THOSE taking part in their weekly parkrun today will have some unusual companions in the form of Olympic medallists.

Rower and Olympic silver medallist, Jessica Eddie, will be bringing up the rear in the Sedgefield parkrun as part of a scheme to say thanks to the millions of people who supported them on their road to sporting success.

The 32-year-old is part of UK Sport’s #teamparkrun event, acting as the ‘tail walker’.

The organisation is encouraging National Lottery funded athletes to be a tail walker at their local parkrun as a way of saying thank you to the millions of people who play the National Lottery each week and help fund UK sport.

Eddie will be out on the route at 9am for a rare event on dry land, and highlighted the difference funding has made to elite sport.

“To thank the National Lottery players goes without saying from us, except it doesn’t, we need to say it because it needs saying,” she said. “There’s a reason why we can get to do our sport fulltime, professionally, and it’s because of them."

“Without that support from the National Lottery and everyone that plays it, our country, and especially my sporting journey, would not have been half as successful," she said. “So when you see people up there on the podium, it’s not just the people that put in the hard graft that get someone up on the podium, it’s everyone that has contributed, right down to the Lottery players."

“As corny as it sounds, everyone is part of that medal and everyone really allows us to do what we do, day in, day out. I can’t really ever thank them enough.”

Parkrun is a nationwide network of free, 5km timed runs that take place every Saturday and encourage anyone to get active.

Eddie is not the only Lottery-funded athlete to be putting on her running shoes though as Team GB boxer Kiaran Macdonald will be taking part in the Sunderland parkrun while rising taekwondo star, Simone Abley, will also be featuring in the Durham parkrun.

The Spennymoor teenager was the youngest athlete selected for fulltime training with GB Taekwondo in Manchester this summer – an opportunity which has since been extended by the team.

The 17-year-old got to work alongside Rio Olympic bronze medallist Bianca Walkden and hopes to have proven she can keep up with the high standard of training and has the right attitude and commitment to become a fulltime top-flight athlete, as she aims to one day win at the Olympics.

The 17-year-old said: “I’m looking forward to getting involved and helping at the Parkrun as it’s really important to get people active." For more information visit teamparkrun.com