Congleton runners revelled the occasion of celebrating Parkrun's 20th birthday on Saturday.

While Parkrun in Congleton has not been going since 2004, the first Parkrun took place in London 20 years ago last weekend, and Parkruns across the globe were marking the occasion.

Congleton Park Run is a free event takes place at every week at Astbury Mere Country Park.

The 5K run, which takes place every Saturday morning, is a free way to get fit and make friends.

This 20th birthday celebrations were accompanied by a free magazine celebrating Parkrun, for all attendees, and a celebratory playlist.

The 3.1-mile course can be walked, jogged, or ran by those taking part. And volunteers help make the run safe, and smoothly-organised.

The average finish time in Congleton is 28 minutes, 14 seconds. That is quicker than nearby Macclesfield Parkrun.

The fastest sprinters at the Sandy Lane course get times in the late teens.

Congleton Parkrun has been held 553 times, around double neighbouring Macclesfield Parkrun.

The course takes a scenic route through the park, and is one of the longest-running Parkruns in Cheshire.

The once-a-week run has been held every Saturday for over ten-and-a-half years (553 weeks). The event was founded in Congleton in December 2012, but was put on pause for about a year-and-a-half due to COVID-19 restrictions.

In total, 17,190 runners have took on the course, from Congleton and all over the country.

If you count repeat runners - those that run the course again - there has been 113,943 finishes of the 5K circuit.

That totals a distance of 569,715 kilometres people have walked, jogged, and sprinted the Congleton Parkrun course.

That is the equivalent of 354,004 miles.

For context, the circumference of the Earth is 24,901 miles.

So Congleton Parkrunners shoes have covered over 14 times that!

Runners register for a free barcode, where they can keep track of their time. You can register on THIS LINK, and then simply turn up this Saturday morning to take part.

Manny runners go and support local businesses in and around Congleton after completing the circuit.

Congleton Parkrun takes place every Saturday at 9:00am.

Overall, the average time to complete a Park Run is getting slower. And according to Parkrun founder Paul Sinton-Hewitt, that is because more and more people are getting involved, including those who previously did not think that Parkrun was for them.

Paul started Parkrun after he got injured, and could no longer run. But found fun and friendship in hosting a time trial for others. The first-ever Parkrun was at Bushy Park, in London.

Congleton Parkrun is known for being a more gentle route, than other nearby park runs. This means it is great for newcomers, but also for setting your personal best!

Children came come too, if accompanied by an adult. One dog on a short lead is also allowed to do the Parkrun with you.

Congleton Parkrun penned the following message on Facebook, after last Saturday's celebratory event.

"On Saturday, we had 26 participants and two volunteers who weren't even born when parkrun began," said Congleton Parkrun.

"On a glorious morning, there were 276 finishers which included 17 first timers to Parkrun. I wonder if any of them will still be running in 20 years time."

If you do not fancy trying out Congleton Parkrun at Astbury Mere, you can head to nearby Parkruns in Macclesfield and Alderley Park.

Congleton: You can find more about Congleton Parkrun on Facebook and THIS LINK.