LOTS of parkrun people, the abbreviation LOTS stands for Lee on the Solent which was the Hampshire venue for Fareham Running Clubs takeover of volunteering and supporting roles on September 17th. As a long standing member of FRC I popped down to the coast to offer my services on this bright crisp morning. The parkrun philosophy has always been inclusivity with everyone welcome, I’m sure that on the day we achieved that. Giving something back to your chosen sport is always satisfying so it’s a win -win.

Before I go any further I’d like to credit the official parkrun photographer from the day, Peter Soddard for the images in my blog. This was event 313 and had 418 finishers with 66 PB’s !!

On my arrival the scene was set for another coastal parkrun with views across to the Isle of Wight and the chatter of anticipation. I didn’t have a specific role assigned to me but as is often the case two opportunities presented themselves as the morning unfolded.

In amongst the gathered runners and walkers I spotted Paula Williams who was coordinating our club’s efforts to facilitate the fun. As with all parkruns the set up, funnel staff, timers, token takers, barcode scanners, marshals and coordinators were all in evidence as well as our club supplying numerous pacers. I think it’s a pretty good chance that the pacers would have contributed to many of the 66 PB’s.

I decided to make my way along the coast to see what part I could play. Within a hundred meters or so I stopped to chat with Sarah Macbeath. Her role was to marshal the cluster of small rocks that are just off the promenade. With a field of 400 + it was clear that the starting line would be some fifty or so people wide and that the folks at the front would want to merge onto the prom as quickly as possible.

With the prospect of hundreds of well intentioned runners charging straight for her I asked if she’d like another “rock marshal” on the grounds that doubling our forces would hopefully mean less chance of any accidents.

If you have a sharp eye you will see in the photo below there are two of us pointing in the opposite direction to the rest of humanity !! Sarah’s fair hair and placard can be spotted with the “40” on its reverse. The phrase “Caution Rocks” was written on the sign, a phrase that we both shouted out along with “Mind the rocks” and for my part I decided that the volume of my safety advice was the best bet.

Within less than a minute a good proportion of the field had passed us by and we both agreed it had been quite exhilarating. No one tripped, no one ran into us and there were numerous “Thank you Marshals” so all in all it was job done. Top marks Sarah.

With the drama of the start behind me I chatted with a few of our club members who were manning the finish funnel and also the photographer from our local paper, The News. Here’s a selection of our club volunteers below with Mel, Rebecca and Co. then me, far left. These volunteers were centered around the funnel, however, we had guys up and down the length of the course.

I chatted with Ed and Mick Macenri who I haven’t seen in a long time and Mick mentioned his wife Liz was one of the pacers. The nature of this parkrun is an out and back route along the prom so as the guys got into their positions I looked around for my next contribution.

I didn’t have to look a lot further than my “Caution Rocks” pal Sarah as she was safeguarding one of the large litter bins, as, by the time the parkrunners have returned along the Prom these black bins do merge into the background and would present a painful experience with a collision.

So, yes you guessed it, I progressed from “Mind the Rocks” to “Mind the bin” it doesn’t get much more rock & roll than this but at the same time safety first has to be the answer for a successful event.

The funny thing about spectating / supporting / marshalling is that hundreds of people pass you with flashes of coloured kit, comments shouted out and to be honest it can be a bit of a blur !! I shouted encouragement as well as mind the bin to everyone that passed and name checked as many people as I could.

I think the first person I saw at the sharp end of the parkrun was Phil from our running club who is running the London marathon for charity. He will be wearing a large foam star and is hoping to break the Guinness world record time for a fancy dress marathon star. Through the morning I saw Mike, Simon and Andy, all friends that I’ve known for twenty five years or so from my Stubbington Green runner days. Added to this there were Gosport RR /Bayside Tri & 545 runners like Hayley and Lee, Fareham runners like Trevor and Chris. Well done everyone.

With the nature of people running past you and you only seeing them at the last minute I was pleased to see Emma Noyce from Gosport RR after she’d finished. She shouted “Hi” mid run but I wanted to congratulate her on her British Empire Medal. Emma is a keen open water swimmer, as well as runner, so we were on her patch by the sea. Congratulations Emma on your award.

In summary there were numerous positive comments on social media praising our clubs involvement so it was hats off to Paula for coordinating and a round of applause to all Fareham Running Club volunteers. Oh, and apparently there were a number of cakes donated too from the club, but sadly I had to leave before sampling any.

For my part it was great to see so many running friends and I thoroughly enjoyed helping out.

The phenonium that is parkrun continues to thrive, inspire and motivate both our local community and across the country. Octobers parkwalk will bring even more people into the fold. Exercise truly is a common denominator, we arrive from all walks of life and we leave glowing with the physical and emotional benefits. Your legs are empty but your heart is full.

Chipping in to volunteer is well worth it.

Thanks for reading, Roger

Woolacombe Dunes parkrun, lets take these three words one at a time. Woolacombe, is a seaside resort on the North Devon coast. The resort beach has a fantastic two mile stretch of golden sand that faces the Atlantic Ocean and draws in tourists all year round.

The dunes are the area of sand between the beach and the headland that have been blow into mounds or small hills and require a good amount of energy to scale. The 230 feet elevation gain might not sound too much but the majority of the course is sand and the icing on the cake is the Dune of Doom !!

parkrun is an all inclusive, 5 kilometer, world wide phenomenon for anyone that wants to run, jog or walk that distance on a Saturday morning at 9 a.m.

This is my run review of a course that sites in National Trust land, includes the South West coastal path and proudly relishes its North Devon AONB status (Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty).

Woolacombe Dunes parkrun has been labelled the toughest in the UK and it has been on my bucket list for a while, I can confirm that the event lives up to its billing and on top of the difficulty the inspiring views almost make up for the lung and calf busting test that you experience.

Parking on top of the headland the beach’s full glory takes your breath away, facilities wise the Porthole café has toilets and naturally tempting food and drink on offer. I arrived early so as to get my bearings and have a chat with Paul Cooper the race director. Parkrun simply wouldn’t exist without the volunteers who cover all that’s required to give us a great run, so thankyou to Woolacombe’s volunteers.

Our run briefing was informative and entertaining, lets say we all knew what was in store and we all knew we were in good hands.

142 of us set off in an orderly fashion due to the width of Marine Drive, at the standard 9 a.m. time. The first 400 meters were slightly quicker than I’d planned but I’m sure I wasn’t the only one who did this, however, it allowed us to space out. A sharp right hand turn took us onto a compacted track that was no more than ten feet wide and quite steep. In no time at all we took a sharp left hand turn onto the South West coastal path, a sandy undulating track that immediately introduced you to the “sand factor” that would play a part in the rest of our run. The ferns and rough grass either side of the track made it easy to see where the trail was heading.

Apparently according to studies running on sand requires 1.6 times more energy than running on a hard surface. Yes, our friend “Lactic acid” was about to kick in. That burning sensation in your lungs and muscles is a sure sign you really are trying your best.

The undulating path then took a steep drop down to the beach, so care was needed as your momentum meant your feet sunk quite deeply into the shifting sand. As we hit the beach it was a magnificent sight, no wonder it’s an award winner !! This was the first mile done and with hindsight, the easiest mile of the three.

Next a mile of beach running and what immediately struck me was just how far the leading pace setters were ahead. However, first things first, this is a run and not a race. The sand was reasonably good underfoot but still with that slight “sinking” sensation. We had lots of room with it being out of Summer season, no jellyfish, children’s sand castles or Dad’s buried up to necks to avoid !!

The white water of the breaking Atlantic waves, the squawks of seagulls overhead and the salty taste in the air all added to the seaside vibe but even though nature was trying to offer us wellbeing and mindful distractions the inevitable trip back up the sand dunes couldn’t be disguised.

The golden sand is clearly what beings tourism to the area and I, like the majority of the parkrun tourists that have run here, contemplated how lovely it would be to live here.

As the two mile mark approached so did the Dune of Doom. A twenty meter incline that had our names nailed on it, character building, yes, painful, yes but that said, an experience to remember.

With seventy odd runners already having scaled the dune with was a mixed blessing. The imbedded footprints were almost like stepping stones to aim for so as not to interrupt new shifting sand but at the same time where the sand had been churned up it gave you an unbalanced feeling.

The lactic acid in my lungs and calves had hit in big time and there was almost a sense of an anxiety dreams when you are running with lots of effort but not actually getting anywhere !!

What encouraged me was the fact that I overtook a coupe of people with my fast walking and once at the top there was definitely a “Rocky” moment when he runs to the top of those stairs in the film. However, there was no time to dwell on reaching the top it was a case of trying to get back into a rhythm and trying to even out you breathing.

We were once again on the sandy Coastal path with a repeat of the undulating trail until, as I suspected, we joined the compacted path that that took us up the headland to Marine Drive. The speed that I generated on my return was in stark contrast to almost having to put the breaks on coming down.

Again, aggressive fast walking and some slow running were required. Thankfully the lactic acid kicked in for the final time. However, with only the prospect of 400 meters left once summitted this spurred me on to dig deep and find my “inner fell runner”. Once we hit that home straight it was still curiously uphill when it felt quite flat at the beginning of our 5K.

I guess these are the tricks our mind plays on us when we are fresh and when we are done in, ha ha.

I took out my parkrun barcode, thanked the volunteer for scanning the tags and briefly thanked Paul the Race Director with my final words being “I’ll be back”. The event is a great partnership between the National Trust land and the spirit of parkruns inclusive community running . Naturally there are hundreds of parkruns up and down the country but this is a special one.

Time wise 33.40 and position wise 76th out of 142 wasn’t too bad but I know I can do better now I know what’s involved. Whether this review has wet your appetite or confirmed that you will be steering well clear thanks for reading.

In summary, if you look up the words scenic or challenging in the dictionary there will be a picture of Woolacombe Dunes parkrun but it’s the same picture when you look up rewarding too . A great day, a tick on my bucket list and a pleasure writing about it.

Cheers, Roger

It’s January 1st 2020 and it’s 9 a.m. , why is that time significant …… because it’s parkrun o’clock. Fareham parkrun is about a miles jog away from me so it was the perfect choice for a New Years day run.

I talked to at least twenty people most of who I knew but also a few that I didn’t because it was that kind of a day. Like minded people gathered together with their hopes, targets and expectations for 2020 all ahead of them and with running being the common denominator.

Up and down the country thousands of runners would have been looking forward to running into 2020 with a double parkrun (10.30 a.m. being the second option) however, I had to be back on “Dad’s taxi duties”. I wanted to blog about my morning run because I left with a real glow of running community spirit.

Now, I must stress that I don’t actually run many of these 5K events that have revolutionised running over the last decade but in many ways this allows me to make fresh observations.

From the minute I arrived there was a buzz, positivity filled the air, smiling faces, laughter and enthusiasm could be seen in abundance, it was almost as if this was an awards ceremony or maybe a wedding !! The impression I was left with was that this was the start of a decade and that people were enjoying the moment but looking ahead to future possibilities. All 480 of them !!

New Years Day is naturally a day for looking forwards, for hope and new beginnings but couple that with healthy exercise and a commitment that had made everyone consider their previous nights celebrations, just so that they could attend a run at nine a.m. the following morning, then you have a truly special occasion.

At this point I think its really important to say that the parkrun movement wouldn’t work without the constant offers from all the volunteers and today was no exception, again, up and down the country. Hats off to all the volunteers.

If you could bottle and sell this atmosphere you’d be a rich man, in no time at all 🙂

You may have noticed that I’ve used a generic parkrun photo and that’s because I didn’t take any photos and that’s because I didn’t use my phone. This fact was the other overriding impression I was left with, people were actively talking to each other, engaging, discussing and most of all enthusing 🙂

The run itself is an out and back route which perfectly lends itself to yet more positivity with name checking, high fives and banter being exchanged.

On this occasion I won’t be quoting who I talked to, times or positions because the occasion was what I wanted to write about. I know the other fifty one parkruns a year are positive but I just felt that todays date had extra meaning.

The couple near to me on the start line summed the morning up, “who’d have thought we’d have been doing this a decade ago !! “, yes, I suspect thousands of people would have either said this or contemplated it today.

On a personal note I’d like to say thanks to Francis who approached me and said, “you don’t know me but I enjoy reading your blog” that was very kind and I really appreciated it. Thanks to everyone that reads my blogs 🙂

Happy New Year #2020 the running community is in good hands with the phenomena that is parkrun .

HNY Rog

 

 

 

Saturdays 14 miler had just about everything that’s great about our local running community and the unseasonably warm weather complimented the warm welcome that the 5K Your Way – Move Against Cancer guys received from regulars at the Lee-On-The-Solent Parkrun 

My plan for the morning was ……….

Head over towards Titchfield village, then along the canal to the sea, follow the coast along to the parkrun, meet Sue and her Cancer Awareness group, run the 5K and then head back home.

So, first things first, who are 5K Your Way- Move Against Cancer ? Well, “in their own words”, they are a support group with a difference. A community based initiative to encourage those living with and beyond cancer, their families, friends and those working in cancer services to walk, jog, run, cheer or volunteer at a local 5k Your Way parkrun event, on the last Saturday of every month.

I first became aware of the group after seeing a twitter post by Sue Rourke and then reading the following page on the Lee parkrun website … Click on this link !!

Considering that we live in an age when small deeds are labelled as “epic” or someone that buys you a pint is a “legends” Sue, really is, inspirational.

I’d encourage everyone reading my blog to click on the link above and take the time to read about a lady who has incurable cancer and is fighting it on her own terms by encouraging others to come along. Sue, who has run 5K’s and up to a marathon is part of a national network of such groups that parkrun has embraced.

The seven miles that took me to Lee included a favourite stretch of mine, the Titchfield Canal. I met Keith from Fareham Crusaders on route and then saw a number of other running friends as I looked for Sue and her group.

To be honest I was quite surprised at the size of the 5K My Way group and as Sue lined us up for the photo that starts my blog it was clear a good 50 extra people would be participating in the parkrun.

I chatted to Sue and her passion for the project shone through.

Some ran, sum jogged, some walked but everyone followed in the parkrun tradition of encouraging each other. Becky from the group gave everyone new to the parkrun experience a briefing and then this was followed by a warm introduction from the event director.

Lee parkrun is an out and back course so there are numerous occasions on which you pass each other. Naturally this meant “well done” “thank you” and “keep going” were all terms used over and over again.

Unfortunately, on this occasion, I couldn’t hang around at the end to chat more because I still had a few miles left to run but luckily I saw both Sue and Becky as I headed back up the coast. I stopped and chatted to both ladies promising that I’ll be back in four weeks time (April 27th) when I can spend more time getting to understand their supportive work.

I recognised a whole host of Fareham Crusaders, Gosport Road Runners and other friends from our local area that all share and contribute to the parkrun spirit. As of today another fifty people joined our community and I’ve got a feeling the two groups will benefit each other.

Lets out run cancer together.

This is my Strava map from today with the parkrun being the furthest stretch along the coast. With the breaks in my running the pace dropped off a bit but hey !! “who cares”, today was a memorable morning.

My family, just like so many others, has been affected by cancer which is why I was keen to write this blog.

Thanks for reading and please, follow those links for some truly inspirational reading.

Roger

 

 

 

 

 

Saturday 9 a.m. used to be no different to 8 or 10 a.m. until parkruns appeared. A parkrun is just that, a run in a park, there isn’t the pressure of a race number and it really is all inclusive.

Last week myself, Paul and Nikki had planned to visit Queen Elizabeth Country Park (QECP), starting with the QE parkrun and then carrying on along the South Downs Way for some extra training.

This post is a thank you to the volunteers that hosted the event and a description of our experience which I’d thoroughly recommend. Parkrun tourism has become quite a feature of the 5K revolution so I hope this wets your appetite for a visit !!

QECP was originally planted in the 1930’s and the forested rolling terrain extends for quite a considerable area. The predominantly beech trees are managed by the Forestry Commission and the whole area sits within the wider South Downs National Park.

With BBQ’s, picnic areas, adventure playgrounds and an assault course, for “older children”, why limit yourself to just running the 5K, take the family and make a morning of it.

With a visitors centre full of local information and a café you really are spoilt !!

Have I wet your appetite yet ??

Once I’d mentioned on social media that we were visiting QECP I had tweets from both Dwayne and Paul, who are local running friends of mine and are part of the team that volunteers.

As we gathered for the pre run address we were told to expect gravel paths, trails and grass which was music to my ears. Joanne also joined us for one of Paul’s photo opportunities. Running through all that nature has to offer is such a privilege and a joy. The trees sway with the chilly breeze, there’s occasional bird song and you are breathing in clean crisp air.

The course is a two loop route with some challenging elevation but nothing that can’t be walked with a purposeful stride or run depending on your level of fitness. We were ushered slightly further up the first gravel hill so as to reach the official start point.

Runners of all ages, abilities and motivations stood like coiled springs ready for the 9 a.m. start. Quite a few canine companions we wagging their tails in anticipation and we were off !!

The adrenaline soon kicked in as we climbed this first hill, conversations we quickly replaced with the huffing and puffing of the task at hand. This first hill didn’t last too long and naturally following the premise that what goes up must come down we were guided to quite a long downhill section.

Luckily the weather has been dry so a fair amount of caution could be thrown to the wind as we plummeted down the grassy slope. Turning right at the bottom of the hill you are presented with a combination chalk and grass to run on, as you make your way back to the start, and the end of the first smaller lap.

Climbing the original hill is now more taxing as you start from the bottom and follow the trail for longer up to the 3K marker. That said, you have the benefit of the marshals and well wishers at this half way point to spur you on.

Hills are a great training exercise so my advice would be to treat them as just that. Repeat after me … “hills are good for my running”. Down land areas break up some of the forest so as to give you views through the trees and maybe even a deer if you are lucky.

Once past the 3K mark you benefit from a more gradual drop in elevation and then you are back to the chalk and grass. Through 4K its a case of mustering what you have left and concentrating on your breathing.

This is the home straight as you approach the tokens and barcode finish, you’ll be emptying the tank from this point.

So, this parkrun in the beautiful countryside comes highly recommended, throw in some hills and you have an all round workout for the body and mind. As an introduction to trail running the QE parkrun is an excellent starting point and scores highly on my wellbeing chart.

You may not come away with a personal best but you’ll be rewarded with a morning running through nature and pondering just how soon you’ll be returning.

Thanks, as always, must go the volunteers who make this, and every other parkrun work.

Enjoy your running …. Roger

Solent University’s huge lecture theatre screen gave the 100 + guests attending an evening with Mr Parkrun himself, Paul Sinton-Hewitt CBE the opportunity to watch and hear from a man who has realised his running vision. Hosting the evening was Mathew Fleet (who’d invited me) a lecturer at Solent, a fellow Fareham Crusader and an avid parkrun enthusiast.

Mathew underlined just how parkrun Southsea has had a huge positive effect on his family with photos of him running with his daughters and his brother, a nice personal touch when introducing Paul. The photo below is of our host, our speaker and the funky Solent University.

The running community were out in force this evening, bloggers, parkrun directors, junior parkrun directors, running event organisers, dedicated parkrun volunteers and park runners. I recognised a good ten people from our local area.

What I liked most about the evening was that Paul Sinton-Hewitt (lets go with PSH) charted the emergence of parkrun right up to its current position of potential world domination with frequent references to the many contributors that make up the slices of  a parkrun pie.

Naturally a large slice is PSH himself, he currently holds the title of Founder which seems to suits him very well in that he can spend time talking to audiences such as ours, while still having an influence on the wider activities of this ever expanding phenomenon.

The parkrun pie first came out of the oven on October 2nd 2004 with 13 runners attending the Bushy Park time trial. This free, timed, 5K run with results and coffee to follow was pretty much the same as it is today. It expanded through the London suburbs, spread to Leeds via Marathon Talks Tom Williams, through the UK and around the world.

The ingredients for the parkrun pie haven’t really changed from the list PSH cooked up in 2014. Community running for absolutely anyone in the community, no charges and an open invite to return whenever it suits you.

From listening to PSH he talked with both affection and pride regarding probably the biggest slice of the parkrun pie, the volunteers. After all the runs quite simply wouldn’t function without these guys. When he said parkruns were free in every sense of the word ultimately I guess volunteers are free to come and go but they appear to have built up their own separate community. Paul used the phrase “giving something back” which sums up the volunteers contribution.

He mentioned the fact that naturally runners volunteered but many of the people who contribute never run themselves.

With PSH developing the registration system from his IT background then this really did enable him to keep everything at the grass roots level. Paul also acknowledged that the post run coffee and conversations were as much a part of the volunteering as the encouragement.

I’ve only volunteered once but I must admit but they certainly were “giving” me all I needed.

Finally the runners, walkers and joggers slice of the pie comes in all sorts of flavours . PSH noted the positives, female participation is higher in parkruns than club races, families run together, Dads cheer on their wives and kids, both parents look on with pride at the junior parkruns, buggy and dog runners are welcome, disabled runners are catered for and the list goes on and on.

The nature of a weekly event means progress can be measured from walking to jogging to running. Whether this translates into entering races is more of an invitation than an expected consequence.

Most importantly a parkrun is just that, a run, through pleasant surroundings and not a race. PSH clearly felt this was a major key to its success.

With parkruns in prisons, parkruns in less advantaged areas and doctors being urged to prescribe the running social engagement of parkruns rather than pills the future looks bright.

So in summary his audience listened with 100% attention and followed it up with a variety of interesting questions. I intend to post this blog to as many non running social media outlets as running ones because parkrun has so much to offer the people that haven’t discovered it. Thanks for reading.

Generally speaking pies are frowned upon were healthy living is concerned but the parkrun pie has changed lives, probably extended lives and developed a community that’s free to access at 9am every Saturday.

An inspiring evening from an inspiring man.

PSH …….Mr Parkrun, thank you.

 

 

As I left Fareham parkrun the one thought that struck me was just how many people it had catered for. In essence a parkrun is a timed 5K, marshalled and organised by volunteers and open to anyone that has registered. We all had our barcodes and we’d all be running but there can be so many motivators for attending.

I thought I’d share my observations on just how well parkrun serves it’s loyal members, without necessarily naming all the people involved !!

Naturally this applies up and down the country and for that matter, across the world.

1. Family runners. These are such positive scenes with mums & dads encouraging their kids to run. It’s a shared interest, it’s healthy and it’s a great confidence builder.
2. The first timers. An officially organised race can often be a step too far for people who are working through their walk/jog/run phases. Parkrun is the perfect starting point to chart distances walked, jogged and run. It also offers countless encouraging voices.
3. The returning from injury runners. Testing your progress outside of a more pressurised race environment can be invaluable.
4. The returning to fitness runners. Not having run for a while doesn’t always follow on from an injury. Discovering your lost “mojo” in a friendly 5K can make all the difference.
5. Speed, whether it’s “out and out running speed”, running to complement another sport or like me, it’s good to throw in some lung busting as an alternative to my long steady runs and,
6. My final observation was simply the communal parkrun spirit that the returning weekly parkrunners share. I don’t parkrun that often as marathons are my distance but “I’ll be back”.

The speed of the results and the fantastic free photos, that are invariably available too, make the experience one to repeat.

Thanks very much to Fareham parkrun, Julie Salt and her team. I enjoyed my run, I loved my photo and I’ll also be back to volunteer at some stage.

#flying #fareham 🙂

For all details relating to the Fareham parkrun e.g. location, parking, facilities and todays results you can visit their website here http://www.parkrun.org.uk/fareham/

If you want a relatively flat trail parkrun with estuary and harbour views then you won’t do much better than Fareham. Today I was volunteering as “half way turnaround marshal” which meant I walked out with my orange cone, two signs, hi viz vest and official lanyard.

This blog is also the race report but I thought I’d do something different by writing it from a walking volunteers perspective rather than an actual runners. My aim is simply to encourage more people to both run and volunteer at Fareham and other parkruns

The Fareham parkrun course

After setting off from the Cams Mill public house / car park area there’s a good 360 metres for the runners to string out before taking a right turn onto the Fareham Easy Access Trail which weaves its way around the outskirts of the golf course for a mile. The initially enclosed tunnel of trees and bushes soon gives way to views of the golf course to your left and Fareham Quay to your right. This compacted surface underfoot is also good to run on. By the first 1K you may not have noticed the track has gradually dropped down because you’ve been taking in the views. The next 1K is flat and the views ahead stretch out further down the golf course and across the water where various wading birds can be see.

The end of the Access Trail (2K) is signalled by two benches and the terrain becoming less even underfoot once you start to run on the original coastal path for the remaining 500m. The harbours yachts can now be seen for quite some distance as well as Portsmouth’s Spinnaker Tower on the horizon. The trails wide open views are then reduced by bushes on both sides and this is where I placed my “slow down, turn around point, 20 metres ahead” sign as well as my orange cone, 20m later, to signify half way and hopefully no one falling as they rounded the cone.

Granted an almost “dead” stop to turn around a cone isn’t ideal but with my encouragement ringing in their ears people were soon on their return trip. Naturally the leaders were now returning on the left hand side of the trail. The 3K mark is virtually as you’ve joined the better surfaced trail and the 4K is when the trail bears around to the right. At this 4K point you will defiantly notice the gradual incline, it’s not a hill but if you’ve gone too hard too soon this 500 ish metres will seem a “fairway”. All that’s left then is your original 360 metres back to the finish and a well earned “subsidised” tea or coffee from the pub in its lovely surroundings and patio.

My “experience” of the Fareham parkrun

Parkruns “do what they say on the tin” they are a run, not a race, in a pleasant area but they also offer more too. As a marshalling volunteer my motivation was simply to “give” something back to our local running community that I enjoy so much but I hadn’t bargained on getting so much back. As soon as I arrived and collected my various accessories (see the photo below) I was thanked by Andrew Smith, todays run director, for offering my services. While I was awaiting my final instructions another chap turned up out of the blue and asked if there were any roles that still needed filling and he was assigned traffic control. I chatted to volunteer Ros, who I know, and not only was she the tail end runner but she was helping set out the start too. Volunteers are “givers” !! I missed Alison that I know from twitter but I saw her at the end, she was timekeeping.

So, as I left the start line and headed out towards my half way marker I was keen to offer my enthusiasm and support. I certainly got some strange looks from a number of walkers, cyclists and a “couch to 5K” lady. They all received my parkrun smile and a quick summary of why I was carrying numerous day-glow banners and an orange cone. The “couch to 5K” lady said she’d definitely return when she had built up her confidence, #converted 🙂

I received countless “thank you marshal” comments as I both encouraged runners and advised them to watch the stones near the turning cone. Numerous Fareham Crusaders got name checked (17 I think) and I have to name Paul Pickford who was running with his guided co runner Richard Twose, this partnership summed up the day really, one runner helping another. As I was at the half way point naturally this meant the inbound runners coming towards me and the outbound on the left running back out.

The parkrun “love” was again evident with the encouragement of fellow runners passing each other in different directions whether they knew them or not. High fives and shout outs are very much a feature of parkruns and it’s great to watch and be a part of, even as a standing volunteer. As Ros came into sight with the two people that were furthest away from the leading runner it was almost disappointing that my involvement was over. Ironically as I walked back thinking this I met up with Chris (photo’d above) who was also marshalling at the 2/4K point and we chatted about how positive the morning had been.

It wasn’t just the lovely surroundings that made today enjoyable it was the parkrun spirit that’s so infectious. Whether you run or volunteer it really is a different kind of running. Old/young, quick/steady, experienced or a novice, as Nike would say, “Just do it” !!