3 and a half years since Claremont’s very own Sumanth helped get it up and running, Leazes parkrun finally celebrated its 100th event this week.
The usual phalanx of sky-blues were present, both running and volunteering. Claremonters Rose Hawkswood and David Lydall are valued members of the Leazes core team, so it was fitting both were able to oversee this centenary parkrun.
Bill Milbourne notched his 50th parkrun, a welcome return after a few months off. Cate Walker was making her Leazes debut after recently joining the club, with Anneliza Andreadi and Rachel Hurdman both collecting PB’s.
Mark Anderson returned to Wolverhampton, and proved he is irrefutably ‘back’ by setting a new parkrun PB, for the first time in over four years!
Elsewhere, Elizabeth O’Mahony probably won most picturesque parkrun visit at Monsal Trail in the Peak District, while Lucy Keating rocked up a bit further south at Charlton, in the capital.
In advance of the half marathon the following day, I had an amble with my friend around Storeys Field in Cambridge. Although a very friendly and well-organised parkrun, it’s certainly not one for the aesthetes. An unremarkable 3-lapper on flat paths around playing fields, on the edge of a very new apartment complex development, what it lacks in character is made up for by the enthusiastic volunteers, and not a little jeopardy from the front runners trying to lap people on the narrow pathways (many yells of “keep right!”). I was also particularly impressed by the numbered buckets for the 400-odd finish tokens, to speed up the post-run sorting process.
