parkrun, 11th January 2025
The cold snap continued waging its relentless war on parkrun this week, with only three of the thirty-odd north-east events surviving cancellation.
Despite the Frozen conditions, a handful of Claremonters were unable to ‘let it go’, despite the paucity of available options.
Anton Mirafsari and Chris Jones joined the coastal crowds at Cotsford Fields. They were part of a record attendance for the small Peterlee parkrun (which normally sees numbers not even reaching 50), with 323 finishers, this milestone somewhat marred by reports of uncalled-for barging and shouting by a minority of overtaking runners.
Almost double this figure descended upon Riverside in Chester-le-Street, with 5 of us making up the numbers squeezing along the congested, but beautifully sparkling, frosty paths. The volunteer team were efficient and committed, coning off a couple of patches of stubborn ice, and marshaling everyone effectively to ensure safety.
Topping either of these efforts, nearly 900 souls crammed into Finsbury Park in London, with this week’s sole tourist, Ann Smith, shaving 2 seconds off her previous effort from 3 years ago!
Despite only 8 Claremonters registering a run today, and in tricky conditions, there were also course PB’s for Anthony Darne and Lucy Ward.
| Finsbury Park | |
| 32:45 | Ann Smith (PB) |
| Cotsford Fields | |
| 22:25 | Anton Mirafsari |
| 29:18 | Chris Jones |
| Riverside | |
| 21:39 | Nikoletta Szlovák |
| 22:59 | Anthony Darne (PB) |
| 24:28 | Cate Walker |
| 27:29 | Lucy Ward (PB) |
| 29:49 | Laurie Johnson |
