Author: Maria Runs

Brockwell parkrun, Herne Hill

It was time for some more London parkrun tourism with Branka, and this one was going to fill a nice hole in our Voronoi maps. Brockwell parkrun is very close to Herne Hill station, which is on the Thameslink line, so I headed to St Albans to get on a direct train from there, meeting Branka at Herne Hill station.

You can pretty much see the park from the station, so we just had to walk into the park and locate the start, which was very simple. It was great to walk through the park so early- we could see lots of the central London skyline from the park, and on our way to the toilets saw the team wheeling their kit up to the start.

It was very windy so we had to hold the pop up while we took photos, but thankfully after what felt like a week of rain, the morning was fairly bright.

We left our bags on a bench inside a sort of shelter (it looked like an old concrete bus stop but it couldn’t have been as it was a traffic-free park), listened to the first timers welcome and then it was time to head down to the start line. They seemed to have a bit of trouble with people chatting during the run brief, even with their speaker system set up (and some people shouting “quiet!” to try to help), but we could just about hear the warnings against funnel ducking and the reminder to keep right rather than the more common left. They mentioned that they had received complaints from members of the public using the park at the same time, and so the compromise was to ensure that the parkrunners kept to the right so that some of the paths were clear for others.

After a few milestone announcements we realised that everyone was moving and the parkrun had started.

It’s pretty much a two lap course, with a little bit of extra in the first lap, and it’s undulating for sure. It is all on tarmac paths which was partly why we had chosen it (so many local runs to me are muddy and we just fancied finishing a parkrun without muddy socks). It was a really pretty park with lots to see on the way around, although I found the circular nature meant I totally lost my bearings. At one point on the first lap I noticed a lovely carved frog bench, and so on the second lap I got my phone out ready to take a photo, but I was so early I kept thinking I’d missed it.

The finish is pretty tough too, as you think all the hills are done but the short section into the finish funnel slopes uphill too. I was happy when I could stop!

The team had moved the pop up to the top of the hill (by the finish) rather than by the start line, so I got a few photos there as there was a lovely backdrop of London behind, plus some nice autumn colours and even a hint of blue sky.

We walked back to the station and popped into a bakery (there are plenty of very posh looking bakeries and cafes near the station) but nothing was labelled vegan and so I said to Branka that I’d get out the train at Kings Cross and head up to Angel to visit British Patagonia (a bakery and cafe that does the most amazing vegan pastries)- Branka decided to come too so we headed straight there. Angel also houses a Bird and Blend, so of course we popped in there on our way past. I had a matcha latte because I need some caffeine after I stop running.

We got the pastries to go, so luckily I had a cereal bar in my bag which I could have with my matcha for breakfast, and then I had pistachio pastry when I got home. Oh my goodness me they are delicious. (Top tip- they sometimes have bags of mixed pastries that are close to their sell-by date- I got one this time to pop in the freezer but they are always a good deal- the one I got had 3 or 4 pastries and was about £7).

Onto the map update:

It was very pleasing because after going to Dulwich and Peckham Rye, I had a little gap in the map, but going to Brockwell filled that one in. We didn’t get our results through until about 10:30 pm, and my placing was quite different to my token number, so I imagine the poor team had a few things to sort (even though they reminded people in the briefing not to funnel duck…).

That was parkrun 429 and location 146. Obviously with more events, Lon-DONE is one of those where the goal gets ever bigger, but this of course helped and was my 36th London event (out of 66 currently).

It does remind me that apart from getting up early (my St Albans train was about 7:15am) it can be really easy to do some London train tourism.

Up next? Well, who knows basically. I am not keen on making big plans at this time of year in case bad weather means loads of cancellations, although the peas do have a trip pencilled in for before the end of the year.

Sunshine Beach parkrun, Japan (near Kyoto)

The previous Saturday in Japan was a parkrun bonus for me, as it was just after arriving so I didn’t know if I’d make it. Sunshine Beach was the one parkrun for the trip that I knew I was aiming for. We had planned to be in Kyoto from Friday-Monday, so no changing hotels on a Saturday after parkrun, no trains to catch after getting back and so on (on our previous trip we were in Osaka on a Saturday but had a train booked later on, so I didn’t think it was possible to get back in time), perfect timing for a parkrun mid trip!

Sunshine Beach parkrun is to the north of Kyoto, but it isn’t a long journey and compared to some within-city trips (eg you could travel for an hour in Tokyo and still be in Tokyo) it pretty much counts as being in Kyoto and would be accessible from there quite easily.

It’s a few stops on a train from the main Kyoto station out to Zeze, the stop near to the lake shore. Last time we were in Kyoto our hotel was within walking distance of the main station, but this time it was one stop away on a different line, then a change at Kyoto. Google Maps is your friend in Japan, but the default journey gave me something like a 3 minute connection time in Kyoto. Knowing how huge the station is, this just made me feel so stressed so I got the earlier train to Kyoto, giving me around 10/15 minutes there. This turned out to be a very good decision. As I got to Kyoto, I found the platform fairly quickly, but as I went up the steps to the platform I saw that all the trains were delayed by around 10 minutes. This meant that if I ran up the last few steps I could make it on an earlier train- otherwise I would have been cutting it very fine.

It’s only a few stops, but at about the second stop, a guy got off the train and then collapsed onto the platform. The conductor got off the train to help and within minutes a medic on a bike arrived, someone got them a wheelchair and whisked him away, but the train of course had to wait at the platform for a while. This meant that the train got in around 7:30 (parkruns in Japan start at 8) and the parkrun was a good 15 minute walk from the station.

The walk from the station was very pretty, and by the water randomly was a big German building

Lots of other parkrun tourists got off the train at the same time, so I followed them and walked, but if I was on my own I would have jogged down to make sure I got there a bit sooner. It wasn’t as simple as the walk to the parkrun the previous week, as it was a few turns and different roads (and a level crossing to cross!), but as soon as we arrived on the lake shore we could see the start area, so it was easy enough to find.

As we arrived they called us over for the first timers welcome which was in English and Japanese. The course was very simple- starting in the middle going out and back in one direction, then out and back in the other, repeating this, and then one more out and back in one direction (so 5 out and backs starting in the middle). The turnaround points were just about visible from the start area, and they had marshals at each turnaround point. They had recently celebrated their 4th birthday and had some bunting and a little celebration board hanging up.

The RD was such a character. She was so talkative and friendly and encouraging to all of the visitors, wanted to know where we were all from, what we were doing in Japan and so on. She took so many photos before, during and after the run, and seemed to genuinely thrilled to have people visiting her parkrun.

As you can see, it was the most perfect day for running. I had on t-shirt and shorts- on my walk to the station it was a bit chilly and I wondered if I should have worn leggings, but I was absolutely fine. I had a jacket in my bag (and some water) but didn’t need it for running. There was a slight breeze but beautiful blue skies and the autumn colours were amazing on the route. The lake is so huge (the largest freshwater lake in Japan, and this is just a fraction of the lake) and the sun was glinting off the water- it looks like the sea at times. I was having another one of those “pinch me” moments where I just feel so happy and so lucky to be able to join in with these runs in such beautiful places.

It’s a super flat course so apart from the u-turns you could properly hammer out a fast time if you so wish. I was feeling good and surprised myself with a 28:35 finish time- not bad.

After finishing, I stayed around the area and cheered in the rest of the participants. The RD was making her rounds again, and was very taken by first my sunglasses (they are red with white spots- I call them my Minnie Mouse ones although they are not Disney ones) and she wanted to take a photo of them (hence my silly pose) and then she noticed my 100 shirt and was very impressed with that and wanted a photo of that too (only my hair was in the way at first).

The RD photos of my 100 top, a random one of me stood there and her taking a photo of my sunglasses! Plus the map of the course and the finish area.

Andy was going to get the train out to the lakeshore to meet me, and I had a bit of time before he was arriving, so I walked along to find the Pokemon drain cover (which I had seen on Nicola Runs on You Tube)- I am quite fascinated by all the different drain covers in Japan and have quite a collection of photos of them. While I was parkrunning I saw a few people head off the route to go to it (it’s beyond the first turnaround point) but I didn’t want to confuse the marshal and knew I had time at the end to walk back up.

Once Andy met me we walked around the shore of the lake a little more to the next train station. We came across an old castle that had also housed a museum for a while, found a little market selling amazing looking fruits and vegetables, and of course I found some more drain covers. After getting the train back it was time for a quick shower and then we headed back out for a day in Kyoto.

When my email came through and I looked on the 5k app it turned out I had achieved the Snakes challenge too (this must be the most random of challenges on there, it’s just 10 that begin with S). Of course the Voronoi map had to be looked at- this one gives you a very big chunk!

So that was parkrun 427 and location 145, and 29 in the tourist streak.

The following Saturday we were back in Tokyo, and close to Urayasushi sogo koen parkrun. However, we were flying to Hong Kong that day, and the bus going to the airport left the hotel at 9:45. Even though the parkrun starts at 8, it was a train journey plus bus (or walk) away, and it just wasn’t possible with the timings. I’d also had a bad cold that week so didn’t really feel up to running, and the thought of getting stuck on the way back and missing the bus to the airport was just too much. So I shall have to save that parkrun for the next time I go to Japan! I am so happy that I managed to visit two parkruns on my trip there though, both such enjoyable experiences, such friendly teams and such pretty places to run. parkrun tourism on holiday is such a bonus.

Shibamata koen kadan parkrun- Japan!

This was a parkrun I didn’t think I’d get to. It was also a last minute change of plans from my pencilled in plan of going to Urayasushi sogo koen parkrun (I even rewatched Nicola Runs video of this on the plane to prepare!)- our hotel at the end of our Japan trip was closer to Urayasushi park so Andy convinced me to go to a different one and save that one for the final Saturday.

Anyway, we stayed in the Ginza area of Tokyo this time, but after leaving home at lunch time on Thursday, having a 14 hour (delayed) flight to Hong Kong, a very panicked transfer and then over 4 hours flying to Tokyo, arriving late on the Friday night, I wasn’t sure I would make parkrun. After waking up at 3am and finally admitting defeat and getting up at 5, I decided to go for it. As this was our second trip to Japan, I felt more confident in using the train network and using google maps to help. Last time we arrived mid week and so I had a few days to get used to the system before heading off on my own (transport and directions are not my strong point). I had my Suica card on my phone already (you use it to pay for the journeys) and Andy helped me get the directions onto google maps so I was all set.

Shibamata koen kadan parkrun is a fairly new one in Tokyo (I was at event 62), and actually was super easy to get to from where we were staying. There are a few train stations in Ginza and one across the street from our hotel had a direct line to Keisei Takasago station, and it was then a 1.2 mile walk in along a straight (and very peaceful and pretty road) to where the parkrun started. (The road ends and you walk up some steps and then look down to the park alongside the river- the parkrun was visible from the top of the steps so it was very easy to find- the photo above top left shows the view from the parkrun start back up to the end of the road)

I arrived at around 7:30 (they start at 8) and could see the collection of high viz jackets from the end of the road as I looked down the steps. The name translates as Shibamata Park flowerbed parkrun which is just a gorgeous name- they are very proud that they have a photo in the regional parkrun calendar, and it seems that the flower beds along the route are often really colourful and well taken care of. As it was by the river it had some lovely views across the river, and plenty of greenery surrounding you as there was a wide strip with things like baseball parks there, plus a path for running and cycling, the big grass mound that went up to the road, and all the flower beds.

As I approached the start, one of the volunteers introduced himself- he was an English ex pat who had lived in Japan for 35 years. The other volunteers were very extremely friendly and straight away it felt like a community event (and not just one visited by tourists). The RD was doing her first stint in this role and was a bit nervous, but she was fabulous. They took loads of photos- of the volunteers, then of the first timers, then of everyone, and lots of people en route were taking photos too. There are no purple pop ups in Japan but they have these super banners with the event name on them, and here it was set up by the finish area and they were very keen for tourists to have their photos taken there, offering to take them for us. There were a few other British tourists and one guy from France (who spoke some Japanese which was super impressive). They also had little cards with QR codes on them linking to their facebook and instagram accounts as well as where the photos would be- they were very keen for everyone attending to have access to the photos. I think the banner I am holding says that we are the first timers? I was very worried about holding it upside-down but apparently it was correct.

They did their first timers welcome at 7:45, showing the route (it was a very simple out and back in two directions, basically like Hove Prom), and then the run brief was in Japanese and then English. They had some lovely touches like some little laminated milestone t-shirts for people to hold if they were doing a milestone. One person was doing his 25th milestone (see the photo above in the bottom right), and he looked very shy as he was gently encouraged to hold the card and have his photo taken. When I had finished he was given the card again to hold and everyone gave him a round of applause, and we were encouraged to pose for aa photo with him, and he seemed so genuinely happy.

After, they posted this on their facebook page (with facebook translating it from Japanese)- it’s a lovely sentiment and just shows how the community aspect of parkrun is as important as the running, and that this parkrun has really created a community:

A man in his 80’s who completed 25 runs 🎉👏
I learned about parkrun while attending a ground golf event near the parkrun venue
Since I first participated in the Kasumata Park Parkrun in March this year, I’ve participated almost every week without fail.
“”So much fun running with everyone””””
“”I’m not good at talking, and I’m often alone,
“I started participating in parkrun, and I’m slowly enjoying conversations with different people.” It was very impressive to see how he spoke those words with a smile☺️
Shai You Park flower bed parkrun が,
that it’s not just about running, it’s about connecting with people and finding new fun.
It’s a wonderful episode to feel again 🌿
Let’s keep enjoying our Saturday morning together!

That little paragraph sums up parkrun so perfectly- connecting with people, finding new fun and enjoying parkrun together. The whole experience made me feel so happy and while I was running I was having almost those “pinch me” moments where I just felt so lucky- to be running somewhere so pretty and so friendly, and having the whole of our trip stretched out in front of me.

I ended up running with another tourist who had been in Tokyo since the Tuesday, and on our way around we had so many cheers and smiles from the other runners and volunteers. As it was an out and back course, you passed lots of runners out on the course so it had such a friendly feel. At one point a runner heading in the other direction took a selfie with us in the background, smiling and laughing and cheering us on, as we did to her. It would be a super fast one but after not having much to drink the day before on the flights, and not much sleep, I was sensible and ran gently, taking loads of photos and enjoying the experience.

When we finished, a few of the volunteers told the runner that I was with that her husband had gone to get some breakfast, but as they were going to the cafe after and the team wanted to walk them there, they said they would wait which was so kind of them (he did get back as they finished packing away anyway but I am sure they would have happily waited as they were all so welcoming).

I took a few more photos with the banner after (as you do) and then some of the finish area, before I needed to start heading back.

I wasn’t going to the cafe as I was keen to get back so we could do some sightseeing together, but the cafe was on the way back to the station so I walked there with the team. I finished in around 32 mins and the final person finished in 42 mins so after I had had some water, taken a few photos and chatted a bit more (and applauded the guy for his 25 milestone) they were already packing the event away. I could have quite happily joined in with the parkfaff too.

So that was my 426th parkrun, my second in Japan (I went to Futakotamagawa in August 2024) and my 144th different location overall. It was also number 28 in my current tourist streak.

Anyway, I totally loved the event, it was so friendly, as well as being simple to navigate to. I would definitely recommend a visit there if you are in Tokyo as it had a local feel as well as being inviting for tourists.

Stanborough parkrun- Queen Of Herts regained and my Dad’s Cowell!

Stanborough parkrun started around a month ago, but due to various weekends away and parkrun touring, this was the week I managed to head there.

(Dad was keen to do his 100th different event soon, and we had originally planned Wendover Woods as a venue, but he had family coming over at 11am today so could not go far, which is why we went to WW last week and Stanborough this week)

Matching 100 tops for my dad, brother and me to celebrate!

It turned out to be an excellent week to visit, as loads of OH ladies were there, either volunteering or participating, and Branka and Holly could make this weekend so we planned brunch after as a belated birthday celebration for Holly.

As we were going out for brunch after, I took a rucksack with me as I wanted a jumper for after (and I was doing a tea swap with Branka), so the 2 mile run there was a bit of a run-walk where each time the rucksack got too annoying I would stop and walk! But it was lovely weather, not as cold as I was expecting, and I arrived nice and early at around 8:30. I think Stanborough is now marginally closer to home than Panshanger is, but I feel very lucky to have two events within running distance.

OH ladies pre parkrun and the three peas after!

The queue for the pop up was pretty big- I was called over for an OH ladies photo, but the rest of us decided to wait until after where it would be a bit quieter. Dad spoke to Jacqui (the RD) about his Cowell, but his name was already on the list (thanks to lovely Nicola- one of the ED’s -as she had already put his name down)- he was very chuffed to have his name mentioned at the start.

Soon the main briefing started (a big clap for my dad) and then we moved a few metres on to the start line. The course is very simple- 3 laps within the park:

Each lap began on a short slope, and then you were up running along a ridge with views down to the lake. I was regretting no sunglasses as the sun was shining right into my eyes as I ran up – not so easy to see the rabbit holes! You then turn right and have a lovely long gentle downhill, a sharp right (almost a u-turn) near the lake, and then run back along the bottom, finishing each lap with a gentle incline.

It really didn’t feel that the uphill matched the downhills in this route. It is all on grass, so after a few weeks of rain it will be more muddy and slippery, but this week was pretty perfect as it was firm enough that you were not sliding about, but not hard rutted earth that can be sore on the ankles.

I run through this park a lot on my runs anyway, but wasn’t expecting to like the course as much as I did. Of course the weather helped- it was a glorious autumnal day. But what really made it for me was all the people- I saw so many OH ladies (and hangers on e.g. partners/ family members), and it almost reminded me of Ellenbrook Fields as I felt like I was among friends.

I ran with Dad, a little way behind my brother, and had a good catch up. We considering the number of people participating (351) we didn’t see too many people overtaking us on our second (and their third) lap, however that was probably down to us chatting as we knew one of the barcode scanners was running first (hi Tim) and didn’t notice him passing us! If you were being overtaken on the ridge it is a bit narrow there, but we were down in the main part of the park where the paths were very wide so there was plenty of space.

After finishing, we took a few photos to celebrate his 100th location, but then they had to head off. Once the three peas had all finished, we visited the purple pop up together, and the started making our way into town for brunch. After Holly changed her shoes (a good idea- mine were muddy but I didn’t want to carry trainers in the rucksack too), Branka drove into town while Holly and I jogged up there. If you are thinking of visiting, the town centre is around a mile and a half from Stanborough, and after running uphill to the Gosling sports centre it’s a flat route from there and was very enjoyable to run and chat. There were a few potential brunch locations, and we opted for Megan’s. They do delicious vegan pancakes so I was a happy bunny, and they even brought out a birthday brownie for Holly! Holly was keen to see the Knife Angel sculpture (pictured below) as it is touring the country and will be in WGC until the end of October, so there was plenty to do during parkfaff time. A police officer said it would be going into storage after this month (I guess no town centres want it next to their Christmas trees) but would probably be back out touring in the spring.

All in all it was such a happy morning spent with friends and family- the best kind of parkrunday.

Pancakes, the knife angel and the fountain that is pink for breast cancer awareness month.

Voronoi update:

So that was parkrun 424 for me, and location 143. Queen of Herts is again achieved after having a gap when Stanborough started, and I am on event 26 of my tourist streak. I would very happily go back there, so it’s fab to now have two events that are so close. If you are visiting and planning on driving, I would recommend that you look closely at the parking information on the course page, as you need to register in advance via a link on their page or send an email (again the address is listed on the page) to avoid being charged for an entire day.

Up next? Well, I have one more week here before a bit more travelling, so of course now the temptation is to go to another event (not already in the streak)- local ones that are not already within my streak include Stevenage, Westmill, Leavesden, Henlow Bridge Lakes… But I might decide that going to a local one with friends will end up being more enjoyable and easier!

Who knows! Are you good at planning ahead or do you just see what you fancy each week?

Wakehurst parkrun- en route to Brighton

We had to be in Brighton for Sunday evening for a comedy show, but at the last minute we decided to head down on the Saturday and spend the weekend there. After thinking we’d head down after I’d been to parkrun, Andy suggested leaving early (to beat the traffic) and doing a parkrun on the way instead. I’d seen Wakehurst parkrun mentioned a few times and liked the look of it, and it had parking and a cafe on site so Andy would have things to look at while I ran, so at 7am on Saturday, off we went. Wakehurst Gardens are a bit like a National Trust place, in that it’s paid entry, but they are linked with Kew Gardens. Our NT cards got us free entry, but the parking is free for parkrunners until 11am, and then after that NT members have to pay.

The journey was great (we have driven to Brighton later on Saturdays before and been stuck in a lot of traffic) and we arrived just after 8:30 so I headed off to find the toilets and start area. Because it doesn’t open until later, there were signs out saying you had to stick to the parkrun route, but the route covers a lot of the grounds so I felt like I saw a lot. The cafe didn’t open until 9am so Andy didn’t head over until after the parkrun had started, but if we went there again I think he’d come to the start area as there were people hanging around.

The start is right by the mansion house, dwarfed by an enormous redwood tree. Next to it is the stump of another redwood that had to be cut down as it was damaged in a storm- seeing the side of the cross section of the trunk was amazing, and it made for some good pop up photos!

I was at event 74, and I think they still get a fair amount of tourists because at the first timers welcome the volunteer said they’d explain the route during the main briefing, so only brand new parkrunners needed to attend. It’s two laps and very well marshalled and signed though so fairly self explanatory.

They did some seeding at the start with volunteers holding up signs (eg 28-35 minute finish times) as the paths were fairly narrow.

I really loved this parkrun as there was so much to see on the way around- all the autumnal colours were appearing and you ran through a range of different gardens.

I wasn’t expecting it to be quite so undulating though! We were warned of a hill that was “worse in the second lap” but I think all of it apart from the section by the mansion house was either uphill or downhill.

After finishing and scanning I met up with Andy at the finish area (a quick photo by the tree) and we headed in to the cafe.

The queue wasn’t that long but the wait was. It looked like an NT cafe with a fridge with ready made sandwiches, stands with cakes (not personally a fan of the help yourself in these types of cafes after seeing the handles of the tongs touching the food etc), hot drinks and some hot food including croissants. They had labels on some items, but not others, so I wasn’t sure what was vegan, so I opted for a tea (I had packed breakfast with me in case). The wait to place our order was probably 15 minutes, and then after ordering the wait was probably that again. I’d bought a change of clothes with me, so after waiting for a bit, I changed in the toilets, came back, and Andy was still waiting for our drinks. We were keen to have a look around the gardens after, but I think it was around 10:20 by the time we had our drinks. They seemed to have a lot of staff there, but maybe it’s busier in one go than it would be usually at other times of the day?

We had time for a quick walk around some of the other gardens (and of course a look in the shop) before heading back to the car for the final part of the journey into Brighton. We’d both go back for a longer visit as you could definitely spend a long time there- both exploring the gardens and visiting the Millennium seed bank.

As it was a new location, it kept my tourist streak going for another week- that was the 24th different one visited without repeating.

That was parkrun 422, and my 142nd location. It was a satisfying chunk on the map too!

Below are a few photos from Brighton- of course walks by the sea were enjoyed (as well as a nearly 12 mile run on the Sunday morning), lots of delicious food, and the comedy show on the Sunday evening. Combining parkrun with a weekend away is the best kind of parkrun tourism for me.