Four children who have all undergone heart surgery met together with their families at Beehive junior parkrun.

The runners all completed the course in good time, smiling all the way as their families cheered them on or ran alongside them. Read more about the four runners here.

The Children’s Heart Federation (CHF) and parkrun have joined forces to encourage children with heart conditions to reap the benefits of exercise in a safe way.

By joining in with the run these runners showed what children with heart conditions can achieve, but will benefit too as the exercise will improve their cardiovascular health which will improve their overall fitness and reduce the risk of them developing cardiovascular disease in later life.

The event marked the production of the document Guidelines for children with heart conditions participating in parkrun which has been drawn up by CHF in conjunction with parkrun.  It explains how parkrun works, how it could benefit a child with a heart condition and their family and gives guidance on what to do should a child feel unwell or tired.

CHF would be interested in hearing from other families with children who take part in parkrun, thanks to all those who have shared their stories and photographs so far.

We will probably be planning a similar event in Wales next year, if you are interested in being involved email info@chfed.org.uk

 

 

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