Many parkruns across the country were understandably cancelled this weekend, due to the destruction wrought by Storm Babet. After a tempestuous Friday night, things had calmed down somewhat by Saturday morning, but it was still a wet and windy affair for those venturing out.
With the obvious exception of Elizabeth O’Mahony. Having made her way from east coast to west, she met up with Maria Dueñas at Cottesloe near Perth, in conditions that looked much drier than those back on Tyneside!
On home soil, Tom and Gill were just south of the River Mersey, running at Ellesmere Port, today comprised of “75% mud, 10% puddles, 15% path”. Rose Hawkswood was back at Warwick Racecourse, while Aaron Mansell took in the compact but hilly Jubilee Park in Spennymoor, where he opined that it was “muddier than when I’ve done cross-country”. Just wait, Aaron…
I travelled to Flatts Lane Country Park, south of Middlesbrough. A bit of misnomer, as it is considered the ‘5th hardest’ parkrun in the UK! Mostly run on trail paths through woods, which offered some shelter from the heavy rain, a gentle continuous incline up an old railway line ends with a sharp left onto the horror of Gray Hill, one of the steepest things I’ve ever had to run/crawl up. And you have to do it twice….
After that there is a fair bit of undulation, though mild compared to what’s just come before, and a good amount of welcome downhill. Even in the driving rain, it’s still a beautiful location for a parkrun. Another positive, due to the sheer amount of surface water, my trail shoes (shamefully untouched from last weekends cross-country) finished cleaner than when I started! It also proved a rather solitary experience, apart from the odd marshal, as I finished a minute and a half after the person in front, and two minutes ahead of the one behind.
Back in the Toon, Jesmond Dene and Town Moor were both off, due mainly to safety concerns and waterlogging respectively. The predictable surge in numbers at Leazes saw them record 300 runners, their 3rd highest attendance ever. Nine of these were from Claremont, with a further five filling out the volunteer team on a busy day. Kimberley Metson really enjoyed her first time volunteering, saying “everyone was super thankful, not sure why they all thought my name was Marshal…” She was ably assisted by dog Rossi, “chief of fluffy cuteness and giver of puppy love and motivation.”
