It was a busy parkrun day, with 32 Claremont Road Runners spreading ourselves over 18 different parkruns. Despite spreading ourselves around, there were 11 at our spiritual home of Leazes Park where there was cause for Claremont celebration with a first place for Harry Mawdsley and Kimberley Metson finishing as 2nd female. Kim grabbed a PB in the process. Our only other PB was claimed by Chris Jones at Durham.
On the tourist front, Cath Robson was on familiar territory in London, but in the unexplored environs of Ally Pally: “In my very slow but steady progress round the parkruns of north London I visited Ally Pally this Saturday morning. Alexandra Palace is the geet big hoos on the hill to your right as the train approaches Kings Cross (just before it passes the Emirates stadium on your left). Ridiculously, having been brought up just a few stops up the commuter line, this was my first ever visit to the park and I was relieved to discover that the route doesn’t require a full ascent to the top. It’s a 3 lap course, starting near its conveniently eponymous station, initially flat, becomes a shallow slope up and then takes a tight right hander up a short, sharp hill. However, you are then rewarded with a steady, if rather rough, downhill second half finishing with a righthand hairpin back on to the level road to the start. Good turn out of about 350 with a cheerful band of volunteers. The station has a good cafe for the return journey so all round a good break in the quality family time!”
There were a couple of other Claremonters down south, but on opposite sides of the country – Sophie Richardson in Margate and Allie Wilson Craw at the wonderful sounding Blaise Castle in Bristol. Heading back up north, Gill Milne and Tom Tinsley were also on familiar territory in Liverpool, while Sarah Kerr, Anton Mirafsari and Jonathan Gilroy (though Jonathan runs as Jarrow, his 1st claim club) were at Keswick. Slightly nearer home, Aoife Monaghan ran in Hamsterley Forest, accompanied by another of our 2nd claim runners, Jack Shawcross – Jack won this one too!
Tourist of the week was Laurie Johnson who ran in a very hot Berlin. Amazingly, Laurie became the 6th Claremont Road Runner to sample the delights of Hasenheide parkrun.
