When Oliver ran his first five kilometre parkrun he was 9 years old.

The run ended in tears and a vow to “never do this again.”

With more than a little coaxing from supportive parents, Oliver got back on the parkrun course.

His tears tears dried up and he started to see his times improve. 

On Saturday, April 8, competing against all runners, including adults of all ages, Oliver finished third overall and in doing so set a new record for his age group.

His time was an impressive 19 minutes 48 seconds.

Oliver is now 10 and attends Bowral Public, where he is the junior boys swimming champion. 

Oliver’s mum Nicole Hampshire said her son loves the parkrun. 

“He started running at the parkrun and slowly he began to really enjoy it and he was determined to get better,” she said. 

The parkrun event takes place at Briars Country Lodge and Inn every Saturday at 8am.