parkrun, 27th May 2023
Last Saturday’s warm, sunny weather persisted throughout the week, leading to another round of hot parkrun action this weekend.
The Claremont stronghold at Leazes was well populated by sky-blue runners and volunteers alike, the pick of which was Anneliza Andreadi, smashing her previous PB by almost a full minute. Good also to see Kim Collings, getting round on tail-walking duties as she continues on the road back from injury.
Mark Anderson’s recent purple patch has gone on so long, that it can probably just be considered the norm now. He chalked up another course PB at Jesmond Dene, finishing 3rd overall.
Lena and Kim (and Rossi) rendezvoused over at Druridge Bay for some sunny lakeside running, with Elizabeth O’Mahony, Cate Walker and Francesco Carrer also going coastal at Blyth Links and Whitley Bay respectively. Tara Hipwood was all the way down in Newport, pleasingly running her fastest time since before the pandemic, while Clare McKitterick warmed up for Sunday’s half marathon at Portobello in Edinburgh.
Some Claremonters have become inreasingly gripped by parkrun challenge fever recently, with ‘Alphabeteering’ a particularly popular mission. Maria Dueñas headed down to collect an ‘H’ at Hartlepool, though she’s still only a little over halfway through this particular endeavour. She was also 3rd lady.
A couple of our members seemed to be competing for ‘who had it tougher’ this morning. Alex Harding said of his visit to Hafan Pwllheli in Wales:
“Probably high in the list of the UK’s toughest parkruns. Deceptively flat but tougher than some cross country courses. A very, very warm morning, 20 degrees and not a cloud.
An out and back course completely on the sand. Although flat, definitely one of the most difficult courses I’ve ever done, soft sand with each step sinking into it, made each step more difficult and draining leading to a time of 30:56. Would I do it again – yes in an instance, but it isn’t one for the faint hearted and only if you don’t mind finding sand in some odd places for a while after either.”
Elevation rather than terrain provided the challenge for Tom and Gill, on their excursion to Whinlatter Forest in Cumbria. If there has to be a winner, the tag of ‘2nd toughest’ ranked parkrun in the country probably gives them the edge over Alex’ sandy slog.
I took advantage of a trip to the capital, to pilgrimage to the birthplace of parkrun at Bushy Park, eschewing many closer options (there really are a lot of parkruns in London).
The huge popularity of parkrun, and the aforementioned interest in completing challenges, means that the ‘OG’ event understandably attracts big numbers, with nearly 1300 finishers on this occasion.
We were gathered beind a line of cones probably a good 60-70 metres across on a large patch of grass, and were set off after a surprisingly swift briefing, in which people were advised to try and avoid the speakers, placed centrally and directly in front of the onrushing runners!
An almost immediate collision led to my watch being paused for a few seconds before I noticed, as the first 200 metres saw the crowd funneled onto a gravelly path, with the more astute runners (not me) who’d stayed over to the left, able to pass by the traffic on the grass outside.
Plumes of dust from the path hung in the air as the masses stampeded along. Eventually the crowds thinned a little, and one could better appreciate the flat course, and the expansive beauty of the park in the brilliant morning sunshine. Despite switching variously from dusty path, to woodland track, to grass, and tarmac, it was an easy route that allowed for fast yet relaxed running.
I had hoped for a fast time, and was therefore pleased, if not slightly surprised to record a PB by the skin of my teeth. Considering the scale of the operation, Bushy clearly has a well-oiled volunteer team. Start, run and finish were all smoothly done, with lots of friendly encouragement.
Would recommend for all of the above reasons, a massive event in a massive park that still manages not to lose sight of the joys that make parkrun what it is. I did, however, wonder if some of the women still queuing for the toilet at 8:55 actually made the start…
| Blyth Links | |
| 32:52 | Elizabeth O’Mahony |
| Bushy Park | |
| 19:40 | Laurie Johnson (PB) |
| Hafan Pwllheli | |
| 30:56 | Alex Harding |
| Hartlepool | |
| 21:23 | Maria Dueñas (3rd Female) |
| Portobello | |
| 26:09 | Clare McKitterick |
| Riverfront, Newport | |
| 24:59 | Tara Hipwood |
| Druridge Bay | |
| 32:27 | Kimberley Metson |
| 37:45 | Lena Webster-Costella |
| Whinlatter Forest | |
| 25:13 | Tom Tinsley |
| 35:43 | Gill Milne |
| Whitley Bay | |
| 26:36 | Cate Walker |
| 27:24 | Francesco Carrer |
| Jesmond Dene | |
| 18:56 | Mark Anderson (3rd, PB) |
| 25:30 | Lucy Keating |
| 25:52 | David Devennie |
| 28:07 | Luke Woodend |
| Town Moor | |
| 22:07 | Mungai Wairia |
| 24:54 | Brian Hegarty |
| 25:08 | Allie Wilson Craw |
| 30:58 | Hannah Budge |
| Leazes | |
| 23:29 | David Lydall |
| 25:30 | Anneliza Andreadi (PB) |
| 25:43 | Nina Jentl |
| 26:16 | Rachel Hurdman |
| 27:42 | Michael Teasdale |
| 28:18 | Sam Dunn |
| 29:03 | Kat Truong |
| 33:31 | Ann Smith |
| 59:19 | Kim Collings (Tail Walker) |
