A RUNNING enthusiast has just clocked up his 202nd park run – but will have itchy feet this weekend when he takes a well-earned break from his regular Saturday morning ritual.

Barry Shackleton, men’s captain at Darwen Dashers Running Club, has spent his last 70 Saturday mornings running 5kms around a park in one of the organised events held across the country.

MORE TOP STORIES:

But this weekend he will be missing out as he enjoys a holiday in Italy.

The 58-year-old, who works in the Lake District, said: “On Saturday I did the park run at St Helens and that was my 27th different one.

“We try and do as many different ones as possible and there are usually at least 20 Darwen Dashers taking part in the events.

“They are good fun and they get you up and about on a Saturday morning. It’s also a great community spirit.

“By the time I do my 250th park run I’m hoping I will have been to my 50th different location.

“I did my first one in Hull, because I used to work there for the company that makes Crown Paints.

“I have done them all over Yorkshire and Lancashire, and when we go away for a weekend we try and fit one in.”

Mr Shackleton, who lives in the Sunnyhurst area of Darwen, is now in his third year as men’s captain at the Dashers, and it is a club that is going from strength to strength.

He joined the Dashers not long after they were founded in 1990.

The six founder members have all since left, but Mr Shackleton was the seventh to join.

“There seems to be a real buzz around running at the moment,” he said.

“We started a beginners’ running club on a Wednesday with a 10-week course, and it seems to get busier and busier every time we do it. It’s amazing.

“Every weekend we have members travelling up and down the country to run in events.

“A couple of weeks ago we had runners as far north as Edinburgh and down in London.”