes, 54 seconds.
Run director Kim Fawke said: "Mel was lovely, she always made a point of speaking to everyone and she would always motivate people.
"It was quite emotional to see everyone turn out, it was quite overwhelming to see that amount of people - it was a sea of pink."
Kim said Telford parkrun, which will be celebrating its 11th year next month, gets more popular every week and to break their record was "amazing".
"It's really good to see parkrun keep growing and growing, a couple of weeks ago we had 680 runners so it seems to be getting back to pre-Covid levels.
"There are a lot of people getting back into it, but a lot of GPs are now suggesting it for when people are suffering with low mood and I think the community spirit of it is what brings people back - everyone is welcome."
