Esmée Gummer's fundraising Guinness World Record attempt arrives in Peterborough

Endurance athlete Esmée Gummer is heading to Ferry Meadows on 20th August as she aims to set a world record by hosting 76 5km run clubs in 99 days. On her tour, she's hosting a run in every city in the UK. Incredibly Gummer is travelling between each city on foot, and reckons that she will be covering close to 5,000km with the 5km runs and her journeys between cities.

Each free 5k event acts as a charity fundraiser, with proceeds split between Wings for Life, Sport In Mind, and parkrun, alongside causes nominated by the public. The journey began on 27 June 2026 and ends on 3rd October.

The adventure was inspired by an awful incident which happened to Gummer while a teenager. “When I was 18, I was paralysed during a routine operation” she said. At the time, I was training to be a professional dancer, and being told I might never walk again was heartbreaking. It was the catalyst for me to realise just how important movement was for my body and mind. After a gruelling few years, I learnt to walk, dance and run again. I decided to become a personal trainer to help people who weren’t sure how to move their bodies to gain confidence. In 2023, I launched The Say Yes Club, a walk/jog/run/do whatever you want 5k club. The object was to help people achieve their first run, make friends or have a supportive hub that they know they can show up to every week.

Registration partner realbuzz is facilitating sign-ups for the events, with fundraising managed through GoFundMe and daily updates provided via partner application Effitt. If you wish to do the Ferry Meadows run, it starts at 7pm on 20th August and will be run on the Parkrun course. For more details see www.thenations5k.com