With Christmas Eve falling on a Saturday this year, parkrunners rejoiced at the opportunity to complete a festive double. What could be better than a parkrun at Christmas? Why, two parkruns on consecutive days!
As expected, Leazes was awash with Claremonters, captured in all their Christmassy glory by Mungai’s customary selfies. Shilpa Iyanna and Susan Parker celebrated a unique double of their own, crossing the line together in identical times and matching PB’s, while Nikki Szlovák nabbed another 1st lady finish, equalling her existing PB.
For many, Christmas is a time for family, with several of us further afield, indulging in some Yuletide tourism. Claremont couples were out and about, the Slacks joining their daughter at Penrith, Tom & Gill yomping in Yorkshire, and the Axons’ stepping out at Scunthorpe. Maria Dueñas even persuaded her mother to brave decidedly un-South American temperatures, to complete her first ever parkrun.
Visting the family in Weardale, I ventured back to Hamsterley Forest, following my first trip in February. Despite knowing what I was in for, it was still a tough, uphill battle (literally) for the first half, leaving me so puffed out that I couldn’t fully appreciate the flatter sections later on. The trade-off is it being one of the most beautiful settings for a parkrun, running through majestic pines, with a chance to wave at the Gruffalo just before the finish line.
Christmas Day predictably saw slightly fewer of us indulging (in parkrun at least), but plenty still managed the double, whether running again or giving up their services to volunteer. While some retraced their steps, others were mixing it up doing double-tourism.
Tom improved on his course PB in Northala Fields, as he and Gill found themselves even further south, down in London. Over in sunny Australia, Lucas de Rosa scored a PB on his Bunbury parkrun debut.
Leazes naturally saw the highest turnout again, with numbers no doubt swelled due to the Town Moor being off until New Year’s Eve. Only set 24 hours before, Susan took a second off her PB, but Maria was clearly seized by the festive spirit, knocking a whole minute off her previous, long-standing best. Parkwalking the day before must have been ideal preparation for this monumental effort. Lena Webster-Costella also got in on the mother-daughter duo action.
I headed to the closest available parkrun in Shildon, County Durham, where I had an experience preferable to the horrendous hills of Hamsterley. 3 flattish laps around an urban park with only one real hill to speak of, before a long finishing straight, at the end of which were literally piles of mince pies and Christmas cake provided by the friendly volunteers. Would recommend, apparently they have cake every week…
Roll on next weekend, and the opportunity to double-up again..