'19 minutes and 31 seconds later, I had a new 5K PB — one almost a full minute better than I’d ever achieved before': our writer tried a robotic exoskeleton and ended up setting himself a new running record

Is it important to have a running goal? Some folks need to work towards a marathon, or a personal-best 5K time, in order to maintain the motivation to train.

I haven’t really felt that way in the five years since I started running with intention. But one benchmark goal has quietly wormed its way into the back of my mind since I noticed my 5K Parkrun event times gradually come down over the years. I'm working on achieving a sub-20-minute 5K.

The closest I got to reaching it was back in October 2025, at a Parkrun event by the sea on England’s south coast, in Worthing, with a time of 20:28.