This week marked 75 years of the NHS, and parkruns across the country celebrated by encouraging runners to wear blue, as a show of support to this invaluable institution.
Outside of the NHS sphere of influence, Luke Woodend was flying the Claremont flag on the continent, as a ‘Prima-volta!’ in sunny Milan. Seems the Italians pull out extra stops, as Luke received free watermelon and a souvenir water bottle for €3!
A shorter hop over the border, Alex Harding was taking on Edinburgh’s youngest parkrun in the shadow of Arthur’s Seat at Holyrood, and across the Irish Sea, Maria Dueñas was sort-of-but-actually-not abroad, visiting Ormeau in Belfast. Cate Walker continued her committed alphabet quest, running the famous Victoria Dock in London, impressively going under 25 minutes for the first time in nearly 2 years.
There was the usual high club turnout at Leazes in both running and volunteering capacities, Mark Anderson still clocking an incredibly swift time (though perhaps not compared to his recently high standards), despite bruising to his knee/ego from a minor mountain-bike accident the day before.
Several more of us went to check out the new Dene on the block. Bringing a much-clamoured for parkrun to the west-end of Newcastle, it was Denton Dene’s 4th week, and it went smoothly enough you’d have thought they’d been running it for years. This was probably helped by the core team being comprised of mostly seasoned parkrun volunteers who know their stuff.
Starting in roughly the middle of the Dene, the course heads south, the bottom half of this first loop being an out-and-back. Running back through the start line in the opposite direction, the path plunges down into the woods, the entire northbound section comprised of another out-and-back that gently rises through the trees, with the obvious benefit of a nice downhill stretch once you hit the turning point.
The various ‘undulations’, some long and gradual, others brief but steep, are well spaced across the 2 lap route. This gives it quite a balanced feel (though we weren’t necessarily thinking that while puffing around the 2nd lap!), unlike, say the other Dene, where the bulk of the elevation is packed into a single, monstrous hill.
The tree-covered portion offered a pleasant, sun-dappled respite from the searing rays, and the volunteers and runners alike fostered a great atmosphere. From what I saw, runners were obeying the ‘keep right’ signs on the two-way stretches, and there was even delicious special NHS-cake at the end. Roberto made a non-running appearance as a spectator/DJ, and Izzy was 2nd lady, from a field of nearly 200 runners. I surprised myself with a 2nd parkrun PB in 3 weeks, on a course that didn’t seem like it would be particularly conducive to fast times.
