But this is not surprising because Mr Townsend is 89 years old.

He has been a member of the Parramatta Park Runners since 1975 and has rarely missed a Friday outing with the dedicated band of serious and not-so-serious runners.

"I have always wanted a lot of exercise and I have always got it,'' the retired high school English teacher and World War II veteran said.

"I have played a lot of rugby and run marathons and did race walking for about 40 years.

"I have always been running but now my walking is faster than my jogging. I'm no longer able to get up any speed,'' Mr Townsend said.

He will join other members of the Parramatta Park Runners when the club celebrates its 40th anniversary on July 27 with a luncheon at the Parramatta Park Event Centre.

While most who join in the runs do it for the exercise and the social benefits, the club has nurtured some gifted athletes over the years including Olympians, World Masters Champions and record holders as well as Commonwealth Games and Australian and state champions.

As a non-profit organisation it has donated more than $2500 to various charities from annual fees.

Since July 16, 1968, a total of 1091 runners have pounded the park's pavements with the group.

Greystanes resident Graham Taylor is a founding member and, like many of the Friday runners, has had a long connection with Parramatta Park, going back to 1939 when he was four years old.

He remembers the zoo that was once located in the park and the day in 1948 when he was on a Sunday school picnic and a metre-long shark was spotted swimming in the Parramatta River.

The club's celebration also coinicdes with 150th anniversary of the gazettal of Parramatta Park as a public domain.

The Parramatta Park Runners will be part of the human chain that will form around the park boundaries before moving in to form the number 150, which will be captured in an aerial photograph on August 6.