Woodley parkrun, 14th February 2026

Lucy Keating has been on the tourist trail, and sends us this report from the beautiful south:

“I’ve been spending a few days walking the beautiful Thames Path between Windsor and Oxford, and although I had anticipated the rain might make the going tough, I hadn’t realised just how much of the route would be completely underwater (see attached photo). Fortunately, I managed to find alternative routes where necessary, and my waterproofs earned their keep, but it must be incredibly difficult for people living along the river.

I soon realised that my carefully planned parkrun tourism at Henley would be scuppered (by sogginess, rather than the Geordie ice which put paid to North East parkruns this weekend). No problem, as I had already planned a backup at Marlow, but that was also quickly submerged by the weather, as was my backup backup at Reading. And so, after a thrilling Friday night studying Berkshire bus timetables and watching the Olympic Skeleton, I alighted upon Woodley parkrun, in the suburbs of Reading, which didn’t seem likely to require a wetsuit. Apparently, I could have just had a lie-in, as various family members helpfully suggested, but what on earth would be the point of that?

Anyway, the run itself is three flat laps of a lively park, past various football matches, a small lake, and a leisure centre. I had only brought trail shoes, but fortunately, the terrain was mostly grassy/muddy. A big turnout meant a lot of weaving about before settling into my plodding rhythm. As I happily peeled off towards the finish line on the final lap, I heard rapid breathing and footsteps behind me, and watched as a small child in the under ten age category glided past me like a speedskater, and that’s the beauty of parkrun!

Thanks to all the cheery volunteers!”