A warmer, and in some cases even sunny, Easter weekend for parkrunning.
Most notably, Ronan Karas belatedly graduated from our Couch-to-5k programme. Having missed the original event last month due to an ankle injury, he was accompanied round the course at Leazes by Mariana, with great support from the Claremonters in attendance. Congratulations Ronan on your magnificent achievement!
Many of yesterday’s Good Friday Relays stars were out putting in good performances. Sarah Kerr, in the middle of a 20+ km run with Roberto, stopped by the Town Moor to record a more-than-solid effort to take 2nd lady. Heather Steel and Nikki Szlovák matched this achievement at Gateshead and York respectively, with the latter also claiming a massive parkrun PB. Sophie Douglas joined them on the imaginary podium as 3rd lady at Leazes, while Major Marathon Man Mungai posted a course PB.
Lena Webster-Costella journeyed to Tyne Green in Hexham as part of a Claremont touring trio, on the verge of hitting 100km of running in a single week, in aid of fundraising for the British Heart Foundation. Safe to say she reached her target later in the day, an absolutely incredible effort from a woman who apparently cannot be stopped!
The evergreen Joyce Archibold was at it again, ticking off another location down in East Anglia at Sandringham, and setting another age group event record. Slightly further North, Luke Woodend took in Northwich parkrun in Cheshire and Izzy Neatrour was in Glossop, also fi fishing as 3rd lady.
Further North still, Rachel Hurdman was back in the homeland at Perth. After Edinburgh last week, I too was back North of the border, this time in the ‘other’ city further west.
In summary, Queen’s is a beautiful park, about 3km south of the city centre and the Clyde. The volunteers were some of the most vocal and encouraging I’ve encountered, roaring us on in thick Glaswegian (I’m guessing) accents. I was, however, grateful that I was there for a gentle run, as each lap of the 3-lap course contained 3 significant hills, two of which were rather lengthy (though admittedly there was a very long downhill of about 300 metres at the end of each lap). The view from the top of the hill by the flagpole was certainly worth the effort though.
Even further afield, Margaux Robin ran at Kawana parkrun, which appears to be along a beach on the Sunshine Coast in Queendsland, near her new home city of Brisbane. Looks amazing!
Finally, good to see Joyce Zhao back running on the Town Moor, after some necessary time-off, for her first parkrun since New Years Day.
