She’s experienced the highs of two Olympic gold medals as part of a team pursuit cycling squad but Joanna Rowsell Shand enjoyed a different sort of sporting thrill on Saturday as part of the nationwide parkrun initiative.

Following on from the UK’s biggest ever sports participation event I Am Team GB, #teamparkrun saw 100 of UK Sport’s National Lottery funded Olympic and Paralympic athletes involved in 5km parkrun events across the country.

Retired cyclist Rowsell Shand laced up her running shoes and headed down to Congleton, joining her fellow athletes in showing their thanks for all the support they receive from the public, through The National Lottery.

Instead of leading from the front, Rowsell Shand instead took on the role of a tail walker, ensuring she, like the other athletes, brought up the rear in last place.

And while a variation on the two wheels upon which she spent most of her career, Rowsell Shand admitted she had loved every minute.

“I haven't been a tail walker before so it was a new experience for me. The last few people were actually going at a good speed so I was quite impressed with everyone here today,” she said.

“Astbury Mere Country Park is a stunning location. The course was a mixture of path and grass and it was lovely to run around the mere.

“As a cyclist, I'm not really known for my running ability. I don't really walk much let alone run.

“We have different muscles that are developed so I'm better at running uphill than I am down. But this was a nice, flat route which worked better for me and my cycling legs.

“Park Run is one of those things that's addictive, with people trying to improve their 5K time and run faster each week.

“It's so accessible and because it’s the first thing on a Saturday morning, you've still got the whole day to yourself. It's a fantastic event and it just works. I'll definitely be back.”

Parkrun takes place every Saturday at 9am in England and Wales and 9.30am in Scotland and Northern Ireland and offers a free and easy way to take your first steps into becoming more active.

Five-time world champion Rowsell Shand is certainly away of the benefits of staying active after a cycling career which produced medals and special memories aplenty.

And knowing the sacrifices she also had to make, the 28-year-old admits she will always be indebted to those who supported her on her journey to the top.

“I'm hugely grateful to the National Lottery and all the National Lottery players themselves, because without them I wouldn't have been able to be a full-time athlete.

“I was full-time for ten and a half years, which allowed me to train, have a job and have all the support staff at British Cycling – the coaches, the physios, the mechanics, the dietists, sports scientists, bio-mechanists. That was all integral to my success in the sport.

“It was really nice to get the support from locals. It always surprises me even now – over a year since Rio and five years since London 2012 – there’s so much public support for the Olympic and Paralympic athletes.

“People here have come up to me to say well done and I've said well done to them and it's so nice that it's still inspiring people and making people get up and get active. That's what we want and that’s why we're funded – it’s about inspiring the nation and it’s great to see it happening at grassroots level at an inclusive event for everybody."

The National Lottery players have been supporting sport since the very beginning. From thousands of community sports and fitness projects, right through to elite training and a whopping 848 Olympic and Paralympic medals - by playing, you’ve made it all possible.