A super-fit Dumbarton gran marked her 80th birthday at the town’s Parkrun, where she set a personal best just a month ago.
Remarkably Patricia Currie, who celebrated her big day yesterday (Monday), only ran her first 10k on her 61st birthday - but has now been a regular on the local athletics scene for two decades.
And she was joined at Levengrove by sons Alan, a former Scottish champion, and Alistair, who competed at the 1986 Commonwealth Games - as well as grandson Jonathan, a Scottish junior champion in 2015.
Alan told the Lennox: “Mum only took up running when she retired at 60, and she became a leader for JogScotland.
“She helped to develop a lot of people younger than herself.
“She would work with people who were new to running and had never ran before. It would be with people keen to improve their mental and physical health, but she always continued running herself.
“She still does the Parkrun regularly and does the odd 10k. She’s still out running three or four times a week, which she enjoys.
“We’ve always been a sporty family, and most of her adult life she spent ferrying my brother and I about.
“When she retired and had a bit more time she wanted to do something for herself.”
Despite her sons both being talented runners however, it wasn’t something that Patricia had been tempted to try in her younger days.
“I think she always enjoyed watching us run, but she wouldn’t run at all back then.
“She wouldn’t warm up with us or anything” said Alan, who travelled from his home in Newcastle to take part.
“She didn’t play a competitive sport before that. She was actually a heavy smoker until she was 40!
“It wasn’t until retirement though that she took it up properly, discovered she enjoyed it and was quite good at it.”
And Alan believes former whisky admin worker Patricia is the perfect advert for Parkrun.
He continued: “She does it for pleasure not for achievement though, although she’s still able to do a 5k in about 35 minutes.
“The Parkrun is something that she loves. It’s about inclusion and participation.
“She was involved in the Balloch Park’n’run before the Parkrun started, so she was delighted when the event in Dumbarton started.
“Parkrun probably captures what she likes about running. It’s not about your time or position, it’s about doing something active and being with other people, which is good for your mental and physical health.
“She encapsulates what the Parkrun philosophy is all about.”
