Maria Runs - parkrunning and touring since 2013!

Oaklands College for IWD and beyond, and V100!

On IWD I headed back to Oaklands College parkrun. After a few weeks of touring, it was good to set the alarm later. Andy and I had plans to head to Oxford in the afternoon (seeing Ash and The Darkness) so I needed to be home fairly promptly too. Happily, Branka and Holly were there for a parkrun RD/ambassador meet up, and lots of OH ladies were there so it felt like a lovely social occasion.

I parked at my parents and jogged up there, testing out to see if this would be an option, and it was perfect as the start is just about a mile away.

All week I’d had a sore throat, and I thought I was getting a cold (I was), so wanted to take it gently. I ended up run/walking with Branka which was perfect, as we chatted all the way and had a lovely time catching up. It was my first time trying out the new and improved Oaklands College route- sadly it doesn’t look like a dog any more!

Old route (dog shaped):

And new route:

Definitely not dog shaped any more!

The previous was two laps, with one out and back section, and now it is a lot of out and backs, but only one lap. I really enjoyed it- it’s flat and you run past “the swamp” rather than through it. It was good to see more of the parkland there too, as you cover more ground, and more interesting parts rather than rugby pitches.

I wore my new parkrun alphabet top as it was IWD (and purple seems to be a theme for them)- I got my run 25 t-shirt for my 250th (as I attached a paper 0 to it for the run) and don’t tend to wear it much. As the parkrun alphabet is 25 letters (no x), it fitted perfectly so I sent it off to Shadow of a Saint for personalising- I am really pleased with it. Branka took a photo below of me running in it:

Swamp picture, purple pop up fun and my purple top.

When I finished we stood around for ages in the sunshine chatting, it was just lovely.

Lots of OH ladies in the before and after photos, plus Lee doing a super job with the first timers welcome. And just look at those blue skies!

A few views from the course. The section was a little muddy in places as tractors had driven over the path and created some ruts, but it was not too bad and my feet stayed dry.

The following week I was back there again- Dad was around but we both needed to be somewhere local (I had a haircut and he was off to football) so we opted for Oaklands. Lee (one of our OH ladies hanger ons) was debuting as RD, so wanted some friendly faces to be there, so we were happy to oblige. I ran to my parents, we ran/walked up together and then ran around the course together too. Dad hadn’t been to the new route yet, and he enjoyed it. I got a course pb too! We couldn’t hang around at the end too long as we had to be out again by 11, so we jogged/walked back to theirs soon after finishing.

Below- celebrating with Lee at his RD debut, a pic with Dad and more selfie rehearsals. When we finished, Dad said “I’ll get our jackets and then we’ll do photos?”- he knows that the photos are a required part of the parkrun experience now!

On the Sunday I was helping out at Birchwood juniors. I have been doing a run before recently, but the cold was not shifting so I had a short walk before volunteering- I was handing out tokens and this marked my v100! The day before was parkrun 395 for me, so it was quite satisfying to reach this milestone a little before my 400th parkrun.

Volunteering at juniors- the novelty of handling the number 1 token has not got old yet!

I also got my parkrun anniversary email on the Sunday too- so what a way to celebrate 12 years of parkrunning- parkrun with friends and Dad on the Saturday and then my v100 on the Sunday with the lovely Birchwood community.

Now I need to decide if I get a v100 top or buff or anything. I do wear my purple v25 t-shirt a fair bit, particularly in the summer when volunteering at juniors, but it’s covered with the high viz anyway. I don’t think I’d be likely to wear it running much so I am not sure. I do think you can never have enough buffs, so I might get a v100 buff? Decisions decisions!

Brighton Half Marathon 2025

I’ve completed this race so many times now, I really do enjoy it. Any excuse for a reason for a weekend in Brighton is good by me, but the course is always good (running by the sea) and the support is always fantastic from the locals.

This time the weather was pretty amazing- sunny with a gentle breeze. It had been frosty on the Saturday morning, but it was not frosty on Sunday. Andy was running this year too, which meant I took a jacket to tie around my waist so I had something to wear at the end, as usually he would meet me at the finish with another layer to put on. I get cold very quickly when I stop so I knew I’d need something and didn’t want to use the bag drop. After not wearing sunglasses to parkrun the previous morning, I knew I would wear them for this run, and at the last minute decided on a visor too- I was glad of both of these as it was so sunny the entire time.

The race had a new start/finish area on Hove Lawns this year, which worked so much better than the previous start area of Madeira Drive- there is a lot of work going on restoring the arches at Madeira Drive so I think that was why, but the Hove Lawns area was so much wider. Often it is so congested and it’s hard to get past the queues of people at the port-a-loos, and it can take a good 30 mins to get out of the finish area. This year was a lot better so I hope they keep it in the future.

Back to the morning- our hotel was less than a mile walk along the seafront to the start, so we left the hotel at around 8:45 with the race starting at 9:30. We were not using the bag drop or anything, so just had to get into our start pens before it began. On the walk we saw some people riding penny farthings- I remembered seeing them last year out on the route while I was running it, so this must be some sort of tradition!

*The penny farthings, before the start, heading to Hove Lawns*

Andy is a quicker runner than I am, but we started in the same pen so we could chat up until the start. I decided to let the runners go so I stood to one side (I was in the sub 2 hour pen, which was not a time I would be running! I have done that once but it’s probably a never again!)- I didn’t fancy being swept up by all the faster runners.

The route covered pretty much the same ground, but in a different order. Previously you head east along the coast first, then do the out and back in the city centre, and finish by heading out to Hove and back.

*A few pictures from the route, and Joe Wilkinson starting off the race (before joining at the back- I saw him at one of the out and back sections too)*

This year, we ran into the town first, then headed east along the coast (this is the trickiest bit as it’s uphill and the road has quite a camber), back to the centre, then you had a small out and back along Madeira Drive, you then ran along west towards Hove, and then looped around to head to the finish. Usually when you turn at Hove you have a parkrun to go, but this time it was around 1.5 miles so I quite liked that we were closer to the finish at this point.

I’d looked at my time from last year and decided to aim for a similar time- between 2:10 and 2:15 would be realistic. This meant I needed to hover around 10 minute miles, so every now and then I would glance at my watch and I was always below that pace. I think starting in the faster pen meant I got a bit swept along with all the speedier runners.

I enjoyed the out and back sections- if you know someone running it’s always fun to look out for them. Andy saw me as I was heading up the coast, and I saw him at Madeira Drive, so that was nice. I enjoyed seeing the various supporter signs, running club vests and of course just looking out to sea and enjoying the views.

I usually get a drink at the turn around point, but realised after not having anything at the penultimate one that because the start and finish had moved, the water stations were in different places. I was struggling a bit by the time I got into Hove, and made myself stop and walk and drink the whole cup of water- this was at the 11 mile mark. Around this point we were all held back for a few moments while bin lorries drove across the course- it was a bit confusing as marshals were stopping us but other people were shouting “keep going”- I think they were supporters just being encouraging, but after running 11 miles and being tired it wasn’t easy to register what was going on!

Anyway, after the water I felt a bit better (I had a very dry throat, which I put down to being thirsty, but in fact this week I lost my voice and am now getting a bit of a cold, so I think that was actually what was happening with my throat there) and as we turned it was around 1.5 miles to go. I enjoyed this bit, looking at the beach huts, thinking about the parts of Hove Prom parkrun that we were running on, and soon we were being directed into the finish chute. This was actually quite a long chute so I was very relieved when we finally got under the finish arch. My official time was 2:11:06 so I am very pleased with that (last year was 2:13:59). Looking at my splits only miles 11 and 12 were in the tens- where I walked to have some water and then took a while to get going again, the rest were sub 10 min miles.

*Medal, pancakes with tofu scramble and blueberries (we shared this as we knew we’d have an early dinner) and the sea*

I should have put my jacket on right away, but instead I got my medal, can of water and banana, and then wandered about trying to find a good place to take a photo (as it was so crowded). Andy had messaged to say he was back at the hotel, and I had decided to head into Bird and Blend to get a tea for the walk back. After taking a photo I was just soooooo cold. I put my jacket on but that was probably too late, and then in B&B there was a bit queue so I had to wait ages for them to make my drink.

I made sure I stretched while I was standing and waiting at least!

*Pavilion seen during our post half marathon walk, Nowhere Man mirror (for the best pancakes), B&B tea and marmite fries.*

After a shower in the hotel we headed out to get some pancakes (for who knows what- brunch/ lunch?), and then a bit later on we had the star of the weekend, marmite waffle fries from Oowee! We stayed until the Monday, so we had a nice seafront walk in the morning before heading home- very nice not to have to rush back on the same day.

All in all, a great weekend. I’ve not signed up to 2026 just yet, but I am sure it won’t be long before I do!

Peacehaven parkrun for my Brighton NENDY

I was down in Brighton for the half marathon weekend, and our hotel was less than a mile along the seafront to Hove Prom parkrun. However, when I put it in my planner on the 5k app, it said it was cancelled that day. (This turned out to be because the half marathon had a new start and finish area on Hove Lawns- Andy noticed this by chance as otherwise we could have easily turned up at the wrong place on Sunday!)

So, where to go? Preston Park was also within reach, but would have meant a longer walk there and back, and I was meant to be resting my legs ahead of the half marathon. I looked on the 5k app and noticed my Brighton NENDY was Peacehaven parkrun, 11km from Brighton city centre, and an easy looking bus ride away, so it was decided. Happily, an OH lady (Jan) had moved down to Brighton and said she would be there on Saturday morning too!

*Views from the coast at Peacehaven, the park (which had a parkrun symbol on it!), bus stop and the scene as you enter the park.*

The buses were every 20 mins or so on Saturday morning, so of course I didn’t get the latest bus, or the one before that, in case there were any issues or I missed one, so I ended up getting the bus at 7:45 which got me into Peacehaven at around 8:10. The weather was beautiful- frosty and bright, so I had a little detour down to the seafront before heading up to the park. I had left my sunglasses in the hotel as our room overlooked an atrium, and the weather app told me it was misty. It was definitely sunny so that helped with my decision to wear my sunglasses on the Sunday for the half.

It was very easy to to find from the main road, and as soon as you arrived in the park you could see the high viz, the finish funnel and lots of signs. Perfect. I got a selfie with the pop up, and then a local couple began chatting to me about parkrun tourism in general (seeing me take the photo made them assume I was a tourist). Soon after, Jan arrived, and then I also chatted to Nadiah who I follow on insta (Hoopy Vegan Runner).

*Pop up selfies and a picture with Jan, a view from the run and the first timers welcome sign*

The event had such a friendly vibe. I feel like I say this a lot, but honestly every person who spoke to me was so friendly (including the tail walker who was dressed head to toe in gold sparkly clothes as it was her 50th milestone the previous week, and she had ordered the outfit, only for it to arrive on Saturday afternoon, so she decided to wear it this week instead- fab), and it just had such community vibes. The new runners welcome was done jointly between an adult and child (the same child set the runners off and was also barcode scanning at the end), and the main briefing was filled with lots of personal touches, eg celebrating locals birthdays etc.

The route- start with the out and back, then do the loop, and repeat 3 times.

The route was lovely too. It was three laps, and each lap had an out and back section and then a loop, so you could often see lots of other participants at different places (which I love), it was pretty flat and all on paths apart from the finish funnel which was on grass (no mud though which was a welcome change from the past few weeks).

*Mid run views, my token and the fab way they collected their tokens!*

I ran with Jan and we had a lovely catch up, and before I knew it the three laps were over! I loved the way they collected their finish tokens- in repurposed charity collection tub.

I wanted to head back quickly and Jan kindly gave me a lift part of the way (she did offer for the whole way but I did not want her getting stuck in Brighton Saturday traffic)- this was perfect timing as when she dropped me off the bus was one minute away! I was back in Brighton by 10 and met up with Andy who had popped out to get us some breakfast.

All in all, a lovely parkrun morning. That was my 393rd parkrun, and 127th location, so of course here is the new map screenshot:

Before and after- running by the coast gives you a nice big section!

Walthamstow parkrun- travelling like Wombles!

Walthamstow parkrun has been my NENDY for absolutely ages, and this weekend was finally the week for me to visit.

Branka was free for touring and of course keen to visit another London (for Lon-done) parkrun, and although we looked at driving (it’s not far from Pymmes which I had driven to) the estimate was around an hour, and of course the journey back would probably be much longer. The train estimation was similar, so it was time for another train adventure.

As the trains on the closest line were running, it meant I could run from home to the station, rather than having to drive over to St Albans station. It also meant Branka could get the same train (as some from her come through the same line that I am on). It was a few stops to Finsbury Park on the overground, a few stops on the Victoria line (underground) to Walthamstow, and then back on the overground to Highams park, the closest station to the parkrun, and then a walk (wombling free).

The train connections were all great, with hardly any time waiting at any of the stations, after getting the train at 7:20 we were walking to the start at 8:10. It was about a mile away- the park was private and linked to the leisure centre so didn’t seem to have other entrances, just the main one by the car park. It was definitely easier than the stress of driving and navigating (there is a car park there so that would have been fine).

*Fun with the pop up and selfie frame*– *that’s the sports centre and car park in the background too- it’s all right by the start so a very easy one to visit in that respect*

The team were so friendly when we arrived. We chatted to a fellow WMN pod fan (hi Gail) as this was her local one so we had messaged to say we were coming (and she was very helpful in confirming about which train station we needed to aim for), took some photos by the pop up (and found a selfie frame), left our bags by the tree of trust (rather than the tarpaulin) and then listened to the first timers welcome- they had a few brand new parkrunners as well as some tourists which is always nice to see.

More of the signs, the tree of trust and the view as we began heading up the slope

The main briefing was brilliant- the RD said something about being a headteacher and you could see why- he got his points across well (a few health and safety reminders) with humour and clarity, and everyone listened. Then it was time for us to begin.

The course is three laps and a tiny bit, as you start a bit before the finish funnel on your first lap. It’s all on grass, around the perimeter of sports fields, with a slope that felt more like a hill on each lap! I think had the terrain been easier (for example a tarmac path) it would not have felt hard, but the thick sticky mud was great at sapping the energy from your legs. I had worn trail shoes and was glad of it, although by my third lap they had filled up with mud so I was beginning to slip a little bit. There was a small hump (a reverse ditch as I call them- there is one at Oaklands too) and this was a bit tricky to navigate as the run went on too, but as we had been told, it was not pb conditions, so it was just a run to enjoy and go gently. I had spotted some of the signs when we arrived (like the “sprint finish starts here”) and enjoyed spotting them on the way around, and took a few photos. I ended up chatting to a couple of the marshals as I ran past too, explaining what I was doing, and then on the final lap continued the conversations with them. It was a really ultra friendly event. One huge bonus for me was that no dogs were allowed. I am not a pet person for many reasons, and I am very anxious around dogs off leads, especially ones that jump. I also really get frustrated at parkruns when you can’t hear the briefing because of dogs barking, and I have seen people being tripped (and near misses) so many times- it does surprise me that dogs are allowed at all at parkrun- so it was good to be able to run without having to worry about a dog leaping up at you or minding out for their leads etc.

*Some of their signs, views during the run and the little token sorting tree*

After finishing I chatted to a few of the volunteers and admired more of their signs and their little token sorting tree. They had a pb bell, and had even given out certificates to regular runners for their milestones. There were so many touches that made it seem such a welcoming event and a really clear community. I was glad I had packed spare socks and shoes as my feet were so muddy, so I changed those and put on my jumper. We had originally thought about combining it with a trip to Angel (Bird and Blend and vegan pastries) but Branka had to be back fairly soon so we walked back to the train station. We had seen these lovely mosaics on the platforms on the way, so stopped to admire them on the way back, as well as seeing this amazing owl painting on the side of a building on our way back to the station.

Beautiful mosaics, owl sculpture and painting

We didn’t have to wait long for the overground train, and then the underground was fine too, but as we got to the platform at Finsbury Park, the train we needed was just leaving (if only the screen had been a teeny bit quicker at scrolling past all the stations then we would have known it was one we could both get)- I am not one for leaping onto a train, especially there where some of them as non-stop to Stevenage. Anyway, this meant we had to get separate trains back, so we had just enough time to get a cup of tea from the kiosk on the platform before getting on our respective trains.

*My muddy shoes and leggings, token picture (somewhat lower number than last week at Battersea!), heading back from the train station and tea and snack on the train home*

So that was parkrun 392 for me, and my 126th venue. Of course I am gradually ticking off the London events, so that was my 29th London event.

And now, rather excitingly, I have a new NENDY of Hackney Marches. Coincidentally on the train we were looking at the overground lines and saw that Hackney is on one of those overground lines, and would involve a similar trip with a short underground journey and then an overground one out there, so it is yet another one that we can get to fairly easily. (Also, there is an amazing vegan bakery in Hackney- WAVE- so of course I am hoping to combine the two…)

Before and after map- hooray for new NENDY’s!

Another fun morning and of course, more parkrun tourism planned (some plans more concrete than others). Next up I have the Brighton half so we shall see if I manage a parkrun there, as Hove Prom is off on Saturday (would have been my nearest)- watch this space!

Battersea parkrun (not parkrace)

Just a note to say that a runner collapsed at this event, but the Battersea parkrun team posted on their facebook page later in the day to say that they were recovering in hospital, as well as huge thanks to the 4 doctors who stopped and helped them.

Another weekend and another visit to a London parkrun with Branka and Holly! This had been in the diary for a while as Holly wanted event number 16. It was half term and we had tickets for an exhibition on Saturday afternoon, so Andy booked us a hotel and I went into London straight from work on Friday evening.

The hotel was fairly close to Embankment tube station (on the Northern line- the line needed for Battersea) so it was a nice warm up on Saturday morning. The train didn’t take long, and I arrived on the tube ahead of Branka and Holly (who travelled in that morning) so I waited for them at the station. The walk to the start (1.3 miles on Strava) so we were glad of arriving with plenty of time.

Tube station/ finish cones out/ huge tarpaulin of trust and the view of the old power station from the tube station

The start and finish are in different places, with everyone leaving their bags on the biggest tarpaulin of trust that I’d ever seen! It was super busy with tourists taking photos- I even saw parkrun Karen (from Insta) again- we were waiting around to see where the first timers welcome would be, and I noticed people heading away from the finish area. We decided to follow them- lucky that we did as it turned out everyone was walking to the start. They walk you around in a loop, so that the first people to begin walking end up first on the start line. It definitely had the feel of a race rather than a parkrun, with huge groups of people warming up, loads of runners in club vests and loads of secondary school age kids looking like serious runners. I felt very nervous, as if I was about to do a race, whereas I don’t usually feel this way at a parkrun.

We couldn’t even hear the main briefing as we were so far back, but luckily Branka had checked the course page and reminded us that it was two laps! People started moving so the parkrun had begun!

I tried hard to run fast but didn’t look at my watch at all, just wanting to run on feel- I am really impressed with those splits as it was a perfect royal flush negative split.

The course is basically two anti-clockwise laps of the park, it’s flat and fairly wide (it’s a road, like Finsbury Park), although we had to keep left as there were plenty of runners out in the park heading in the opposite direction. It took a while to find my speed, and I kept having to overtake runners and then settle into a pace once there was space. I still felt very nervous and it wasn’t until the second lap that I felt more relaxed and as if I was at a parkrun. I saw the first finisher head into the funnel as I began my second lap- he was way ahead of the next few runners- very impressive. It does seem to attract the faster runners- there were nearly 200 who ran under 20 minutes (out of 1159 in total)!

The avenues of trees in the park/ the tourist board/ the front of the start line with loads of club runners/ pots set out for the tokens

I knew they had a multiple funnel system, and as I headed into the finish on my second lap I could see two funnels being closed off, and they were sending us over to the left of the funnels. Everyone bunched up and they asked us to try and keep in order after we had all spread out. I chatted to a guy who had finished just ahead of me- my watch had said 27:55 so I was really pleased to have managed such a fast time, and didn’t mind waiting in the funnel for a bit. I think after around 10 minutes they moved us up a bit, and we realised that in the funnel on our right, a runner had collapsed and was receiving medical treatment from a paramedic, with an ambulance coming too. I was trying not to look- mainly because if it was me I would not want people staring at me, but also if I do look I know it would upset me, but the guy I was chatting to was giving me a bit of a running commentary on how the collapsed guy was doing. I was very relieved when our row was finally moved on and I could meet up with Holly and Branka. Holly had finished a bit behind me but her funnel had been cleared ahead of me, so we knew our times would be messed up a bit of course. The team had posted that results would be delayed (understandably) and that they might not be correct, and I was expecting a 59:59 for everyone. I had token 711 and my watch had said 27:55, but when the results came through my token was 801 and my time was 28:49 (with Holly being ahead of me in the results on 775) but the team had warned us and I was just happy to get any time. It’s now set as my course pb so I shall just have to go back.

After we finished, we took a few photos by the pop up and then headed out of the park and over to the converted power station building- it’s now a huge shopping centre with restaurants, cafes, a cinema, bowling alley and all sorts of other things. Holly had seen a picture of the pancakes at Where the Pancakes Are and they cater for all sorts of dietary requirements, so we headed there for breakfast.

I had pineapple and coconut pancakes with lime syrup- good to have something more unusual rather than the standard berries and syrup combo. Then it was time to head back to the train and continue our weekend in London (F1 exhibition, and then later on we went back to Battersea as they had a light instillation- see below for a few pics)

So, Battersea parkrun- definitely one to visit as it has very different vibes to smaller parkruns, and as it’s so flat it is a great one for trying to blast out a fast time (even with the congestion at the start).

Before and after for the 5k app map– another nice big gap filled in

That was my 391st parkrun and my 125th parkrun venue, and my 28th London parkrun.