Like so many other people, Sam Kirchin started running during the Covid pandemic.

The rugby lover said he had been putting on weight even before lockdown started, so turned to running.

He initially hated it, but continued to increase his distance and even started to take part in races.

One person who was always spurring him on was his wife, Lyndsey, who took the decision to enter Sam into the London Marathon - an event he has now completed three times.

The couple even completed the London Landmarks Half-Marathon together, despite Lyndsey not having been a runner.

But, tragically, in January 2024, Sam was hit with an incomprehensible blow when Lyndsey sadly passed away following complications with an existing liver condition.

Unsurprisingly, Sam - who has five children with Lyndsey - went through some dark times, but when he needed them most his running friends - including people he barely knew - were there for him.

First among those who helped were members of Fordy Runs, the club he had already been a member of, while he was also embraced at the parkrun community.

Sam told Running Tales he didn't know where he would be without their support. In our conversation, he revealed how he loves helping others achieve their goals as a parkrun pacer, how he found help from people and places he didn't expect to, and his 5k goal for 2026...

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Listen to Sam's episode son Fordy Runs Running Club TV.