Saffron Walden 10K - 27.09.15

Today I ran in a 10K cross country race in Saffron Walden on what was a lovely morning for running. The event was well organised by  Saffron Striders and was attended by 217 other participants. 

The race route went over rolling farmland and it was challenging but this was largely because I haven’t run 10k for a few weeks. 

In the end I managed a respectable time of 56min 13 sec which was not too shabby for a cross country 10K. 

The event is well worth a try next year and only 1 hour away.

Pete

Parkrun tourism

I have been a bit of a tourist as a parkrunner and have now taken part in Parkruns at 28 different locations.

Over the summer I revisited Tring Parkrun (29min PB ). If you think that is slow go and run it! The first K is uphill. A lovely run in the Chilterns but not one I could do every week.

Daventry was a nice flat loop around a lake and which is run on hard dirt paths (27min 35s). As Sian got lost in the car I waited about 2min after they had started before I decided to go for it anyway....

 

Delamere Parkrun near Liverpool was again a lovely run on hard dirt paths through woodland. One or two rises but a fun run (28min 52).

 

Another local run down near Watford is Aldenham Parkrun. This was another run where you had a chance of getting a PB. Two laps around the lake on good hard concrete/dirt paths. Close to where I used to work (BPL) and I used to walk around the park in my lunchtimes. Parking is a bit pricy (£4 for the day) unless you know where to park on a side road or in the car boot sale.  Well worth a visit especially if you are happy to stay in the park and visit the mini zoo and have an ice cream!

Pete Jones

Delta Parkrun, Johannesburg - 19th September 2015.

Whilst on holiday in SA with daughter Chloe I took advantage to get in a Parkrun. Delta Parkrun was the most convenient and I duly turned up at 7.45 for an 8am start.

This Parkrun regularly has over 800 participants so was relatively quite with only 701 finishers.

The weather was not as bad as I feared with it being cloudy and only 15 degrees C albeit with 82% humidity. Being over 1500m above sea level you do notice the thinner air whenever you exert yourself and I was panting most of the way around the course and had to walk on two uphill parts.

It was the first Parkrun that I have come across that has a drinks station halfway around.

Parkrun in SA is slightly different to the UK in that here the majority run or jog the course whereas at this Parkrun the majority walk the course. At Delta more than 50% took a time in excess of 40 minutes and my average time of 25 minutes would have placed me 60th out of 701.

However I was on holiday and it was very humid etc etc so whilst achieving a slightly disappointing time of 28:24 I was placed 138th.

Les