IAN Barnes runs and runs; now he overruns. His 80th birthday two days ago, he continues to represent England, to train six days a week, to outstrip credibility. The column had flagged the milestone a couple of weeks back, promised a more substantial celebration, arranged to meet at 8.45am last Saturday before the weekly Darlington Park Run – or parky run, as at that hour on so sub-zero a morning it might not unreasonably have been supposed.

The attendant photographer has one of those smart-a**e phones. It’s thus a little disconcerting when – with a degree of schadenfreude perhaps ill-suited to Christmastide – he calls up two pages of words and pictures from that very morning’s paper on the aforementioned birthday boy.

Others may be quicker on their feet; some still have to think on them, nonetheless. Ah yes, the Park Runs. It is an incredible phenomenon.

THE starter was Paul Sinton-Hewitt, just a decade ago at Bushy Park in London. Now there are 5k park runs across Britain and in countries from Russia to Australia. Other weekly North-East events include Shildon, Sedgefield, Albert Park in Middlesbrough and a course around the Tees Barrage. In the summer, Sinton-Hewitt was made CBE for services to grassroots sport.

Each is computer controlled, all bar codes and chips and things. All are free. Darlington’s, which began two years ago this week, cost £6,000 to set up – some of which came in sponsorship from the NHS.

“I should think so, too,” says Ian, the event director. “We’re saving the health service a fortune.”

At first there were about 70 runners for each 9am start; now there are about 200. There’ve been 2,752 different runners, 69 different first finishers, 178 different running clubs represented. Matthew Hynes has the best Darlington time, 14 min 55 seconds, Sarah Tunstall at 17:13 is quickest woman.

At 8.45am the sun’s inching above the station clock tower, the ducks in search of a little light breakfast. The irrepressible Harry Singh, multi-marathon man, is acting as a marshal and putting out direction signs. “Ian Barnes is absolutely fantastic,” he says.

Another chap is warming up on the path around the bowling green. “Whose bloody silly idea was this?” he says to no one save a slightly curious squirrel.

Gary Read, 33, entered his first Darlington Park Run in February 2013 when he weighed about 17 stone. “”Basically I saw a photograph of myself that the family had taken and I was very unhappy with it. I felt quite guilty,” he says.

Now he trains six times a week, has also taken up kick-boxing, weighs less than 13 stones. “I’ve completely changed myself around,” he says. “A lot of that has to do with the Park Run.”

Also warming up on a bitter-cold morning are our own Craig Stoddart, ever more historically hirsute, and former Darlington Building Society chief executive Peter Rowell, whose sporting interests include board membership of Sport England and the chair of British Weightlifting.

Ian Barnes won his first England vest at 65 – that’s the inspiration, says Peter. “I’ve a couple of years before I hit that mark. If Ian can do it, then I reckon I can. There’s life in the old dog yet.”

THE route’s entirely on tarmac, the start alongside an information board displaying the rules of conkers. “If a player deliberately moves his conker before it is hit, the other player is offered another go.”

Though there are no doubt some hard nuts among them, this must be considered coincidental.

Before the start there’s an 80th birthday card presentation – somewhere there’s also a cake in the shape of a Darlington Harriers vest – and a reminder of health and safety considerations.

It’s a bit frosty, a bit icy. The run website even has a warning about Lyme disease, which apparently can be carried from deer by infected ticks. Its glories else, South Park is not noted for its deer.

There’s an entrant pushing a buggy, another with a dog on a lead. There are all ages and most abilities, those for whom a run in the park may be little more than a walk in the park. The spirit of camaraderie is greatly tangible.

There’ll even be a Park Run on Christmas Day. “Just the same but with Santa hats and antlers,” someone says.

Adam Pearson’s first home in 17:52, Shona Fletcher first woman in 18:02. Mark Ellis, fifth in 18:02, may have rather longer distances on his mind.

In the spring he plans to run the 505 miles from Lands End to St Teresa’s Hospice in Darlington, starting on May 1 and finishing on May 30, sponsored for the hospice. “The Park Run is what really got me going,” he says. “Now I want to see how far I can push myself.”

His family will act as back-up. Magnet, his employers, have been “absolutely fantastic,” he says.

Unforgotten, Ian Barnes has been watching a little restlessly from the verge. He’s not taking part because in the afternoon it’s the North-East Cross Country Championships, over 12 kilometres of Newcastle Town Moor. “You can’t do everything,” he says.

HE’S a retired legal executive, worked into his 70s, also ran several times as a Liberal Democrat for Darlington council and still enjoys a game of golf two or three times a week.

His interest in running began during National Service in London in the 1950s, attending big meetings at the White City stadium. “The race which really inspired me was Chataway against Kutz when Kutz was overwhelming favourite and Chataway won and created a world record.

“A few weeks later Bannister became the first four-minute miler and everyone wanted to be a runner after that.”

He took a break in his 30s – “work and family” – returned at 40, never stopped again. He has represented England seven times, held seven different age group 5k national records, won the European indoor 5k event – “probably the highlight of my career” – in 1997. A new age group, 80-plus, offers all manner of possibilities.

“You have to accept that you get slower. I probably lose between 30 seconds and a minute a year over 10k. These days I go in for quality training, rather than quantity.”

His diet’s strictly controlled. “Mostly it’s about avoiding the frying pan. I maybe have meat every other day, red meat once a week, lots of fruit and vegetables, very little alcohol.

“My secret is to keep moving and to keep training and to know what my limits are. The feeling of completing an event is euphoric, knowing that you’re alive and well and can still do it.”

At 90? “In some shape or form, I’d love to be running still.”