It’s taken 144 parkruns and 12 years but I finally ticked 50 different venues off the challenge list! Here’s a recap of the 50 events and a brief memory from each one!

                                                                           

Lloyd Parkrun 18/06/2011

Croydon’s off road parkrun, it was summer so no mud but the hills were still there! 2 laps with some killer hills. Quite a narrow start so if you want a fast time get to the front.

 

Roundshaw Downs 27/10/2012

Another Croydon parkrun, 2 laps through fields and woods, with a nice gentle downhill slope to the finish. I remember being overtaken by a small boy on the downhill section on the last lap!

 

Amager Faelled (Denmark) 22/08/2015

My first foreign parkrun, and a trip to Denmark supporting friends at Ironman Copenhagen. Undulating course around parkland that started at 8am. There was a lady on the course with big clappy hands cheering us all on!

 

Richmond Park 01/01/2016

The first of 2 New Year Days parkruns so this was a warm up, getting over the night before run! A lovely run around the park, with long downhill stretches to pick up speed on. Possibly one of the busiest parkruns I’ve done.

 

Kingston 01/01/2016

Tarmac laps around a park, felt a bit more awake for this one! Vaguely remember one of the paths being flooded and sploshing through lots of water.

 

Bromley 02/01/2016

Frosty morning at Normans Park, another big crowd and the run was on the winter course, so followed the tarmac path around the perimeter of the park. Flat and fast (if you start close to the front!)

 

Lanhydrock 19/08/2017

A beautiful setting in front of Lanhydrock house in Cornwall. All set within the grounds of the National Trust property.  A 1 lap course through the woods, down to the river and back up to the house. A really lovely run.

 

Weymouth 16/09/2017

Flat and tarmac in Weymouth as I supported friends taking part in IM Weymouth 70.3 for the weekend. I remember a lovely sunny day, and a few laps of the course. Numbers were larger due to all the triathletes in town for the event.

 

Skipton 01/01/2018

My first Yorkshire parkrun and again the first of the New Years doubles. 3 laps of a tarmac path running around the park, undulating with slopes and short sharp hills. Always enjoy the downhills on this one.

 

Pendle 01/01/2018

Quick trip in the car across the Dales to Pendle for the second of our New Years doubles. Started at a rugby club, and it was raining by this point! Hilly and muddy and remember being pleased this one was over!

 

Greenpoint 21/04/2018

This was my first parkrun post Ironman South Africa. A test of the legs and my first exercise after the event. A flat, fast tarmac course around Greenpoint park. Lots of IM finisher t-shirts at this event!

 

Durbanville 28/04/2018

A beautiful setting for a parkun around Meerendal wine farm in the hills. South African parkruns start at 8am, it was already hot! A busy parkrun, and a hilly course around the hills and vines.

 

Orpington 02/06/2018

A little gem of a parkrun in Goddington Park. 2 laps around the park, rugby pitch and through an avenue of trees with a good mix of short hills, slopes and nice easy downhills.

 

Witney 21/07/2018

Flat course through the park, and then out onto the road and into a residential area before through some woods (twisty and turny) and back into the park. 2 laps. If you’re after a fast time then best to start near the front.

 

Bradford 28/07/2018

Beautiful park setting in Yorkshire. Fully tarmac course with 2 laps. Short sharp hills with enthusiastic marshals. A little coffee truck appeared at the end and we enjoyed a stroll around the park and the gardens afterwards.

 

Harrogate 29/12/2018

Laps around a flat park in Harrogate. Mix of grass and tarmac. I remember a nice breakfast in a local café after this one!

 

Cliffe Castle 01/01/2019

New Years Day parkrun. Another lovely Yorkshire park with nice gardens. But the hill at the end of each lap – wow!

 

Squerryes Winery 12/10/2019

Really excited when I heard about a new parkrun in Westerham. Still one of my favourite parkruns, all off road around the farmers fields and vines. The finish running through the vines is always special. Doesn’t look hilly but the drags get you in the winter when the mud is bad! Great coffee and almond croissants from the café afterwards!

 

Lydiard 07/12/2019

A parkrun on International Womens Day, gravel paths around the park, and fairly flat. If you are looking for a fast time, then best to start near the front as its quite congested and narrow to begin with. A great café for coffee afterwards.

 

Riddlesdown 25/12/2019

Took me 8 years to get to this Croydon parkrun. Made it on Christmas Day wearing my Christmas hat! Off road course, some gentle slopes, but a lovely sunny day so the mud wasn’t too bad!

 

Girvan Prom 01/01/2020

A Scottish New Years Day parkrun. Fast and flat on tarmac along the promenade and around a small park. Was lovely running along the seafront. Lots of friendly marshals and parkrunners, keen to know where we had travelled from and pleased we had chosen their parkrun for New Years Day.

 

Hoblingwell 04/01/2020

Another Orpington parkrun, lots of laps and back and forths around rugby pitches and woods. Still love the name of this one! I was getting over a hip injury at this point, so I really did Hobble Well around it!

 

Abingdon 11/01/2020

Oxfordshire for this parkrun, a nice flat course along the river front, gravel paths, fields, tracks. 2 laps and I remember it being really wet and muddy. Lots of support along this one, canal boats and spectators cheering us on.

 

Zandvlei 01/02/2020

The Z in my parkrun A-Z. Always nice running in the South African sun after a winter of wet and cold parkruns in the UK. This one is a lovely route along the lake, with a mix of grass, trail and sand paths. Starts at 8am and there are always tourists there getting their ‘Z’s – much to the bemusement of the run directors!

 

Bellville 08/02/2020

One of the busiest parkruns I’ve ever done, with the majority of people walking. Tarmac path around the park and started at 8am before it got too hot. I remember a car key board was up and people were leaving their keys hung up on it so they wouldn’t have to run with them.

 

East Grinstead 31/07/2021

The first parkrun we did post covid. This is now my local parkrun and is 2 different courses depending on time of year. All off road, with long slopes and “The Hill”. In the winter it’s a mud bath, but it makes you stronger! You’ll often think EG has more volunteers than runners but as 9am approaches runners start to appear out from the woods! A great coffee truck now appears every Saturday morning, so we often grab a hot drink afterwards.

 

Bedgebury Pinetum 07/08/2021

Another of my favourite courses. A lovely setting running through the pinetum and giant trees. All off road with long slopes and a killer hill at the end with the finish strategically placed at the top of it. Good coffee in the café at the end.

 

Chalkwell Beach 21/08/2021

Flat and fast along the promenade for a 2.5km out and back in Leigh-On-Sea. Weather was good and it was a lovely sunny run next to the sea. There is a monument in the sea near the start and finish so a good landmark to aim for as you head back to the finish line.

 

Tilgate 11/09/2021

A local one in Crawley. Think it used to regularly get 400 plus runners pre-covid. Has 2 starts to manage the start as it can get quite congested. A lovely course in the park, around the lake, with flat tarmac sections, short sharp hills and downhill sections.

 

Trelissick 09/10/2021

Another beautiful Cornish one at a National Trust property. Long downhill to the river through the woods, which means the same long uphill to the finish line. As with all National Trust parkruns you can rely on good coffee and cake afterwards.

 

Bideford 30/10/2021

A 6 lap course as the rugby pitch had flooded! The most laps I’ve ever done at a parkrun, and the most I’ve ever been lapped too! All on tarmac and flat.

 

Roberts Park 01/01/2022

This was my first run post covid and a New Years Day special. A mix of tarmac and grass and fairly flat, along the river edge.

 

Uckfield 22/01/2022

The ‘U’ in the A-Z. Started at the rugby club, and it was hilly and muddy from the start. There’s often cows on this course! Need to go back and experience this one in the summer.

 

Guildford 05/02/2022

Parkrun with friends this weekend. All off road and fairly flat, but the grass was wet, and it was fairly muddy. 2 laps around the park with a really wide start so it must look great from a distance as we start!

 

Ifield Mill Pond 19/02/2022

My choice of birthday parkrun. And the ‘I’ in the A-Z. Flat and on tarmac, around the ponds. Narrow paths so one that needs patience! Lots of wildlife and birds, with lots of peaceful spots around the ponds.

 

Fareham 12/03/2022

Nice route along the waterfront, follows the path along the golf course so nice views all the way round. A 2.5km out and back, flat and off road.

 

Clair 26/03/2022

Tarmac and hilly! This was family members first ever parkrun and they chose a hard one to start with! Lots of short sharp climbs through the woods, and then down to the fields.

 

Rutland Water 16/04/2022

We were lucky with the weather, sunny and clear blue skies. 2.5km out and back along the edge of the reservoir and out along the dam wall. Beautiful with the water, and the monument on the waters edge.

 

Kingdom 14/05/2022

One of our favourites, 3 laps on the trail path. Far reaching stunning views, and basically downhill to the ‘washing machine’ and then back uphill to the centre. Best coffee shop we’ve come across at a parkrun!

 

Mile End 21/05/2022

My 100^th parkrun and first London one. Flat and tarmac and a busy course.

 

Queen Elizabeth 28/05/2022

We stopped here on the way to the New Forest. Th ‘Q’ in the A-Z. A lovely off road course, hilly, undulating, trail, grass – it had everything. Plus amazing views and a great café.

 

Netley Abbey 04/06/2022

The route was changed this week but would normally run past the abbey. 4 laps of the cricket pitches instead!

 

Hadleigh 25/06/2022

Takes place at Essex’s Olympic mountain bike centre. All off road and basically runs downhill to the Thames waterfront, and then back uphill. Great views and enthusiastic marshals!

 

Hastings 16/07/2022

Flat and fast along the seafront on a lovely sunny day. Took note of the beach café along the route to head to for breakfast after! Lots of great artwork along the promenade too so one of the more interesting seafront parkruns.

 

Preston Park 27/08/2022

Trip to Brighton for this one, 2 laps around the park, all on tarmac. A really congested start with people shouting “bollard” and raising both arms to warn runners behind them of the upcoming hazards. Get to the front if you want a fast time. Great coffee and cake at the café afterwards, and watched the park fill up with the next round of parkgoers for football!

 

Walmer and Deal Seafront 17/09/2022

Quite a few hazards along this course, the race director called it the “3 B’s” – Benches, Bins and Boats! If the siren went off we had to wait for the lifeboat to cross the route, luckily there were no emergencies this time round. A flat and fast 2.5km out and back, running past the old castle and up the pier. After this a nice walk into Deal for breakfast.

 

Dartford 25/09/2022

Pleasantly surprised by this one! Nice park route, good mix of hills, trail and tarmac, and really friendly marshals. Loved the athletics track at the start and supporting them by buying a coffee afterwards at the track café.

 

Seaford Beach 25/03/2023

The windiest run I’ve ever done! 2.5km flat tarmac out and back along the seafront. Flew to the turn around point with the wind behind us, and then turned straight into a wind wall for the return 2.5km!

 

Southend 08/04/2023

Up there in my top 5 parkruns. A great mix of trail and tarmac within the nature reserve, past the lake and up onto the seafront. With views of Southend pier and beaches, the old fort and the lake, a really lovely one.

 

Eastbourne 06/05/2023

Super flat and fast out and back along the lake edge. This was the Coronation weekend, so the race director was dressed up in King fancy dress and there were pacers too. A nice peaceful run within the nature reserve, swans and geese on the water.

 

And that’s my recap of my 50 parkrun venues so far! Each and every one has been friendly, welcoming and enjoyable. You never regret getting up early on a Saturday and doing a parkrun. For more info on how to get involved and to find your closest event visit the parkrun website https://www.parkrun.org.uk/

Happy running!