Caitlin Adams never expected to hold a world record in running.
But when it comes to parkrun, everyone's in with a chance.
The 25-year-old clocked a time of 15 minutes and 38 seconds at Lochiel parkrun, in Adelaide's north-east, in August last year.
She smashed the previous global record for women, set by Lauren Reid at Paramatta parkrun just six months earlier, by seven seconds.
"Due to the COVID-19 lockdowns last year, many of the races that I was training for over winter were cancelled or postponed," she said.
"I knew that I was fit but I was stoked to break the world record on a hilly course."
Originally from Wallaroo, in South Australia's Yorke Peninsula, Adams said on the day of her record run, she always planned to push herself.
"I put it down to the fact that there was no pressure," she said.
"We made the most of an opportunity and I was racing against my friends who I trained alongside nearly every day."
Learning from some of the best
No stranger to elite running, Adams has represented South Australia in athletics and cross country.
She's also represented Australia at the World Cross Country Championships and competed at the World University Games in Italy in 2019.
She now trains alongside Commonwealth Games gold medallist Jess Stenson in one of Adelaide's best distance running squads, Team Tempo.
"Everyone I train with are also close friends of mine, they all have their own running goals," she said.
"We really do draw upon each other's successes and dedication when we roll up to training each day or step onto the start line."
Adams missed out on qualifying for the Commonwealth Games herself after coming down with COVID-19 in April, at the peak of her training.
"The middle-distance scene in Australia is really competitive right now and I just didn't run the times that I needed to put my name firmly in the mix," she said.
"Instead, I focused on gaining valuable racing and training experience [and], fortunately, I bounced back from the sickness very well and got back into personal best shape."
Up-and-coming star smashes Australian record
Another Australian making noise on the running scene is Queensland's Jude Thomas.
Just last year, the now 20-year-old smashed the Australian men's parkrun record by 11 seconds, finishing with a time of 14:02 at his local event in Brisbane.
His time was just 14 seconds behind world record holder Andrew Baddeley, who ran 13:48 back in 2012.
Thomas said his initial plan was to have a crack at the 14:20 Queensland record, which had also been set on the flat Kedron course.
"I just had a good day out there and ran faster than I thought I would," Thomas said.
"I had run 13:52 earlier that year on the track at nationals, so running within 10 seconds of my best at a parkrun was a surprise."
He admits the fast Kedron course gave him an advantage.
"It's a dead-flat course and it was about 10 degrees [Celsius] so that helps," he said,
"Kedron is a fast course and I think there are only a few other parkruns that I could have run that fast on."
Thomas has been on the competitive Australian running scene for about three years now, competing against some of the country's best, including Olympians Brett Robinson and Ryan Gregson.
Since taking the step up, he said he was using parkrun for extra training.
But his parkrun experience didn't start in a positive way.
"In all honesty, I didn't really like running and getting up that early on a weekend," he said.
"Little did I know some of my best friends and training partners would come from parkrun.
"Dad had to drag me out of bed to go to parkrun back in the day, but after a while I started to love it."
What comes next?
Thomas said his aim was to continue performing at the top level against his idols.
He also hopes to take the step up to a major event like the Olympics, Commonwealth Games or World Championships.
As for Adams, she has set her sights on the Australian Cross Country Championships, which begin today in Adelaide.
"I would love to win that 10-kilometre race," she said.
"My next big goal is to be selected on the Australian cross-country team for a second time in 2023 with the World Championships being held at home in Bathurst for the first time.
"I hope to race some road events soon and continue improving on the track to fight for a spot on Australian teams.
"Hopefully I can fit in another parkrun very soon as well."
ABC Sport is partnering with parkrun to promote the benefits of physical activity and community participation.
