parkrun tourism - Maria Runs

Some repeats but keeping a tourist streak!

For the last couple of Saturdays, I’ve repeated events rather than visited new ones.

Cassiobury parkrun

First up was my 4th time going to Cassiobury, with a few club mates. Cassiobury is in a huge park in Watford, and it’s fast and flat. I think when St Albans switched to a more cross country route, people who preferred the flatter paths headed over there instead, as they regularly get big numbers. The week we were there, they ended up with their highest attendance of 783!

They had a pacer event going on, and later on that day there was a Pride celebration in the park, so some people were running in rainbow outfits, carrying flags etc.

I didn’t think I’d be near by pb here, so decided to run on feel and enjoy it, which turned out to be a good decision as it was quite busy at the start and took a while to thin out enough for me to feel like I could settle into my own speed. The route starts on grass and heads onto tarmac paths, where you do nearly 3 laps. As it narrows to the path quickly, you do get a bit of a bottleneck but after about half a lap it was OK.

(Inspired by Branka I have used Canva to make some collages rather than the regular ones!)

I really enjoyed it- for a large event they manage to retain a friendly and welcoming feel, and there were lots of walkers out completing the course too. Now, this did’t bother me, but despite them operating a double funnel, when I came to finish I had to queue to get into the finish funnel- probably for around 40 seconds which doesn’t sound like much, but if you are following a pacer to get a certain time and you make it, but then have to wait for that time, it would be frustrating. The team were doing as much as possible to move people into the funnels (and move people on within them) but the sheer volume of people meant it had backed up over the line and was just getting busier and busier. A few people around me were making quite snide comments at the volunteers which was disappointing to hear- I made sure I thanked them and moved up as much as possible once our side of the funnel got going.

It was my 415th parkrun, and I got token 416! So close! I did get token 200 on my 200th so maybe I’ve used that coincidence already!

Irchester Country parkrun

The following week I went to Irchester Country parkrun for a second time. The first time I went with Dad, and it was the final week of parkrun before they paused for covid, so it had a weird feel, with people wondering how close they should be to each other. I completed my UK parkrun alphabet (as there is no Z in the UK), and I remember really enjoying the route, so when a few club mates said they were heading there, I decided to join them. We arrived super early, having slightly overestimated the drive time, so we were in the car park before even the car park marshals turned up! There are a few car parks there- the higher one (that we parked in) is right by the road, but if you keep driving in, you will drive down a short hill and be directed to park by the start/finish area. We walked and it was not far- less than half a mile- but it would have been handy to leave bags in the car.

The start and finish are in a slightly different place too- the course is a lollypop shape- basically out past the finish, run a loop, then run back, but the run back is a little shorter as you pass the finish on the way. They had some large bags to leave belongings in, that would be carried to the finish area, so we left our bags in there, but if I went again I’d use the lower car park and leave my bag in the boot instead.

They also have a lovely culture of walking, and this week were advertising that someone was going to walk the course and tell the people with her about the park too. The park as a whole is really interesting as it used to be a quarry and there is a museum about the railway that ran through it too. There were 287 participants were there that day- a bit different to the previous week! It doesn’t feel busy- you had to keep to one side (left I think?) as on the out and back section the front runners were heading back while the majority were still heading out, but the paths are super wide as you can see in the photos, so it wasn’t an issue.

When I finished, I spotted Mary, who used to write a blog about her running, and particularly her ultra running experiences. She’s on instagram (@ahealthiermoo)- I had messaged the day before with a few questions- and we had chatted last time I went but with the approaching pandemic had not chatted for long! It was lovely to catch up and chat about parkruns, ultras (well, two of the people from my club who came along are quite into ultras so that was more them than me)- and to hear about how they don’t even use the parkwalker vests at Irchester because they have so many walkers already.

After chatting for a bit, I went to join the rest of the OH crew- they were at the cafe already and had got a picnic table in the shade. The cafe was more of a hatch serving food and drinks, and I was impressed that they did a vegan sausage roll, pasty and some sort of chocolate slice thing. Of course the main thing was that they did oat milk for tea! (I had breakfast before I left and had packed a cereal bar to enjoy with my tea). We spent a while sitting in the shade of the trees before it was time to start the drive back home again.

I was so glad that I’d been encouraged to go back though – I love a one lap course and this one through the woods is just so gorgeous. A bit like Panshanger but much flatter! When I was leaving home before 7am I did briefly wonder why I was going, but it was great fun to be there and of course we had lots of chats in the car too.

I’m now up to 416 parkruns, so if I do around 40 parkruns a year I am pretty close to a 2 year countdown to the 500 club! It sounds close but it really isn’t. Up next will be some more tourism. I noticed in the 5K app that my tourist streak is now at 18 (this is the number of events in a row you have been to without repeating)- this goes back to my North Walsham visit back in April. I think the highest I’ve noticed before was 12, and I didn’t really think I’d get higher than that, but you can repeat events, just not repeat events within the streak if that makes sense. So maybe I will see if I can keep that going a bit longer as I’ve got some definite tourism plans this weekend and at the start of October which will be good to incorporate into the streak.

Harrow Lodge parkrun (not in Harrow)

This past weekend had been earmarked as a tourist trip with Branka, and Dad was also keen to come along, and so after looking at a few of our nearest (it’s all relative) options, we decided to head to Harrow Lodge parkrun, in Hornchurch. Confusingly, there is actually a Harrow parkrun, in Harrow, which I have been to with the OH ladies, so if you are going there make sure you check the correct course page! A fellow With Me Now listener and parkrun friend Rory is on the core team there, so it was good to know that we could meet up with him too.

We had a bit of a staged transport operation as my brother had also decided to come, with Branka driving to me and then me driving from there, my Dad picking up my brother and driving to Cheshunt, and then we picked them up and travelled most of the way together. There was lots of car parking available at the leisure centre (and toilets), and Rory very helpfully sent a little video showing which direction to walk once parked (aim towards the tall buildings). It’s a bit more than half a mile through the park, and although the route goes past that car park, we didn’t see any parkrun route signs as we walked, so we were relieved to see some high viz jackets as we got closer to the bottom of the park.

Pop up photos taken after- in the background you can see a small car park but that was full and the official course page asks you to use the leisure centre. We had to get a photo of the two of us for our new “three peas in a parkrun” insta page that we have created for Branka, Holly and I.

As we got there, they had just started the first timers welcome, but as it was one lap (hooray!) it was really a case of following the person in front for us (the first two finishers were first timers here though). We were reminded that there were lots of dogs in the park, but according to the volunteer, they were all friendly and we could stroke a dog on our way around if we wished (which seemed a little bit of a strange comment) and then we were on to the main briefing. It was concise and clear, and then the timers counted us off.

The run was really enjoyable with so much variety to run past- a few football pitches and that sort of thing, but also wilder scrubland, small wooded areas and some lovely shady patches. I really liked their direction signs, which seemed to be permanent, and showed the direction you had to go by the way the arrow curved. We saw a few of the marshals a couple of times(as you pass the same part but in a different direction) and it was all really friendly. I always love a one lap course, and it seemed to fly by, with my dad saying to me things like “we must have gone 1km by now” and then me checking my watch and seeing that we were nearly half way! As it was a bit twisty you could not look at the same view for very long, which I think added to the variety and enjoyment.

*A few photos from the run and the briefing*

It wasn’t flat, but it was not hilly either- a few slopes and undulations here and there. Most of the course was on grass (or just dusty paths after all the dry weather) with a few short sections of tarmac, so I was fine in road shoes but after any sort of rain I would think trail shoes would be needed. I could imagine that it would be very muddy in the winter!

Check out the parkrun signs!

Once finished we scanned, took pop up photos and chatted to Rory for a bit.

Rory-Branka-Me-My brother, and then Rory-Branka-Me for the With Me Now crew!

We looked in the cafe but there wasn’t anything vegan that I could see- I didn’t mind if other people had food (as I could just buy a drink) but the queue was quite long and didn’t move while we tried to decide, so in the end we headed back to the car. The journey back home wasn’t too bad either, maybe five minutes longer than the way, and with the M25 that was very impressive as so often it feels like the journey to parkrun is OK and then the journey home takes ages.

So that was parkrun 414 for me, and location 138. Another one towards Lon-done too.

The voronoi map was very satisfying too- compared to some of the London ones it was a nice big chunk- we noticed that there are 3 stacked above each other- Ingrebourne Hill below, and Raphael above, so both of those will be added to the list as they should be fairly easy journeys.

Up next? No concrete plans- my dad is now on 95 different locations so his cowell will be at some point in the autumn, and of course I will do some more touring, but nothing is in my calendar at the moment.

A revisit to Clermont Waterfront parkrun (Florida)

I was in Florida for a family holiday (11 of us), and happily we had one Saturday spare, so parkrun was on the agenda for me.

Compared to the UK where we have so many close by, the parkruns in the USA are spread very thinly- it always amuses me to open the 5K app and look at the NENDY list on there- the next event can be hundreds of miles away. This meant a revisit to Clermont Waterfront parkrun, but I was very happy to go back there.

I first attended this location in 2022 (reclaiming my USA flag, which had gone from my profile after Crissy Fields ceased), and really enjoyed the out and back course by the lake.

In 2023, I went there again, and this time ran their B course, as the main course was being used for a triathlon (this totally panicked me, as we drove in at about 7:10 and I could see the path was thick with runners so I worried that it was in fact a 7am start rather than 7:30). The B course was two laps away from the lake, under trees and between scrubland and bushes, and I was daydreaming and managed to get lost on the second lap!

*View of the sunrise over the lake right by the start area*

This time, there were no dramas. I had looked online and saw that the triathlon was being held on the Sunday, so I wouldn’t need to worry about that, and of course I double and triple checked that it started at 7:30am. We were staying in a Disney resort, and it’s a fair way (around 45 min drive)- it would be a long uber/lyft and I am not sure how easy it would be to get one back after the event. There are no public transport options at all, and I was very glad that Andy had agreed to drive, as I am not the most confident driver when following directions. When we arrived there was a bit of a queue to enter the car park, so I hopped out and popped to the toilet block while he found a parking space. I then had time to wander around, walk to the lake to take some sunrise photos, listen to the welcome and the main briefing, and take a few pre-run photos of the start area. One of the Australian boomerangs was there, but they had already handed it over to the next family when I got there- I did consider asking for a picture but it was being looked after by some kids so I didn’t feel it was appropriate.

First timers welcome and the main briefing- the parkrun flag is by the road and car park entrance so it’s very clear when you arrive where you need to go. I love all the Spanish moss hanging down from the trees too.

I did feel sorry for one of the volunteers who was tasked with keeping people to one side of the walking/cycle track, as there were loads of members of public out walking/running/cycling who were not part of parkrun, and during the briefing it got very crowded around there.

It was a prompt start, and it felt a little crowded while everyone settled in to their pace. I overtook lots of walkers, and had to weave around a bit before I found a place to settle into. It wasn’t surprising- the previous week they had a course record of 274 people attending, and this week was just shy of that with 264. The paths by the lake are lovely and wide, with cycle and walking tracks for each direction, clearly painted on the floor, so after the initial section there was plenty of space. The sun was up just before 7, there were beautiful views across the lake with the early morning sunlight, some of the path was shaded with big trees, and there was lots to look at (boats on the water, bird boxes along the shore, facilities such as play parks).

*Top right is the slope down to the turnaround point. There are a few signs on the route, as a few points the path splits so you just follow the signs. There was a marshal at the u-turn.*

I had been in Florida for a couple of weeks by this point, and had been out running every 2 or 3 days, so I was more acclimatised to the heat and humidity, and I think that helped as I managed to push on and keep up quite a high pace. Near the turnaround point there is a slope which you run down on the way out, so I walked back up that on the way back and I think that helped to power me through.

*They have so many flags fluttering by the finish line- I got a photo soon after finishing, and then went hunting for the sign to hold.* Note the two buffs to help with the humidity situation! I usually just have one!

I had looked at my previous times on the 5K app, so when I finished in just over 30 minutes I knew it should be a course pb, as my previously fastest time was nearly 33 mins.

*Course pb sign, and some of the other signs available*

This turned out to be lucky, as when I finished I went looking for their little photo prop signs. They have them for each milestone, and also ones that say “I ran at Clermont parkrun”- I got that one, asked someone to take a photo and was then congratulated by them- I realised after that the signs were double sided but said different things on the reverse, so where I thought I was holding the general “I ran here” sign, I was actually holding a “I got a pb” sign.

*Bespoke token holder, photos (which I need to look at…), the parkrun flag by the path and all the flags at the finish funnel.*

As is always the case, if you hover by the pop up sign, you will end up chatting to other tourists, so of course I ended up finding some people who were fairly local to me, and one of them had managed an all time pb there! That is impressive. It is hard to describe the humidity until you experience it, but I could not take a selfie because my phone was slipping out of my hand- I was glad I had brought a towel for the car seat on the way back!

So that was parkrun 413 for me, and my 3rd at Clermont. I love touring, but it was so enjoyable to visit somewhere that I had been already- I knew where the car park/toilets/start areas were, I knew the route, and as it was so scenic it was just wonderful to be running alongside the lake. One I would happily return to again.

Are you happy to revisit or if you are touring do you like to go to a new parkrun each time?

Egham Orbit parkrun for Branka’s Cowell!

I’ve been touring a fair bit recently, and this weekend was no different. Branka was achieving her Cowell (100 different parkrun events) and wanted to go to Egham as it was near to her uni. Dad was keen to come too as he is closing in on his Cowell too (this was his 93rd event), and after enjoying the trip last week, Mum came along too.

Holly and Branka were going to meet us there, but of course the weather forecast was not playing ball, with flash flooding and lightning predicted. I had originally planned to pick up my parents as they are on the way to the M25, but I asked Dad to drive so that I could check my phone in the car, as if Egham cancelled we would divert elsewhere. Dad was a bit apprehensive about us travelling that far when I got there, as he was (understandably) worried about flash flooding, but as the rain had not been too heavy by that time, and the lightning wasn’t then due until the afternoon, after a message from Holly about how the roads were OK, he was happy to go for it. The journey was OK, with some spray from vehicles and a few slower sections but nothing like we had expected.

The parking is next to the leisure centre, with friendly marshals pointing you to the overflow car park. The course page mentions that you have to cross a level crossing, which may be closed for up to ten minutes, so definitely factor that into your journey time. As we exited the motorway we could see the section of red road on google maps, but by the time we got there is was back to being blue, so it must have been closed during that time.

There are toilets in the leisure centre, but only 2 cubicles, so there was a bit of a queue which meant we missed some of the first timers welcome. Never mind, the RD (who was brilliant, very engaging) had us all chant “three, three, nearly two” to help us remember the laps. I was pretty convinced that I would get lost or go wrong, but it was fairly simple. At one point I ran past the start/finish area, and carried on straight (as there was a cone there) before realising I had to go right and go around the perimeter of the field, but with the volunteers there I don’t think they would have let me go off the route.

The first 3 laps were anti-clockwise laps of the field by the leisure centre, you then went under the motorway (through the “party tunnel”) and then did 3 clockwise laps of a little wooded area, before going back through the tunnel and doing basically 2 laps of the leisure centre field again. The “nearly” aspect is because you come out of the tunnel part of the way around the field. Dad quite liked that we did both clockwise and anti-clockwise laps, just like the M25 that we passed under. It was strange to hear the constant hum of the traffic- it really was quite noisy even with the thick row of trees between the park and the motorway.

*A few mid-run photos and then the three of us by the pop up at the end with our 100 shirts to celebrate!* *In the top left pic you might be able to make out the little umbrella covering the phone.*

I ran with Holly, with Dad going off ahead (not on purpose but he is a bit quicker and so naturally ended up further ahead), and Branka was parkwalking with one of her friends, Adam. I thought we would see them more during the course, but we passed them during our third lap of the first field, and that was all. Apparently Branka saw us at one point but we were too busy chatting (sounds about right). I only saw Dad when he had finished and we were doing our final lap of the leisure centre.

The first three laps had quite wide paths, so being overtaken was OK, but the wooded section was very narrow. I thought that we would have been finished being overtaken by that point, but in the woods we still had people coming up behind us, and we still overtook a few people too.

For a lapped course (and basically nearly 8 laps) it did not feel repetitive, and I agreed with Holly who said she enjoyed it a lot more than she had expected to. It was flat apart from a little downhill slope on the leisure centre laps, the wooded section had some tree roots to look out for, and there would be some shade on a hot day. The event team really shone though, they were all so friendly and this really added to the occasion.

The scene at the start as we walked from the car park/ token/ pop up and one of the helpful signs out on the course

After the horrendous forecast, the weather actually wasn’t too bad. There was some rain, but it wasn’t heavy for the most part. After I had scanned, I ended up chatting to Shelley, who I know on Insta (another With Me Now pod connection- and I saw later on that her friend Kel was also there), and then we saw Branka and Adam coming around so decided to join them on their final lap. I made sure I moved way over a long time before the finish funnel, but the timer volunteer still called over to me to check I had meant to avoid the funnel. (Side note- as mentioned above, the timer had a mini umbrella to cover the phone which was total genius!)

We chatted for a bit longer with some of the volunteers, and then headed into Egham for brunch. The leisure centre cafe looked nice (nicer than the one at Jubilee) but it was mainly coffee and cake, and we wanted breakfast food, so the Liberto Lounge had been chosen. It’s around half a mile away, so you could leave your car and walk in, but it was raining heavily by this point and so we drove and parked in the Tesco (this was what one of the volunteers recommended when we asked).

Leisure centre lap, the woods section, breakfast and everyone heading off at the start.

If you’ve not been, the Lounge chains are really good for mixed parties, as you scan a QR code at the table and order and pay, (or you can order at the bar)- this means no worries about splitting the bill or anything like that. They also have an entire vegan menu, and are good at catering for different dietary requirements. I opted for the avocado on toast, tea with oat milk, and I loved that the jug came with a little oat milk sticker on it as this is one of the things I am most paranoid about.

Holly and I gave Branka a Cowell notch (a gold one, as apparently that is rules!) to mark the occasion. It’s been fun to join in with so many of their touring adventures. We spent ages chatting (mainly about parkrun touring but also other topics), and later on were joined by Branka’s friend Ruth, who had been token sorting. It was a lovely laid back morning, and it had even stopped raining by the time we walked back to the car!

So that was my 412th parkrun, and 137th location. It doesn’t count towards the Lon-DONE challenge, but it does count towards the Lon-DONE+ (which is all the parkruns with a section of the voronoi map inside the M25…. yes those challenges are quite specific!). It does give me another nice purple chunk- you can see I am less likely to visit the parkruns close to Heathrow!

After, before- *That purple patch is gradually working south*

Up next- a holiday, so a few Saturdays will be parkrun-less for me, but I am hoping to repeat one while I am away (no new events).

Jubilee parkrun, Bedford

Last week I headed off to a fairly new parkrun in Bedford, Jubilee parkrun. Dad was keen to go to a new (to him) event, and while I am happy to repeat, this was event 4 so we thought it would be OK to visit. Mum wanted to come along too, so they picked me up on the way.

Our journey was a little longer than we had originally anticipated, and the parking is not right by the start (it says a 6 min walk on the website) so that was adding to my panic somewhat. I had consoled myself with the fact that if we miss the welcome, we can still be there in time for the main briefing, there is probably some chat about milestones, visitors etc, and of course we can take photos at the end.

Finding the start was simple as there was a long stream of runners heading from the car park, across the road and down an alleyway, and at the end of the alleyway we saw the start area. The main briefing was already going ahead, and as we said goodbye to Mum we were called to the start- they literally said go at 8:59 on my watch- be warned!

The route was three laps, with one being slightly longer as you ran an extra bit through the centre of the park, the other two laps just going around the outside. It was pretty flat, and although it seemed busy during the briefing, the course didn’t feel congested at all, even with the lapping that goes on. That week there were 366 people taking part, but the course was definitely OK to cope with large numbers.

It was such a varied park, with lots of facilities (apart from benches which Mum pointed out after!). Some of the route was shaded as we ran along some tree-lined paths, but around half was in the baking sun- it was hot last Saturday! One of the volunteers had a super soaker and was offering to spray it as we ran past- they put up this photo after and Dad and I were just behind – I thought it was a great action shot!

As it was a lapped course and Mum had followed the volunteers the short walk from the start to the finish, we passed her chatting away on each lap. She had been chatting to someone from the core team about how under used the park was, and so they actively encouraged a parkrun to be there to increase visitors. It was a lovely park and there were loads of houses surrounding it within walking distance, so hopefully the parkrun will alert locals to their facilities.

A few scenes from the parkrun

After finishing we stood in the shade of a huge tree for ages, cooling down, stretching and drinking water, before scanning and taking photos- there was a long queue for the pop up even by this time!

Pop up pics with both parents

Then it was time to walk back to the car. We popped in to the leisure centre to check out the cafe, but it was very tiny, with no free tables, and from what we could see just a few pre-packaged food items, so we decided to look for a nearby garden centre in the hope of something more substantial. Luckily I’d packed some breakfast with me as the cafe where we went lacked any clarity in the options that it served and was a bit, shall we say disorganised? (One of several incidents- I tried to order a tea with oat milk- the guy serving me asked me if I could check the shelf to see the price, and when I could not find a price – for the tea- he didn’t know how to put it through the till, and then could not find the oat milk and rummaged around in various bins (?) under the counter trying to find an odd one before telling me he was giving up looking)

Anyway, we had a relaxed time there before driving back home.

That was parkrun 411, and location 136, and I am back to have been to all the parkruns in Beds.

Up next- another new venue! And then a bit of a break with some holiday time coming up.