A Knaphill man is claiming a British parkrun record for his six-year-old son.

Dale Connolly’s son, Tyler, ran the two-kilometre Woking junior parkrun in an impressive time of 8m43s.

The British two-kilometre junior parkrun record for six-year-olds had previously been claimed by James Low, who completed the Archerfield Walled Garden junior parkrun in North Berwick in a time of 8m56s.

Tyler, who lives in Knaphill with his family and goes to school in Woking, has since completed his 8m43s effort.

Tyler’s proud father, Dale, said: “Tyler first got into running when his mum, Samantha, took him along to Woking parkrun at the age of four.

“It didn’t quite go according to plan initially, as Tyler was too anxious to take part.

“However, over time he persevered and eventually managed to complete one lap, gradually building up from there until he was able to complete a full parkrun.

“Since then, Tyler has really embraced running. He has now completed 26 junior parkruns, as well as a number of shorter races at other locations.

“It has been fantastic to see how far he has come from that first, rather anxious attempt.

“When Tyler found out that he had broken the British record, his initial reaction was one of disbelief, followed very quickly by a huge amount of excitement.

“The excitement wasn’t just from Tyler either – his four-year-old sister, Gemma, was absolutely thrilled for him too. Gemma has now started her own parkrun journey, so running is becoming a real family affair.

“Samantha and I are incredibly proud of Tyler and what he has achieved. It is a very special achievement, particularly at such a young age, and one we know Tyler will remember forever.

“From a very young age, Tyler has loved pretty much every sport he has tried, so it has been easy for us to encourage him to try different activities because of his natural passion and enthusiasm for sport.

“At the moment, Tyler plays rugby at Chobham Rugby Club and football for Woking Cougars. He also swims with Woking Swimming Club at Woking Leisure Centre, as well as having tennis, judo and golf lessons.

“What we love most is that Tyler isn’t focused on just one particular sport. He genuinely enjoys being active, learning new skills and having a go at different things. He gets excited about pretty much anything involving sport, and we feel very fortunate to be able to support him in something he clearly enjoys so much.”