This month’s club tourism took a large group of Claremont Road Runners to the promenade of Hartlepool parkrun (to be pedantic, actually starting in Seaton Carew), a straightforward out-and-back along a pancake-flat route. Having run my PB here some moons ago, I’ve regularly championed it as a fast course, and so it proved, in spectacular fashion.
The exponential improvement of Lena Lou seemingly knows no bounds, and she had suggested I might pace her in an attempt to break 22 minutes for the first time. Whether I did this successfully is perhaps a matter of perspective, as she smashed that barrier by 35 seconds, improving her PB by 50!
Not to take all the glory, with the sun sparkling on the sea, no fewer than four further Claremonters obliterated their PB’s by some margin. Tara Hipwood and Maria Oranges both improved by around 40 seconds, with Niamh Garratt and Shilpa Iyanna both knocking a good minute off their bests. parkrun may not be a race, but if you’re feeling a need for speed, you could do worse than head to Hartlepool! Basking in the glow of brilliant sunshine, we headed to the nearby Lyla Belle’s Cafe, for some truly exquisite breakfast. Expect to queue though!
Another tourist, slightly further afield, Antony Darne revisited St George’s in Port Elizabeth, South Africa for a course PB. Back on these shores, Jim Crinnion was at the familiar Temple Newsam, part of his regular Leeds parkrun-rotation.
Catherine Young notched her 17th first lady finish in 33 runs at Fulwell Quarry, a rate of just over 50% is some feat! Mark Anderson showed little sign of weariness 6 days on from the London Marathon, with a typically swift time at Town Moor.
More notable however, was the sight of Dave Kear crossing the finish line, completing his first parkrun in over 6 years. Dave is a longstanding member of the club, who continues to perform multiple vital roles that ensure our own Weetslade Relay goes ahead every year, but is also a bastion of the local parkrun community, having volunteered over 220 times at Town Moor alone. Great to see him back out on the course!
