Tag: race

Festive Five 2024

This is one of my favourite races of the year, and somehow I didn’t even do a post about it!

The Garden City Joggers put this event on each year- it’s a five mile race consisting of two laps around the centre of town- all on pavements but with marshals at all the road crossing points. It’s the type of low key event I love, where you collect your number on the day, and it just had friendly vibes. Loads of people dress in festive gear, lots of the marshals do as well, and it’s just good fun.

The weekend that it took place on in 2024 had big storms everywhere, with lots of parkruns called off the day before, so rather than running there and getting drenched, I took up my friends offer of a lift (she lives around the corner from me and we often share lifts for parkruns or club runs). Thankfully it didn’t rain before the start, although it did rain a bit while we were running.

I absolutely love seeing people run in inflatable outfits- no idea why it amuses me so much but seeing the inflatable Santa run past us in the road just really tickled me.

Before, during and after

I ran with Nicola and we just had a great time- no worrying about times, just enjoying all the festive outfits and wishing all the marshals a happy Christmas. Thankfully it didn’t rain too hard, but there were some huge puddles that I didn’t expect and that you couldn’t avoid so I got very cold wet feet. The rest of me warmed up, as you can see I ended up taking my jacket off.

I tried to get some photos and selfies with the inflatable guys!

At the finish we were given a little selection box- in previous years there has been a vegan option but sadly not this year (so that was donated to the food bank collection at the parkrun the following Saturday), however we had our OH ladies Christmas brunch so post-race treats would soon be coming.

As we had a bit of time in between the race ending and the brunch booking, Nicola kindly offered for a group of us to pop back to her office (in the town centre) so we could get changed in the warm and dry, and even made us cups of tea. I had packed a complete change of clothes, but had forgotten about shoes, so I had to put on my soggy cold trainers as we headed out for brunch.

OH ladies having brunch (I am very hidden on the left in that photo), oat matcha latte, pancakes and my With Me Now Christmas jumper (which is always fun to try and explain- “Maria I didn’t know you liked cats?” ” No, I don’t like cats, but there is this podcast…”)

Brunch was fab- so nice to catch up with everyone, enjoy some food (I had vegan pancakes, tea and then a matcha latte) and chat about our Christmas plans. I really love this tradition.

Do you have any running club Christmas traditions? I always love festive parkruns too.

Hatfield 10K 2025

Long time no posting from me! I didn’t do any parkrun tourism in December, and I have realised that I did the Festive Five but haven’t documented that here. I was away over Christmas so just getting back into routines now. I have a summary of 2024 parkruns in the pipeline but that is coming later…

Anyway back to the race:

I signed up to this race late in 2024, knowing it would be my first weekend back after being on holiday, and not knowing how much running I’d do while away, I thought it would be a good idea to have something in the calendar and a 10k seemed a good distance. I have really enjoyed the Hatfield 5 (miles) in the past, and this 10k looked to be a similar route. The ATW events are always really well supported, and they are quite low key (collect your number on the morning just before it starts sort of vibes) so it sounded perfect.

The few days leading up to the race ended up being sub zero temperatures with lots of heavy frosts and ice everywhere (lots of parkruns were cancelled on the Saturday due to the weather), and the ATW team ended up having to amend the course as part of the original route was flooded.

As they had to amend the course, and part of it was on trail, they offered for people to have an automatic credit on their account if they didn’t run, and I was very tempted by this! It was so cold at parkrun on the Saturday and I felt like I didn’t really warm up all day after, so the thought of going back out into the cold wasn’t appealing. Thankfully some other OH ladies (and Branka, who can be an honorary OH member) were doing it, and as I had signed up to this as part of the OH ladies 12 days of Christmas challenges, I couldn’t really not do it!

The race HQ is right by the parking, and it’s inside (although no heating on in the building I don’t think)- we met by the steps for our traditional pre race photo and then chatted while we waited for the race to start.

The before (all of us) and after (4 of us as Catherine told us not to wait)

We knew a few of the marshals and pacers too, so it felt like a nice social occasion at the start of the year. I kept heading back to my car- once to return my mini scissors and spare bib clips (you have to cut holes in the bibs in order to use them) and then again at the last minute to get an extra coat. Emily and Zena were both going to be jeffing, 30 seconds run, 30 seconds walk, so I decided to join them rather than run alone, and Branka also decided to join, so we ended up with a lovely group of 4 of us chatting on the course.

The route was a lollypop (an out and back with a loop in the middle) where you repeated the loop twice, so on our first lap of the loop we were being overtaken by the speedier runners (momentarily behind the 40 min pacer!), but for the second lap we could spread out and chat as a four a bit more.

The section on the trail was very rutted, icy and frozen, so I struggled to run on that section. I was at the back of our pack of 4 so just caught up once we were back on paths again.

The photos below show the start, where we looped around paths by the uni, the trail section with frozen puddles, views out to the frosty fields, and my face once I’d warmed up enough to take my extra coat off!

As you can see, a very cold day!

I really enjoyed the route, and although it wasn’t the fast road race it was originally going to be, it was great to go off the main path, and it felt as in no time we were already on our second loop. All of the marshals were brilliant- huge thanks to them all for standing around in the cold so the event could go ahead.

As we approached the iciest path for the second time, Emily suggested that we ran side by side as she had seen the photographer at the end (and the photos were included in the entry fee)- however you don’t actually know when the photographer is going to take a photo- so we got the two below- as we are organising ourselves!

You can see my holding my coat (and hat) here- as we passed one of our friends he asked me why I was running with a sleeping bag- I can see why he would think that!

Our aim was around 1Hr20, and we came in in 1:20:26, which I think is pretty impressive pacing. After not running for 2 weeks it was great to do a run/walk to mean I could complete the distance. And despite how I felt at the start, I am so glad that I went out and did the race- it was good fun to run with others and great to be out in the fresh air even though it was absolutely freezing!

You got a nice medal, some Love Corn snacks, and optional water at the finish. I’d made a cup of tea to have in the car before I drove home, and that was a very good decision indeed.

How do you get back into running after you’ve been on holiday?

Willows 10k 2024

I’ve not done this race in years, but it was one of the events chosen by my club to celebrate their 10 years, and as I was free I signed up. You can choose from either 10k or 5k, and they both started at 11. The number (and t-shirt) was posted out before, so there was no need to get there too early, so I ended up handing out tokens at junior parkrun beforehand- a bonus of a late starting race!

It was sunny when I left which is why I had on sunglasses! The only time I get to handle the number 1 token- that and token sorting of course!

I picked up Nicola and we drove to Hatfield House (where the race was held) together. I opted to take layers with me rather than leave them in the car, as I got really cold at junior parkrun. In the “before” photo I was wearing 4 layers! However I knew I would warm up as I started running. The race raises money for the Willow foundation, started by Bob Wilson, creating days out for terminally ill young adults. He did a lovely speech at the start, as did David Seaman who is one of the main patrons. Annie the high sheriff was also there of course, although sadly none of them were around to hand out medals by the time I finished, whereas in orevious years they have stayed for this.

The “after” picture of some of us (I am back in 3 layers and a hat), two people who ran the 10k as a person riding a horse, the best cheering station, and heading to the finish in a blur!

Nicola was running the 5k, but handily the 10k followed the same route for the first 5k, so we ran together and chatted, and then I only had a parkrun to go- perfect!

In previous years the course has been quite hilly, but they had changed the course this year and it was far less hilly than I anticipated. The grounds of Hatfield House are so beautiful (but don’t get me started on the owners attitude to allowing access), and it was turning into a beautiful autumn day, so running through the woods and fields with loads of other runners was great. Weirdly at times it reminded me of the New Forest race I did years ago (2018 I think?).

Mid-run views and the mini doughnut I had at the end

The marshal stations were all excellent, with all the runners being thanked and cheered- I think the people on them had probably been helped by the foundation. The OH ladies were on one of the marshal stations before one of the hills (or slope of love that they called it) and they really helped to spur me on.

The second lap was not the same as the first, heading off to a slightly different part of the park further north and crossing the river, before crossing back over and rejoining the route and repeating the same few kilometres.

Medal selfie, photo by a giant postbox and a few more run scenes

As I finished I was cheered on by the OH ladies who had run the 5k, and those that had finished ahead of me in the 10k. We were offered doughnuts at the finish line, as Simmons (a bakery with lots of chains in Herts) were sponsoring, but the trays had no ingredients listed and when I googled, their doughnuts aren’t vegan. I had bought a mini one from Crosstown the day before (as we’d been into London) so i knew I could look forward to that. I picked up my bag, put on my layers and joined the others as we cheered in the rest of the runners. It was a really fun occasion.

Once everyone had finished we got a few more photos- medals in front of Hatfield House, and then as we were walking back to the car park I saw a huge postbox, so I had a photo by it. (Apparently the tickets have seeds in them, so you can plant them at home, or if not you can post them in there and then the staff will plant them in the grounds)

Anyway, definitely an event I would do again- it was so close, nice and low key, and the event village, parking and even real toilets to use.

Have you done this event before? How do you choose events to do?

Vitality 10K in London

A while back parkrun had race entries for this race that were far reduced from the advertised price, so I signed up through that way. Lots of the OH ladies had also signed up so it was going to be a lovely social event.

The night before the rain was hammering down, we had thunder and lightening, and I was really dreading it. I’d packed a complete change of clothes for the bag drop bag (you are given a clear plastic bag to use for the bag drop), but I knew there would be a lot of standing around first and didn’t want to be soaked before I even started. The pre event info even mentioned that if there was lightning, to keep moving and not to shelter under trees and something along the lines of “you will be used to being outside in all weathers for your training anyway”…

Andy dropped me off at the station rather than me running there as I didn’t want to get wet that early on, and I met some other club mates at the station. Thankfully by the time we came out of the tube station at Green Park, the rain had stopped. The bag drop was well organised- you had to stick your race number to it and they were putting them in order, which meant it was quick to collect at the end too.

Some of the OH ladies before the start (more kept on joining), in the start pen and then Nelson’s column.

I was in grey wave (number 4), so I was supposed to start running at 10:24 (very precise) and be in the start pen about 45 minutes before that. No-one else from the club was in my start pen, so I opted to drop back several pens so run with others rather than run alone. Of course time flies when you are chatting with others, and at least the rain held off, but we didn’t start running until close to 11am so it was a late start.

A few pics from the end/ with my medal

I ran with Anna, fellow OH lady and fellow Vegan Runner, so it was good to run together and chat (and then not chat so much later on when we were both struggling a bit more!). The route was good, starting by Buckingham Palace, going past Trafalgar Square and past Covent Garden before doubling back and heading back to the park. It was narrow though, and congested which I was surprised about as they seemed to be holding the pens back and really releasing people with big gaps between waves. There were people walking from the start which didn’t help too as it was trickier to overtake in some of the narrower places. It also got super humid- the sun even started to come out briefly and it was so warm. They did have a few showers for the runners to cool off in, but I didn’t fancy getting wet feet so I ran on the other side of the street for those parts. I did enjoy seeing the “just a parkrun to go” signs just before the 5k mark! I was not impressed with the water stations though- they had plastic bottles (a water company was sponsoring them) and most runners were taking a bottle, having one or two sips and then throwing it away. Maybe they will be recycled? But we all know reducing is better than recycling, and it just struck me as behind the times as most races seem to do paper cups where at least there is far less single use plastic. The entertainment was good with a steel pan band (classic), a drumming group and a brass band to name a few.

I was not running for time- we had estimated around an hour and in the end my time was 1:01:51 so I was pretty pleased with that.

The lovely Anna bought her photos and kindly sent them to me so here we are heading to the finish!

At the finish line you were given some water, we walked a bit further to get our medals and then you were directed right to get t-shirts or left if you didn’t ask for one. I opted for trees not tees so my number had “NO TSHIRT” in big writing on the front, which made me laugh each time I saw it. The t-shirts seemed good- you could choose your size and fit (eg M- loose fit, or M- fitted), but there was a spelling mistake (Vitalty not Vitality!)- not sure how that passed the proof reading?

Once we finished we met up with a few OH ladies in the finish area, more by the bag drop, and then more a little further into the event village. We had taken photos together at the start as people were doing different things after- I was planning on heading to Upper Street and so we knew we would not all manage to meet up after as well. We took a few photos together but then I saw Danny from With Me Now pod, so I started chatting to him- a short chat turned into a long chat about parkrun (as it does) and by the time I had finished most people had started to head home.

Post race drinks and food- tea from Pret (then I changed in their toilets), the most amazing pistachio pastry and more tea, then a PSL from Bird and Blend

Thankfully I’d packed a Clif bar in my bag as you were given no food at the finish (they did say this in the event guide but it was still not great), but I was still thirsty so I popped into the Pret to get a tea, and while in there changed my top in the toilets. I didn’t need to change my whole outfit in the end as it still wasn’t raining. I then got the tube to Highbury and Islington and walked along Upper Street to British Patagonia where I enjoyed a pot of tea and the most amazing pistachio pastry. It was heavenly. Then I popped to Bird and Blend to get an iced pumpkin tea latte for the walk back to the station, to get the train home. One thing I wished I’d done was bring a proper rucksack though- I just had the bag drop bag which was a huge plastic bag with drawstring straps- I could have fitted an actual rucksack inside it and then worn that once I’d finished. I was a bit fed up of lugging the bag around by that point as I could not easily wear it on my shoulders.

So, all in all, a really enjoyable race made even better by all the OH ladies being there. I don’t think I’d pay full price as it is very expensive for a 10k, but if parkrun do the reduced entry cost again then I’d be tempted as it was a good route. I do prefer the smaller races where you turn up and run as opposed to the bigger ones where you wait around for ages, and I’m not keen on big crowds so this type of race isn’t my usual.

Have you done this race before? What sort of races do you like?

Welwyn 10K 2024

I’ve completed this race twice before- the first time I ran it, it was in Welwyn village and was a very hilly route on lots of country roads. Last year it moved to Panshanger Park, and despite it being a baking hot day (remember those?) I really enjoyed it. Yes, there are hills, but they are in the first half, and it’s so scenic in the park and it’s fantastic to be on a traffic free route.

A few other OH ladies were also taking part. We met at the start- it’s very relaxed with the parking right by the start, you pick up your number on the morning and then it starts.

Unlike last year, it was raining as I was driving, and it felt quite cold too. I had opted for a vest and shorts because I got so hot last year, and actually this was OK as once I started running I warmed up.

Here’s the route- there’s a very steep uphill section where it says Chisel Shelf, another shorter one further around on that section, and then a long section by Poplars Grove, but after that it’s mainly flat and then slightly downhill to the finish.

The High Sheriff was there (under a huge umbrella)- she really is making her way around lots of the sporting occasions in Herts.

I ran with another OH lady (Shelley- I also ran with her for the summer solstice run)- we ran together last year too and enjoyed setting the world to rights as we tend to do when we run together.

Pre-run selfie, the high sheriff with her umbrella, and a few mid-run photos.- the bottom right one shows how steep the hill is about to be!

It actually stopped raining before the start which was good, and once I started running I warmed up quickly. I had to walk up the first steepest hill, and then spent a while catching up with Shelley as she had run up the hill.

The final hill is the reverse of the final section of the parkrun route- in the parkrun route you run down, but this was up and it feels a lot longer when you are running up! I walked a bit here too as it’s a fairly long section, but after that it was time to run the rest (around half left I think). We did have a few spots of rain as we ran around one of the fields, and as we headed back towards the finish area you could feel a cool breeze, but this was quite welcome.

Medal selfie, photos in the frame and a close up of the medal, and tea with oat milk

A few of the OH ladies had already finished, so after we finished and collected a medal and cup of water, we stood by the finish to cheer the others in. Last year the wonderful Planted Coffee van was at the finish, and I was a bit disappointed this year as they had put out that a coffee van would be there, and when I asked if it was Planted, told that it was, but then it turned out to be a Cafe 2U one. The scouts had a coffee and tea station too, raising money for a trip to Switzerland, and they had oat milk so I went for a cup of tea from them. A cup of tea after a run really helps me to feel better so it was perfect.

Of course we took a few photos with the frames before it was time to head home. A shame that it was a drizzly day but easier conditions than the baking heat of last year. I still enjoyed the route so I will be back again next year I am sure!

What is your drink of choice when you have finished running?