Lily Janmohamed, 10, will try to beat her 19:45 5K at Battersea parkrun on 17 October for Scope, with 31 October as the reserve date. How to cheer or give.

Lily Janmohamed is 10 years old and runs 5K in under 20 minutes. On Saturday 17 October she will line up at Battersea parkrun to try to beat her personal best of 19:45, and she is using the run to raise money for Scope, the disability equality charity. If the weather is poor on the 17th, the family says the attempt moves to Saturday 31 October.

Her mother, Shahliza Janmohamed, wrote to Wandsworth News about the challenge this week. Readers are welcome to come and watch, she said.

The quick answer

  • What: Lily Janmohamed, 10, tries to beat her 5K time of 19:45 and raise money for Scope.
  • When: 9am on Saturday 17 October 2026, weather permitting. Reserve date Saturday 31 October.
  • Where: Battersea parkrun, in Battersea Park.
  • How to help: turn up and cheer, or give through her JustGiving page.

The times she is chasing

The family says Lily ran 20:16 for 5K in April 2025, aged 8, and then 19:45 aged 9. The appeal page dates the faster run precisely: Battersea parkrun on 14 March 2026, the same course she is going back to. Her mother describes both times as potential world records for her age. We have not been able to check that claim, and the family’s own word is “potential”.

“That performance was remarkable for her age and remains an incredible personal achievement,” the family writes on the appeal page. “Now 10 years old, Lily is excited to run again and try to beat that timing.”

The family says her running has already been covered by ITV News, The Times and the Daily Mirror, and that the ITV News and Times feature on Instagram has had more than 1.7 million views and 30,000 likes.

She will not run alone. A family friend, Julia, will run alongside her the whole way “providing encouragement and support”, according to the page.

Why Scope

The cause, her mother says, is personal.

“As a quiet and naturally shy girl who has had to overcome her own personal challenges, Lily has found that running has transformed her confidence and changed her life,” Shahliza Janmohamed wrote. “Through this challenge, she wants to show other children what is possible and support those on a similar journey.”

Scope, in the family’s words, “provides essential support, resources, and advocacy for disabled children, young people, and their families across the UK.”

“While aiming to push her limits further is her goal, this challenge goes far beyond the stopwatch,” she added. “Regardless of the time on the clock, we are endlessly proud of her dedication, hard work, and the heart she is putting into training.”

The appeal page adds: “Running has taught Lily so much: resilience, discipline, and the power of setting goals. She wants to channel that strength into supporting others.”

In Lily’s own words

Lily wrote a message of her own on the fundraising page:

“I am so excited to run and no matter what timing I get, I am happy to be supporting such a worthwhile charity. Running makes me feel strong and I feel like I can do anything. I would love your support with both a small donation and turning up and supporting me at the run. It would mean the absolute world to me. I promise I will try my best and try to make everyone proud.”

How much she has raised

When we checked the page on 6 October 2026, it showed £2,991.65 raised from 109 donations, against a target of £3,000, plus £558 in Gift Aid. She is a few pounds short of the target before she has run a step, and the total will have moved since.

When and where

The run starts at 9am in Battersea Park. The family’s first choice is Saturday 17 October; if the weather does not hold, they will go on Saturday 31 October instead, and they say they will post the confirmed date as an update on the JustGiving page.

What it means for you

If you are in or near Battersea Park on a Saturday morning, this is an easy one to support: stand by the course at 9am on the 17th and shout for her. Check the appeal page the day before in case the run has moved to the 31st. Donations go to Scope through the JustGiving page.

We will report how she gets on. For more around the park this autumn, see the Battersea Park fireworks and our list of things to do in Wandsworth.