Lucio D'Alessio gets out running with his son at Parkrun

The Sutherland resident had worked in the trades for almost 50 years but had not done much in the way of sports since playing soccer as a young man in his native Italy.

Until his son David invited him to participate in Parkrun, a community running organisation, and he decided to give it a try.

On March 13, 2021, Lucio celebrated his 50th run with Parkrun, one of its major milestones, with a specially designed Parkrun shirt.

Parkrun is an all-volunteer organisation originally founded by Paul Sinton-Hewitt in London, England, in 2004.

It now has events at more than 2,000 locations in 22 countries across five continents in about two dozen countries worldwide.

The first Australian Parkrun took place on the Gold Coast in 2011 and quickly spread to all of Australia, with over 400 sites currently involved.

The first Sydney race occurred at St. Peters and there are two active, sanctioned organisations in the Shire, at Menai and Cronulla.

It is open to walkers, runners, and volunteers of all ages, from young kids to elderly grandparents, and even pets are allowed and people of all running and walking experience.

The main events are a 5 km run/walk on Saturday mornings and, in some areas, a 2 km Junior Parkrun for children aged 4-14-years-old, on Sundays.

David has previously run several marathons in the Sydney area and has been a Parkrun director at Menai and St. Peters for several years.

Lucio said that David supported him the very first time he participated in Parkrun.

"He walked alongside me the entire course, which took over 46 minutes," he said.

By the second year, Lucio had lowered his 5-km time to 31 minutes and had finished first several times in his age group.

Then, COVID-19 hit and stopped all Parkruns in the Sydney area for nine months, setting everyone back.

But Lucio is starting to get back to top form now that Parkrun events have resumed in most areas.

David said that he was really proud of his dad for taking to Parkrun so well.

"One of the great things it has done for him is to improve his overall physical health," he said.

One area the health change really showed was in Lucio's weight, which dropped from 86 kilograms to 76 kilograms since he began running.

Lucio is an example of how it's never too late to start exercising and reaping its benefits.

To participate in Parkrun as a runner or volunteer, visit www.parkrun.com.au.