A man from Warwick tried the Bicester parkrun for the first time earlier this month and has praised its "enthusiastic" volunteers.
Mark Thomas chose to visit Bicester as his wife could not join him at his usual parkrun in Warwick, and having already visited other local parkruns previously, including Banbury, Bicester was the next closest event.
Parkrun is a free, community event where people can walk, jog, run, volunteer or spectate, taking place up and down the country every Saturday morning.
Bicester parkrun takes place at Langford Fields and is just one of the 1,281 parkrun events around the country taking place every weekend, with more locations constantly being added.
READ MORE: I tried Reformer Pilates for the first time in Bicester
On Saturday, July 27 over 700 people attended Bicester parkrun as the town hosted visitors of Vegan Camp Out, a festival which attracted 12,000 people.
Although Mr Thomas was not able to explore the town and local coffee shops on his visit, he was able to complete his 46th parkrun on Saturday, July 13.
He said he tries to fit in a parkrun wherever he is, as well as volunteering and running at his local one.
"The parkrun was simple to find because of the excellent directions on the website and 5K App, with convenient parking at a local school," He said.
"The enthusiastic volunteers pointed us in the right direction and kept us going when we felt like walking.
"I wanted my photo taken next to the Bicester parkrun sign when I arrived, so I handed my phone to a bunch of fellow runners and realised the bloke taking my photo was in my class at secondary school in Newent, Gloucestershire from the late 1970s.
"He didn't recognise me, so I thought I'd remind him at the end.
"During the run he charged off ahead of me and I didn't see him again, so I sent him a message later."
Mr Thomas said he felt "relieved" that the course was flat.
"Feeling old, I managed to hobble around the two laps in 28 minutes and 33 seconds," he said.
"Choosing to run the course in summer was sensible, as the latter parts of each lap went across rough ground and grass which could be hard going in the wet or in winter.
READ MORE: Bicester woman to walk to Oxford city centre for charity
"I kept thinking that we must be coming back to the start and then there was another field to run across and corner to turn.
"I felt like I left my usual sprint finish in Warwick, but someone ahead of me said they felt sick, so at least I didn't feel ill."
He added: "It's great to see people up, out, running and chatting on a Saturday morning."
"I met lots of people, both at Warwick and on our travels - long may it continue."
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here