Tag: vegan

WDW marathon weekend Dopey challenge part 1- Expo and 5k

To recap, the Dopey challenge is all 4 races over the WDW marathon weekend- 5k on Thursday, 10k on Friday, half marathon on Saturday and marathon on Sunday. (Andy was also doing this challenge, but apart from the 5k we ran seperately) We’ve both completed Run Disney events before- we did the inaurgural DLP half marathon in 2016, and in WDW a 10k in 2018 and a 5k in 2019. As with all Run Disney races, you need to collect your bibs (number) in person from the expo the day before the race. As this was a multi race event and the expo only started on the Wednesday, we had to go on that day (along with anyone else running Dopey or the 5k). The expo runs until the Saturday so if you were doing a single race you could go later on when it was less busy. However, not an option for us. We had planned to not go to a park that day, and that worked out very well as it took ages- hours and hours!

Expo day (the Wednesday)

The expo is at the WDW Wide World of Sports, which is a huge sports complex that hosts loads of competitions, and is so many buildings and sports pitches and inside basketball courts etc. We had to do several things, all of which were in different buildings:

Collect our numbers (with ID, with our Run Disney app confirmation code and with a waiver that you sign in person).

Collect our shirts- with Run Disney races you get your shirt before the race- lots of people seem to run with their shirts (which was madness seeing as these shirts were long sleeved and it was hot).

Look at the Disney merch- Brooks had released special Run Disney themed shoes (I did very well to resist them) and there are also loads of additional race shirts, jackets, hats, bags, pins, magnets etc that Disney release.

Look at the other merch- there are loads of stands with sparkly tutus, various “nutrition” products, medal display options, even Jeff from Jeff Galloway was there.

There are also loads of photo ops with characters, a large castle, various props linked to the different race and challenge distances…

The expo at the sports complex- we waited outside a while for our virtual queue to open up. Even the paintings on the walls in the corridors were themed to the races.

Because we were going on the first day, we had to join a virtual queue to look at the Disney merch, so as soon as it allowed (I think 9am but possibly 8am) we did that via the app and had an approximate time of 10:30. We took our time driving over and parking, and hung around in the sunshine waiting for our group to be pinged. We were probably waiting for a good 45 mins and with hindsight could have collected our numbers first but you never know how long anything will take. Even after being called, we joined one queue along a corridor, then a giant queue inside (next to the Brooks trainers) before finally getting into the main merch hall. This hall is quite mad with people grabbing armfuls of stuff (I think there’s a lot of reselling going on) and by the time we got there some things had already totally sold out. Here there was an additional queue if you wanted to buy Dopey challenge merch, but the design of the jumper wasn’t my favourite (he’s not the cutest character imo) so we didn’t bother. We got a nice marathon weekend mug, a jacket each and a few other bits.

Top left shows the queue through one large room to get to the merch- this followed on from the virtual queue and a queue in a corridor. Then Jeff, a giant Brooks shoe box, and the field we had to walk around to get to the next building.

Then it was onto get our numbers- this was another walk to another building (in fact we were directed in a large loop to just go around one building and back to where we started before we got inside the actual number building)- we then joined another queue, signed our waivers and got our numbers. Here is where the paranoia began for me because we got two numbers each, one for the 5k and 10k, and then a second number for the other two races. They properly check your bibs as you go into the corrals so I was really worried about using the wrong one!

All the shirts! They had big maps of the routes (plus the medals but I didn’t want to look too closely before), then the two numbers. On the green gem below the C is where it said 5/10k or half/full.

Anyway, once that was done we went to another building, this time walking around a sports pitch first, to then collect our shirts. As you get one per race, and one per challenge, we got 6 shirts each in total. (As well as Dopey there is a Goofy challenge which is the half and the full, so as our challenge encompassed that we also got those items).

A few photo ops- the Dopey queue was too long for us to join! The 39.3 is the Goofy which is the half and the full.

I was keen to take a few photos, so we queued up for a few, but by this time it was about 2:30 in the afternoon and we didn’t want a late night ahead of our 3:20am alarm, so it was time to head off. I had seen on social media that the following days were fairly quiet, and in fact on the Saturday afternoon we popped back as I wanted to see if they still had a t-shirt that I quite liked (they did), so if you didn’t need to go the first day I would recommend waiting and going later.

The rest of the afternoon/evening was spent getting ready. We had a bit of doubting about what to wear, as lots of the media was talking about keeping warm, but for us it wasn’t that cold, and I’d run parkrun on the Saturday and been fine in shorts and t-shirts. But there was loads of stuff about the dew point, about how it was really cold because it was so humid and damp before the sun came up- we second guessed a bit but in the end I stuck to shorts and t-shirt and that was definitely correct. We had been sensible with the alarm, getting up at 5am on the day of the expo, 6am the day before, and 7am the day before that, so by around 8pm we were pretty tired and ready to sleep. We got our numbers and running clothes ready, and that was it- the challenge was about to begin!

Thursday- 5k day

We were staying at Bonnet Creek which is within WDW but not a Disney resort. This was ideal as it was a less than 10 min drive with no road closures at the time we were going there. The race began at 5am and Disney suggested getting there by 4. We drove into the gates at 4am, parked and sat in the car for a bit, as this morning was a little chilly. However it’s about a mile walk through the car park, through security and through the race village to get to the starting corrals, so in the end we headed off at about 4:10am.

You are given a starting corral based on time, and we had submitted our Brighton Half marathon times- I was in C and Andy was in B (it went to G I think). He was allowed to drop back, so for the 5k decided he’d run with me. There were detailed lists of when the corrals closed, and when this happens the light turns off and you have to join a later one. I think my one closed at 5, as each corral goes off in waves and so the estimated start time was something like 5:13. I think we timed it pretty well as we were not waiting around for too long, but there is a stage with a very enthusiastic presenter chatting to various people and hyping everyone up so you could listen to that while you waited.

The EPCOT parking in the dark, the large balloons marking the corrals, directions and Spaceship Earth lit up along with the Run Disney signs.

It wasn’t long before we were off! They set of the wheelchair athletes first, and then within each corral they had perhaps 3 waves- each one had a countdown and fireworks, so even once you started running you could hear the countdown and fireworks behind.

The 5k start gantry, the fireworks going off, World Showcase looking beautiful, and Spaceship Earth lit up as we ran

The route took you around the back of the car park, into Epcot, around World Showcase and then back out the front, into the car park. The car park was unrecognisable though, as there were loads of things set up there- the mile markers were themed, there were character meets, and various bands/ local high school cheerleading groups etc. The race weekend was themed around “What’s your story?”, so each race was linked to a character and genre- this one was Pluto looking at space themed books, so the characters were space themed (Buzz Lightyear, various characters from Stitch). The music was also space themed, so there was lots of Star Wars playing as we ran.

The aim of the game we decided was to run gently for the first two races- I didn’t want to walk because it would be a lot more time on feet. The 5k isn’t timed although you do get a time for Dopey as I think they check you are doing them all- we ran it in 36 mins so it was nice and gentle.

As you finish you get given a medal, bottle of water, bottle of powerade, banana and snack box. You need extra hands!

There was a large area in the race village for meeting back up- we didn’t use the baggage storage until later on in the week but on this day we saw where they were (right by the finish line) and they had bleachers set up as well as trucks selling beer, hot drinks and various food items. We had agreed to meet by the benches after the other three races, and as someone who gets anxious ahead of races because of wondering about the parking/ start area/ finish line etc, it was really good to know that the next few mornings would be the same in that regard.

Happy running by Spaceship Earth! And with my medal at the end in the race village.

After finishing we looked at some of the characters but were both a bit chilly so after taking a few photos ourselves we headed back to the car (one mile walk!). The snack box is pretty grim if you choose to read the ingredients (shelf stable cheese flavour dip?) as is powerade (high fructose corn syrup) so we made porridge back in our room and ended up giving all the boxes to the donation box in the lobby (they had a box to put in unopened and un-used food/drinks if you have anything left when you check out).

The content of the box- crisps, crackers, cheese flavour dip, fruit flakes (that when I googled contained no fruit at all), waffle, plus banana, powerade. Our porridge (we used the bananas for that) and the Pluto space medal!

After breakfast and a shower, we headed back to Epcot for a bit- I took my medal so I could have a few photos of course. We saw so many people wearing their medals or the race shirts, as well as the merch we’d seen at the expo. Cast members would say “congratulations” to you as well which was lovely.

My medal by the Japan and Canada pavilions, plus some of the Run Disney signs up that we saw as we went through the car park in the day.

The aim was to not do too many steps though I ended up doing 31,000 steps- not ideal! The evening was again a repeat- an early dinner (around 5pm), heading back to the hotel around 6pm, getting our race numbers, clothes and bag drop bag ready, and then getting to sleep around 8. 10k coming next!

Have you ever taken part in a multi day event before?

Vegan food in Tokyo Disney August 2024

One of the main questions that pretty much everyone has asked me about the trip to Japan was “what did you eat?”, and it was something I was a bit apprehensive about before going there. I did a lot of research beforehand, watching lots of You Tube and following various accounts on Instagram, so I did have an idea of what to expect. When I was at Futakotamagawa parkrun, one of the runners I was chatting to noticed my Vegan Runners visor and asked me about it, and said he was vegan but was not going to be vegan for the trip as he didn’t think it was possible. (I know everyone has different reasons for being vegan, so I am not judging at all, but the thought of accidentally eating meat/fish/dairy makes me feel sick so that was not an option for me. It did make me feel sad that he thought that though, and I think it does put some people off travelling there). Anyway, I thought I’d put a couple of posts together about it as I found the things I had read very useful.

First up, Disney! We were in Tokyo for a few days before heading to Tokyo Disney, but I’ll keep it separate as otherwise it will be a super long post!

The Insta account Vegan TDR was the most useful resource, as they have listed all the vegan options in both parks.

Tokyo Disneyland

There were no vegan breakfast options in the park (I knew about this in advance- there used to be a bone shaped bread filled with sweet bean paste but that had stopped being sold before we travelled there), so I had brought with me some cereal bars and vegan croissants.

The vegan stew, the mixed green salad, the Baymax stew again and the Korean rice bowl with the Mickey carrot!

We booked one table service place, the Center Street Coffee House, to have the BayMax curry. I had to ask for the low allergen stew (not curry) and the cast member brought out an i-pad and I ticked all the allergens I wouldn’t eat (including abalone which I had to google as I had no idea what it was- it’s fish) and once I had ticked them all they confirmed that it would be suitable. They were so lovely, and the food was tasty as well as looking amazing. It’s not often that the food on the plate looks as amazing as the food on the menu!

One of our favourite dishes was a quick service meal at Plazma Ray’s Diner- a Korean rice bowl with veggies, rice, soy meat and even a Mickey shaped carrot! They do like their Mickey shaped food in Tokyo!

I had the mixed green salad from La Taverne De Gaston a few times. I like a salad and this one was full of different ingredients- seasoned beans, quinoa, sundried tomatoes, squash- it was really tasty and didn’t feel like an afterthought (looking at you Disneyland California with your lettuce and lemon juice as a “dessert”…).

Mickey and Minnie ice pops were the best! Especially when it was high 30’s the entire time!

Snacks wise the caramel popcorn was vegan so I had that a few times (so was the salt and the black pepper but I didn’t fancy trying those), as were the Mickey and Minnie ice pops. Some places did one flavour and some did both so I got to sample several over the holiday! Mickey was tropical fruit and Minnie was peach and raspberry, and they tasted like frozen fruit puree, really refreshing in the heat. A few places did fresh fruit, but we had bought some bananas from a convenience store before going there, and there were some vegan packaged snacks like potato chips and dried fruit but I didn’t get any of those.

Tokyo Disney Sea

Our first day we had a bit of a shocker as I liked the look of the tortilla sandwich, but by the time we wandered back to the restaurant, it had closed- we had failed to check the opening times! We didn’t make that mistake again- it was more like DLP rather than WDW in that respect in that food places were not open as long or as late. Although unlike DLP they did publish the times on the boards outside, we just failed to notice! So I ended up going to Cafe Portofino and having “Plant-Based Dish with Orzo, Involtini Style”- soy meat and orzo wrapped in rice paper, covered in tomato sauce and oven baked, then topped with salad. It was actually pretty good when I am not a fan of alt meats usually.

The tortilla sandwich in the Duffy packaging and also a special cup holder so your hands don’t get cold when drinking icy drinks (a Lina Bell one)– for the Duffy and friends theming of Disney Sea!

After that first day we tended to go to Miguel’s El Dorado Cantina and having the tortilla sandwich for a late lunch (a tortilla wrap filled with chilli beans, salad, tortilla chips, guacamole and crunchy cabbage)- it was spicy but good! One day I got the chips and guac but it was the teeniest amount of guac so not really worth it. Also, this came in Duffy and Friends packaging so that makes it even better!

The Casbah Food Court did a vegetable curry with naan (which was vegan) and we had that once and it was really good- not too spicy but really flavourful. The bread was so fluffy too, definitely a good option.

Sadly the plant based burger in the Snuggly Duckling was not actually vegan as the bun contained milk, so Andy had that while I just had fries plus a cereal bar (I had to eat something in the Rapunzel restaurant!). It is not easy to modify dishes and I am not sure I would have trusted that there was not milk in the sauce or burger too, so I was happy to go without (plus – see below, I had eaten a huge breakfast on that day!).

There were loads of cute snacks that were not vegan, eg the Mike melon bread, but at least there were Mickey ice pops and Baymax curry!

Tokyo Disney hotels

Due to buying a vacation package (check out TDR Explorer for info on that) we ended up in a few different Disney hotels- the Toy Story one, MiraCosta and the Disneyland hotel. MiraCosta was the only one that included breakfast, and it was a buffet and nothing was marked. So, before we went I emailed them and requested if it was possible to have a vegan breakfast. They confirmed that I would have a separate plate given to me, and when I got there they checked the allergens with me, and then I ended up with a huge amount of food- salad with olive oil, lemon and balsamic, vegetable soup, chargrilled veggies, fresh fruit and then one day vegetable pasta, and another day mushrooms in tomato sauce. They also gave me the allergen guide of the food in the buffet (but basically only more fresh fruit was suitable), so I was glad I had emailed ahead of time as it was included in our stay.

My breakfasts over the two mornings- so many delicious veggies and all freshly prepared.

Clearly there were not as many options as WDW, Disneyland or even Paris, but they were clearly marked on the menu. The menus were in English as well as Japanese, and you could order via the app which we did most of the time. I do not mind having the same thing each day (eg I had the mixed greens salad for dinner each time we were in the main park) but there was variety and a few different options. It definitely is doable and the food I had was really tasty, so if that is the one thing holding you back then I’d say go for it!

How do you manage with food when travelling if you have restrictions?

Futakotamagawa parkrun, Tokyo, Japan

Japan has been on our list of places we’d love to go for a while, and once we booked flights I had said to Andy that I wanted to do one parkrun while we were away. We were away for 3 Saturdays, but the middle Saturday was already taken with Ghibli Park, so I had two others to play with. Thankfully Plan A worked out well, as the parkrun I was planning on visiting went ahead- they were cancelling if the heat index was forecast to be too high. Just the 33C before 8am!

For this part of the holiday we stayed in Shibuya (by the famous crossing) and Futakotamagawa parkrun was about a 20 minute train journey with no changes, so this looked to be the simplest one. I was quite anxious the night before about navigating on my own, as we had only arrived a few days before, and then this was not helped by an earthquake alert on our phones and then an actual earthquake. Anyway, to the morning…

Due to jet lag and feeling stressed I was awake before my 6am alarm, took my time getting ready (lots of suncream) and I packed a bottle of water with a rehydration tab in it, plus a t-shirt to change into for the journey back. Our hotel was a short walk from the train station, but the station itself is huge so I allowed plenty of time to get to the platform (there are just so many). Google Maps was a great help as it tells you the end station, direction, platform number and time of departure so you know you are on the correct train, and then once on the train the screens show the stations clearly in English, so the journey was all good.

I’d watched their You Tube video of how to walk to the start from the station, as the construction work around the river was ongoing, but as I walked I met one of the volunteers, who walked with me and another tourist, and we also saw a volunteer at one point (in front of the bike shop) directing us to the cut through to the river, so no worries about getting lost.

First timers and volunteers photo, and a photo by the artwork under the bridge (no purple pop ups here)

(I used a Suica card, which is a bit like a travel card but you get the app and save it in your apple wallet- you then don’t even need to unlock your phone as you go through the barriers, you just tap your phone on the barrier and it pops up on the screen that you have an active journey and the total amount of Yen on your card)

I was there with plenty of time (around 7:30 for the 8am start) so I chatted with some other runners- one guy had on a Dunstable running top and this is just up the road from where I live, so we chatted for a while. He was intrigued as to how I would get on a as a vegan in Japan (as I had on my VR visor)- he was vegan but was not going to be for his trip. This was only a few days in to the trip but it had been fine until then, and we were there for 3 weeks and didn’t have any issues.

Anyway, back to parkrun. They did the welcome in both English and Japanese, and took a photo of all of us before the main briefing which again was in English and Japanese. We also got interviewed by one of the volunteers- I thought he was taking our photo but then he asked us about our home parkruns, and if you follow them on facebook there is a link to their You Tube (the channel I’d used to see how to get there from the station) and a lovely cringey bit of video of me saying that I was not travelling with the two people I was chatting to, and that Panshanger is my home event.

Heading to the start and then a few mid run scenes.

The route seemed fairly simple- along a path, two laps around playing fields, back along the path, a little out and back section next to some tennis courts and then back to the bridge for the finish. Sounds a little complicated but it was simple and there were lots of cones, arrows and volunteers out.

I really enjoyed the course too- in one direction you could see back to Tokyo and the skyscrapers, but we ran alongside a nature reserve so you could hear the circardas (which was the soundtrack to our whole Japan trip) and I saw loads of swallows and little wagtail birds. There were people paying baseball and tennis, one part of the park had these small man-made boulders which might be for dog agility? Not sure. The volunteers were all so wonderful, cheering us all on. I was still trying to be confident in saying thank-you in Japanese (“arigatou gozaimasu” as just arigatou is a bit too informal) but I waved and smiled and clapped as I passed each one and they were all fantastic at cheering back. It was a real mix of Japanese locals and ex-pats who were on the team, participating and volunteering, and of course a few tourists as well as local first timers.

There was not much shade out there- just this small section (below) under the large tree, so it was quite brutal, but I loved it. I did stop and walk a few times to try to cool down, but also I didn’t want to take too long to finish as then I would be out in the sun for longer.

They also took photos of us and these were on facebook so I have a couple of me out on the course too which is always a real bonus.

They had a tail walker and a few walkers and run/walkers as well as runners, so I felt confident taking my time and trying not to overheat, although I did get a bit carried away in the final finish stretch and felt a bit dizzy when I stopped. I was wearing my Ellenbrook Fields vest and one of the scanners asked me about it as he knew of it, and I think I answered him quickly and then had to apologise and say I needed to get my water as I felt not great at that point, but I did soon recover once I had cooled down.

Red and sweaty face after I had finished, and my token, plus views of the bridge and river.

I cooled down in the shade for a bit before walking back to the train station. I changed into a clean t-shirt as I didn’t want to be all sweaty on the train back. The journey back was fine- I didn’t need maps to get me back to the station as I just retraced my steps and it was simple enough, and the train back was fine as that station only had one line and Google Maps made it very clear which platform I needed, but back at Shibuya I came out of a different entrance (there are so many) so when I was back at street level I realised I was quite a few blocks away from where I needed to be, but then I had my bearings and could get back to the hotel fine, it just took a bit longer! Andy had popped down to Starbucks and got me a blueberry bagel (plant based and delicious) and made me a cup of tea plus another water with a rehydration tab as the aim was to have as much liquid as possible!

Walking back to the station by the river/ changed to a dry top/ back at the hotel/ the train station by parkrun.

I loved getting the results email as it’s all in Japanese! I can see my time (32:57) and if I click to translate I can get more (eg I was 62/76 people).

Of course I had to check the 5K app and now I’ve got a little purple chunk in Tokyo, and a Japanese flag!

I am so glad I got to go along to this parkrun- the experience was really special, every volunteer was so welcoming and friendly (we experienced this with Japan as a whole- everywhere we went the people were wonderful), so thanks to everyone there!

So, my 9th country and again just a really special place to visit.

Holyrood parkrun – what a treat!

I absolutely love going to Edinburgh and have had many happy times there, both with and without parkruns. I’ve been to both Portobello parkrun and Edinburgh parkrun before, and when Holyrood parkrun started it was on my list as I’ve been there to run and it’s just so scenic.

We drove up via York on the Thursday night, and then up to Edinburgh on the Friday. We parked the car on the outskirts of the city (booking a car park space) by a tram and train stop, and then got the train in, so we had not car for the weekend, but you don’t need it as Edinburgh is fab to explore by foot. We were there until Monday so plenty of time to spend in the city.

I’d slightly twisted my ankle the week before so had rested it and tried a few walks, but no running as I really wanted to be able to spend time sightseeing, but also I really wanted to take part in parkrun on the Saturday. My jog there from the hotel was about a mile and a half, and I ran/walked it, enjoying the scenery and listening to a podcast. My ankle felt fine so I was happy that I’d be OK to run rather than walk it (which of course is an option but just delays breakfast!).

Of course once I arrived I just could not stop taking photos. It is such a stunning location with Arthur’s Seat in the background.

The scenic start line and the purple pop up and flag

I was there ahead of the first timers welcome with plenty of time to get photos by the purple pop up, as I was meeting Andy at the breakfast place after so would not hang about too much at the finish.

I had been warned about the elevation- you basically run one lap but it’s a mile uphill, then a mile of flat, then a mile downhill, although you finish slightly uphill again so save some energy for that! The first timers welcome shared that, and mentioned how they encouraged walkers too. It felt very friendly.

Toad crossing signs, the very busy start, the beautiful yellow gorse bushes and the lake at the top

I couldn’t hear anything at the main briefing and didn’t even realise that it had started. I chatted to a local guy for a bit before he stopped to walk, and that was good as it meant I didn’t set off too fast. I’m used to courses with undulations (Panshanger and Jersey Farm are both up and down courses) but running a mile uphill is very different to short up and down sections. As it was curved you couldn’t see the next part of the course and I kept thinking that it must be the top, but no, it kept going. It was however absolutely stunning. The forecast rain had stayed away, but with the darker skies it looked even more dramatic. Once at the top the course went around a lake, so up ahead I could see all the runners reflected in the surface. Then the downhill started- I got overtaken more there than anywhere else. I’m not the best at steep downhill anyway, but with my ankle I needed to be even more careful. I just loved the views- if you looked to the left and slightly behind you could see the sea, you could see all the monuments on Calton Hill, it was all there.

I was so happy to be running again after a week off, and then the views on the downhill section

Once finished I got a few more photos before heading to breakfast.

Purple pop up pictures

There were 445 participants that day- it’s a popular one but after the first part it thinned out quickly so it can take that number of people.

You can see the elevation below- they have a chart on the FAQ section of their facebook page too- be prepared!

After the photos, I ran/walked to Loudon’s where Andy had booked us breakfast- he was walking from the hotel and met me there. They do delicious vegan pancakes so of course that is what I had.

Then we had a wonderful few days in Edinburgh. It was super windy (up to 50mph) due to a storm, so all the gardens were closed, as well as the botanical gardens, and we didn’t think a walk up Arthur’s Seat was advisable in that weather so spent more time in the centre instead, going to a museum, visiting Bird and Blend and of course enjoying all the amazing vegan food options available.

A windy walk in Edinburgh/ sunshine in the park/ pancakes at Loudon’s

It was coming up to Andy’s birthday so the Buttermint matcha was something he chose for a birthday treat.

Black Rabbit vegan cinnamon and Biscoff buns (heavenly), Bird and Blend matcha, the amazing tea chest in their store, and our purchases!

All in all, a fantastic weekend in Edinburgh. I’m so glad I got to experience Holyrood parkrun, it really is special because the scenery is so amazing. Definitely one to add to your list if it’s not already on there.

For me it was parkrun 353, course number 111, my third Scottish and my third Edinburg one!

Is Holyrood on your list?

Medina IOW parkrun- the parkrun with the most courses?

For the Easter weekend we were off to the Isle of Wight, and hooray, there is one parkrun on the Isle of Wight (Medina IOW), so guess where I’d be on the Saturday morning!

Now, Medina IOW is known for being a bit rogue as they seem to have many locations and many courses. I did email the team to check, as they are not that active on facebook, and it says to check the news page for the current location but I could not see anything referring to it on the course page. The team were very helpful at replying, telling me that the current course page was correct. It definitely was correct for the location, but see below for what I thought I was running:

And then compare it to what I actually ran:

Slightly different! I did think it was strange that there was no mention of a second lap in the first timers welcome, but then I thought I must have remembered the course wrong.

Anyway, back to Friday- parkrun preparation included eating lots of delicious vegan food in Cafe Thrive (in Southampton), having a walk around the park while Andy was at football, and then getting the ferry over on the Friday night. I know some people would do the trip in the morning but I would be quite stressed by that, plus you had to be at the ferry terminal an hour before, and it then takes an hour, so that’s an early start.

Delicious salad for lunch, hot cross bun cookies, chai latte and a magnolia in the sunshine

The Isle of Wight is pretty small, so although our hotel was on the south of the island, and the parkrun was back where the ferry docked, it was only around a 20 minute journey in the morning. Andy came with me as we had our eye on a breakfast place after, close to the parkrun start.

Finding the parkrun signs is always a bonus! The briefing area by the leisure centre, the purple pop up and a tree covered in blossom by the finish area.

It was such a beautiful spring day with beautiful blue skies. I ran through the park and was happy to find arrows and the finish area quickly, but everyone seemed to be heading up to the leisure centre, and this was where the first timers welcome and main run briefing were held before walking to the start. The main briefing was a long one, with the ED playing a song from the olympics over a tannoy to inspire everyone with their run, and then there were many thanks and milestones and other arbitrary things. By the time we had walked to the start line it was nearly 9:10 so messaged Andy to let him know we were about to start, as I thought he would wonder otherwise, (although he had no phone reception so he didn’t even get my message).

The route started with a lap of the field, before heading along the river for an out and back section, and then retracing your steps around the field again. It was pretty flat, but the section by the river had very uneven ground (which we were warned about in the briefing)- the path had been created with the hexagonal plastic grid sheeting, and filled with gravel, only most of the gravel was gone so you were running on the edges of the sheeting, and it had cracked in places so you had to look carefully at all times to check your footing. I would have preferred to have my trail shoes on as they have thicker soles so are easier on ground like this.

The out and back section was narrow and we had to keep to one side as other runners were already heading back. Once the tail walker had passed it was OK to overtake runners when needed, but it was a busy course, a bit like Maidstone where you feel like it should be fast because it’s flat, but it isn’t really because of the number of people. I did like that it had such a welcoming atmosphere and lots and lots of walkers as well as runners. As it was the Easter weekend, lots of the volunteers had various Easter hats or bunny ears on and we were even offered sweets at the finish line.

After the standard purple pop up selfie attempt, when someone usually takes pity on me and offers to take my photo, I walked back to the leisure centre to get my jacket from the tarpaulin of trust, and then walked back through the park to meet up with Andy and to get some breakfast. Although he hadn’t got my message, he realised that he hadn’t seen any runners go past for a while so had worked out it had started late.

So that was my 110th different parkrun course, and 352nd parkrun overall. It was very enjoyable and if I ever decide to work on all the parkruns in Hampshire (Champshire?) then I have one of the more difficult to get to ones ticked off.

Acai bowl, the port, pancakes and a Mermaid matcha

We went to Peach Cafe in Newport- a vegan cafe with lots of delicious options and amazing looking cakes on display. We shared an acai bowl and pancakes topped with scrambled tofu and smoked coconut (I think meant to imitate bacon), plus a matcha and some tea. I was very excited to see that they served Bird and Blend matcha- especially Mermaid matcha which has been discontinued. It was really good, but it was fairly slow service and I was sitting there staring at the pastries the whole time, so I ended up buying a chocolate hazelnut croissant to have later- maybe that’s their tactic?

Views of the coast, posing by the needles, NT tearoom and more coastal scenes

The weather was beautiful so we headed over to The Needles (along with everyone else- we sat in a queue for the car park for around 45 minutes)- we enjoyed a long walk along the coast and up to the lighthouse and were very excited to find a National Trust tearoom still open as we hadn’t had lunch. They were doing hot cross bun scones (their fruit scones are vegan and the guy checked and these ones were too) so of course we had to get those.

We stayed until the Monday so it was good to make the most of going there and seeing lots of the island, which is definitely my preferred way of parkrun touristing- I’d like to be somewhere that happens to have a parkrun, or go to a parkrun and then spend time there seeing what else is there. I think we definitely visited most of the vegan cafes on the IOW while we were there!

Does your local parkrun have different courses? St Albans is trialling a new one at the moment as the lake is so often flooded, and Panshanger has a “cow” course for when the cows are in one of the fields, but both of these start at the same place as the regular courses do.