Five-time Olympian urging women and girls to give parkrun a go ahead of International Women’s Day

Five-time Olympian Pavey will be taking part in her local parkun in Exmouth, Devon, on Saturday morning.

She hopes women who have so far been reluctant to get involved will do so at one of the events around the country - including the six in the Portsmouth area at Southsea, Lakeside, Havant, Fareham, Whiteley and Lee-on-the-Solent.

Parkrun has grown into a global phenomenon since its launch 15 years ago, but 650,000 of the 1.8million women who have registered with the organisation in the UK are yet to take part in an event.

Pavey said: ‘I'm really excited that This Girl Can are collaborating with parkrun because it's sending out such a brilliant message to try and encourage women to get active and to take that step.

‘We know a lot of women have registered for parkrun but haven't actively taken part. Everyone's championed, everyone's encouraged, it's so inclusive.

‘It's very exciting we can celebrate that this weekend on the day before International Women's Day. You can walk or run, it's definitely not a race, but, if you want to, you can try to get a good time.

‘You're trying to give that message out that it doesn't matter what level of experience you've got, what shape or size you are or confidence levels, it's just about getting out there and having a go.’

This Girl Can was launched by Sport England in 2015 to try to tackle the gender gap within sport and challenge some of the preconceptions that prevent women getting involved.

Pavey was keen to stress the mental health benefits of exercise and admitted that, even though her love of running means she is targeting a sixth Olympic appearance at the age of 46, she does not always find it easy to motivate herself to train.

She said: ‘Of course there are days where you think, 'I don't feel like going out today'. But when you come back you feel so much better about yourself.

‘Once I've got in from my run I feel more able to cope with other stresses and the busyness of life and juggling everything. I feel more positive.

‘But it's good to discuss that sometimes it's hard to get out of the door because otherwise it can knock people's confidence if they feel you should always feel you can't wait to go out.

‘We're all human. But think about what you're going to feel like. It's really worth pursuing being active because it's not just about a fitter body, it's about a healthy mind. And I've definitely experienced how it positively affects mental health.’

Jo Pavey MBE is encouraging women across the nation to attend their local This Girl Can parkrun to walk, jog, run or volunteer this Saturday, March 7 ahead of International Women's Day. Sign up to your local parkrun at parkrun.org.uk/iwdparkrun/