parkrun - Maria Runs

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.

Preston Park in Brighton to celebrate a Cowell!

As you may well know, I will never pass up an opportunity to go to Brighton, so when Holly said that she wanted to celebrate her Cowell (100 different parkrun events) in Preston Park in Brighton, I was very happy to tag along.

Holly and Branka had the Friday off, so headed down in the day – they were staying at a different hotel to me so I would meet them in the morning. Andy got the train from home, and I drove from work (as work is close to the M25 so I am part of the way there). Of course Friday traffic wasn’t great but I got in around 7pm, so time for us to order a pizza (Purezza- so good) and then enjoy a breezy walk by the sea.

The weather had been to hot locally, but in Brighton there was a lovely cool breeze so it was actually really enjoyable to cool down for a bit.

In the morning I jogged the mile from our hotel to Preston Park, arriving just after Holly and Branka. We had all worn our 100 milestones shirts in celebration!

Pop up pics to celebrate 100 different events!

Pop up photos, chatting, first timers welcome and before we knew it, it was 9! I decided to line up around the 28 minute mark as it’s a fast course, and I was pleased to finish in 28:12.

That was my 9th time there and just as enjoyable- it is a busy course now but the paths are wide and you don’t have a long time with runners passing you on their final laps.

*A few pics from the event as usual- token, pop up and the busy start area.*

We didn’t chat for too long after finishing, as I had an 11 o’clock check out and wanted to have a shower before we met for brunch. I had a bit of a dramatic jog back, as I passed a domestic disturbance outside some flats (with a lady and two kids shouting and crying that this guy in their flats had tried to hit her)- I ended up calling the non-emergency police number as I was not sure if she was on the phone to the police at that time too- it turned out not so then police were dispatched- I was glad I had called but it did make for a bit of a panic jog back to the hotel when I finally got off the phone. In the end I got back at 10:30 so I didn’t have long to shower and pack!

Then the three of us met up in Bill’s for brunch, where I found that they do vegan pancakes so of course that is what I had. We spent ages chatting about parkrun (and life, parkrun adventurer style), as always so good to spend time together catching up and making plans.

Holly and Branka were getting a train back after lunch, whereas I was staying all day, so after a little wander around the shops they headed off and I met up with Andy for our typical Brighton Saturday- a walk by the beach towards Hove, Bird and Blend visits and dinner at Oowee before driving back home.

What a fab 24 hours in Brighton!

Next weekend is a non-parkrun weekend as I am off to DLP, but after that I have a few more bits of touring to fit in before the summer holidays.

Beckton parkrun- a hidden gem

Sometimes I head to a parkrun specifically because it’s meant to be a pretty one, or a flat one, but other times it just happens to be the closest one. This weekend was one of the latter- I was meeting up with Holly and Branka at Beckton parkrun. I was in London on the Friday night seeing Pulp, Branka was in London going to an exhibition, and Holly had a very early start to come and meet us! Beckton was chosen as it was the closest to where Branka was staying, and of course I am always happy to work on Lon-done!

I was not particularly relishing the journey there, as I struggle a bit with navigating on the DLR. On the Friday night I got the train straight from work, and met Andy there- our hotel was close to London Bridge station which meant an easy journey to get to the O2 for Pulp, and then theoretically the morning journey would have been a jog to a station, then the DLR. However, on Friday night when I checked what time I’d need to leave, I found out that the section of the DLR that I needed was closed on Saturday. Hooray. This meant a jubilee line to Canning Town, then a change to the DLR. I had given myself plenty of time, as the DLR trains were only every 10 minutes, and had time to find the platform. I met someone else at Canning Town who said he was going to parkrun too, so we helped each other look for the platform (as it at first told us to go to platform 2, but then screens there were giving conflicting information and it seemed we needed platform 4, which was very well hidden)- I ended up sprinting up the escalator behind him as we found where the platform was, and luckily he looked to the right as we got to the top of the stairs as the train was there, just further down the platform. I would have missed it had I been on my own! I chatted to him briefly but then he got off earlier (along with a load of other people in parkrun milestone tops) so I think he was actually going to Victoria Dock.

Branka and Holly were already in the park, and sent me their location so I could meet them- it was a very short walk from the DLR station so at least if I had missed that train I would have still made the start.

Anyway, after all that wittering, let’s get to the actual parkrun!

At first glance, Beckton parkrun didn’t look like anything out of the ordinary- a regular small park, a little concrete building with the team unloading all their kit, the pop up next to a road with nothing particularly scenic around it. During the first timers welcome they mentioned a wildflower meadow and a sculpture that you could run through if you wished, so it sounded varied and interesting. We got our pop up photos before the start, and then after hanging our things on the railings of trust (we did think of something with alliteration but I cannot remember what…) it was time to go to the start. The main briefing was succinct and quick, and then we were off.

The course was three laps, but near the end of the final lap you turned left rather than right, to head into the finish area, so the third lap is slightly different at the end.

Start by the playground/ pop up sign/ the sculpture we ran through/ smiley tree

It was so pretty! The sun came out as we started running, and we got to run through wildflower meadows, past (and through) the wooden sculpture, past community flower beds, over a little bridge, past logs carved into animals… honestly it was just so pretty. There was even a tree trunk with a smiley face! The whole team were so friendly and welcoming- it’s a parkrun that gets small numbers but if I lived locally I would love to go there each week. It’s flat, and I can imagine it would be muddy in the winter as some of it was on grass, but some was on paths and the mud doesn’t bother me anyway.

Community gardens/ bridge by the animal sculptures/ playing fields/ wooded part

I ran with Holly and we had a lovely catch up, and just enjoyed the scenery.

Finish token with their storage building in the background/ Wildflower meadows/ pop up at the end/ view from the bridge

When we finished they had moved the pop up into the shade, with a more scenic background of the trees, so we got a post parkrun picture too- luckily not zoomed in too much so you cannot see how red my face was- it was a hot morning!

Course:

We didn’t hang about for too long after- Branka and Holly were going back to get some breakfast whereas I had to get back on the DLR (just about managed the change on the way back) to shower and check out of our hotel. But I would definitely recommend a visit there and would happily go back if I was close by.

Voronoi update- (after then before)- filling in those gaps!

And the all important stats- parkrun 408

Location 135

Lon-done is now over 50% with me having visited 33 out of 65 London parkruns (of course that number will keep going up)

Next up- a local one at the weekend, but then a few more tourism plans in the next month or so.

Have you been to a parkrun that surprised you in this way?

Haga parkrun in Stockholm, Sweden

As mentioned in my previous post, I was in the nordics and aiming to do the special extra parkrun on Ascension Day, which this year fell on the Thursday of May half term- perfect! We’d arrived in Stockholm on the Tuesday evening, so I had plenty of time to explore the city.

I had opted to go to Haga on the Thursday, as this was the most central one. It was around 4km from the hotel we stayed in (again by the central station), and as public transport didn’t seem to go directly there, I thought I’d go for a parkrun sandwich, running there and back.

As same as in Finland, the parkruns in Sweden started at 9:30, and again, I checked and double checked this many times! I left the hotel at 8:30 and ran/walked there. As there was a big road without footpaths right by the park, the maps took me to the west of the park before curving over to the park. It was 2.7 miles, so a nice warm up, and a lot of it was along one main straight road. (But remember this for my journey back…)

My route there:

As I arrived into the park I could see the pop up and high viz vests right away, so I was relived, as with a big park you never quite know where the start will be, and whether it will be obvious or not, but this one was easy to find once there.

*Frame photos and a few of photos of the route*, *plus the most enthusiastic marshal ever.*

There were already lots of tourists there, and as I got to the park (at about 9:10) they called the first timers welcome, although it turned out that they did a few of these, so as I missed the start of this one, I went back to another one- done excellently by the RD who spoke in Swedish and then English for us all. He explained that as it was a holiday, lots of Swedes would be in their summer homes, and in the main briefing after calling out some tourists, called for a show of hands for local runners, which got a big laugh.

The route was fairly simple- run out of the park into the forest, complete two laps of the forest and then run back to the start/finish area. One side was uphill and then as you ran towards the lake it was downhill, but with beautiful views. It reminded me of Panshanger in a way, although that is one lap, because of the up and down nature, and running through woods and by the lake.

Map

I did briefly think I was lost as when I first entered the park there were two marshals, including the most enthusiastic one (he was literally leaping up and down, cheering everyone, running alongside runners and then running back to his spot and then repeating this!). When I got back to them after my first lap, they had split up, and I thought that the other marshal had moved forwards to a later point, so when I got to the liveliest one, I thought I’d need to turn back to the start. However I was following some other runners and they kept on going. I even briefly got out maps on my phone but it wouldn’t show me in enough detail, so I decided to keep going. I then found the other marshal, so it turns out that the one I thought had moved hadn’t. That sounds confusing, but basically after stopping and then going a bit more, I found the exit to the loop to go back to the finish.

It was such a beautiful course, and perfect to have so much shade on such a hot day.

The copper tents were at the top of the hill, and then as you looked down you could see the water.

After finishing I stood around for ages, mainly chatting to other tourists and hearing about their plans for the upcoming Saturday. Some of them sounded disappointed for me that I wasn’t going to another nordic one (as we came home on the Friday) but I had wanted to run in Finland, and now Sweden was my final nordic country (having already run in Denmark and Norway), so I was pleased to have achieved that and also attended a special event. I loved the feel of it- everyone was so excited and there was so much chat and taking photos and just enjoying the atmosphere of the event.

After a few more photos I decided to start heading back. Now, this below may look like the same map, but it is very much not! First of all, maps wanted me to leave the park by the south exit. This was where the majority of parkrunners were going, so I figured that there must be an exit. Wrong. There was loads of construction work going on, and I reached an underpass with the pedestrian exit very firmly fenced in, with big no entry signs and no way around (apart from going onto a busy road that looked like a dual carriageway). After going for nearly half a mile I admitted defeat and retraced my steps, exiting the way I had come in.

I am just so glad that the getting lost happened on the way back, because if I had been directed to the other side of the construction, I am not sure I could have navigated around it, certainly not in time, so may well have missed out.

So this was all fine, but added a bit. Then I got a bit lost finding our hotel. The area around the main station is on different levels, and in the morning I left the hotel, walked along the street for a bit, over a bridge (over the road I needed), down pedestrian steps and then onto the road. The maps took me a lot of the same way as I recognised lots, but then I could see the road going over the road I was on, but there were no steps, so I must have come down a similar one. Anyway, I wandered around a bit, followed signs for the Arlanda express (the airport train) and eventually got into the station and then out to our hotel- 4 miles later!

Stats- that was parkrun 405, my 11th country and 134th event. Another flag added to my profile as well.

But also, it meant I got to go back to Stockholm. The only time I’ve been before was in 2011 when Andy and I ran the Stockholm marathon (coincidentally, it was the marathon the Saturday after we flew home)- and although we did some sightseeing it was not the most fun to be walking around a city while struggling to walk down stairs. It is full of beautiful buildings and again being by the water just adds such a good feel to the place, so we did lots of walking around the various areas of the city, onto the different islands and through different parks.

So that wraps up our little trip north, and what a fab trip it was. parkrun is a great reason to travel somewhere else, and all three places that we visited were wonderful.

Next up- some slightly more local touring and some repeats as well.