AN Olympian is looking forward to a more local challenge when she takes part in the Middlesbrough College Riverside Run.

Johanna Jackson has taken part in two Olympics, two World Championships and won gold at the last Commonwealth Games in race walking.

The 28-year-old, from Redcar, will join hundreds of fellow joggers around a route that starts and finishes at Boro’s Riverside Stadium.

She said: “My training schedule means that I don’t get many opportunities to take part in events like this on Teesside, so this will be special for me – and I won’t walk quite as quickly as normal.”

She hopes the efforts and achievements of her and other athletes at London 2012 will inspire a little of the Olympic spirit in club runners and couch potatoes alike.

She said: “5k is a very achievable distance for most people, whether they run it, jog it or walk it.

“It’s a fantastic thing to do and I’m sure finishing with a lap around Boro’s pitch will drive people on during the final few hundred metres.”

Organised by Middlesbrough Council and sponsored by Middlesbrough College, the 5k has attracted entries from former Boro stars Bernie Slaven, Mark Proctor and Neil Maddison, together with Teesside-born comedian Patrick Monahan.

Entry to the event, which takes place on Sunday, June 2, costs £10 for the 5k race or £8 for affiliated runners, or £5 for the 2k fun run.

To enter or for more information visit www.runmiddlesbrough.com