Colchester Castle parkrun

Castle Park in Colchester opened in 1892. However the history of the land dates back 2000 years. The site once formed part of the Roman City of Colonia Victricensis. Here stood the temple of Claudius dedicated to the worship of the Roman Emperor. It was destroyed by Boudica in her rebelion of 60/61 AD and later rebuilt.

welcome

Fast-forward to the present day and you'll find that Castle Park is now home to Colchester Castle parkrun. The Castle grounds are divided into upper and lower parks and are beautifully kept. The upper section contains a couple of playgrounds, a bandstand, the castle and has more of a formal garden feel to it. Whereas the lower section has an open grass area, boating pond and bowls greens.

the bandstand

I had planned to follow the car parking instructions on the Colchester Castle parkrun course webpage. However upon arrival at Leisure World, there had been an incident overnight and the usual parking arrangements seemed to have been suspended. So, in short, I parked for free which was fine with me. I walked over to the park and discovered that there are some proper cycling racks just outside the gate near the river and also some more outside the main gate near the castle. Most cycling-parkrunners seemed to use the benches around the bandstand to secure their bikes. There are two train stations that are equal distance to the park - Colchester and Colchester Town.

colchester castle

Inside the park I found three sets of toilets. One at the cafe, one near the boating lake, and one at the Hollytrees Museum. Sadly they do not officially open until 9am, which is a shame because the park was alive and busy with plenty of other park users well before 9am. In the end, I got lucky when a member of the staff started opening the Hollytrees Museum toilets at about 8.50am.

the route through the upper park with the wall and the lower park in the distance

The meeting point for the run is at the bandstand, which is in the Upper Park. This central point also hosts the start and the finish lines. A few minutes before 9am a new runners briefing is held at the bandstand - If you haven't run at this venue before I would advise you to listen carefully to the course description before heading off. It's not complicated once you know it, but in unfamiliar surroundings it would be easy to take a wrong turn. The course is mostly flat but has an incline which is climbed 2.5 times. It is completely on tarmac paths and is suitable for buggy runners.

the wall

The run starts at 9am on the tree-lined avenue next to the bandstand. Runners first head off in the direction of the cafe before climbing a fairly gentle incline to the top of the upper park and following the footpath around the perimeter of the castle. The castle, built by the Normans, is built on the foundations of the original Roman Temple. It was completed in around 1100 and made use of Roman brick and clay from the old Roman town. It has had many uses over the years including a spell as a prison where suspected witches were held and interegated. It doesn't look quite as it would have back in its day as the original upper parts (possibly three storeys high) were part-demolished about 300 years ago (c.1683) following a Parliament survey that condemned the building, valuing the stone at five pounds.

lake adjacent to the river colne

With the castle being the highest point of the park, the next section has the runners heading downhill back through the upper park before taking a hard left and running along next to the old Roman wall. This wall is the oldest surviving town wall in Britain. It was built to defend the town after Boudica's rebellion. At the end of the wall the runners enter the Lower Park and run past a boating lake before joining a meandering pedestrian-cyclist path.

the turnaround point

The runners continue along this path until passing through the park gate and continuing to follow the river path to run and out-and-back section. The river is the River Colne and is very pretty - the path continues to meander as it follows the edge of the river and lake. For any runners still able to focus on counting, there are five shared-use people-cycle signs to look out for. At the fifth one it is time to do a u-turn and head back towards the Lower Park. The fifth post is marked with a white band and a sign. There is also a turnaround arrow marked on the floor. If that fails just loop around the friendly marshal, who will be in position at this point.

part of the incline in upper park

Once the runners arrive back at the Lower Park, they will have about one-and-a-half laps through the upper and lower parks to complete before turning back onto the central tree-lined avenue to reach the finish line. This final section through the park is the toughest part of the run as it involves climbing from the bottom to the top, returning to the bottom, and then climbing it all over again. The inclines aren't crazy-steep but like all inclines, they can bite if you push too hard at the wrong time.

finish line

Once through the finish line, and after collapsing onto the grass, the runners just need to head to the bandstand where they will find some more lovely volunteers ready to scan their personal and finishing barcodes. The 'Cafe in the park' is then right next to the finish line, so is perfectly positioned for anyone looking to have some post-run refreshments and a bit of chat about the morning's running.

barcode scanning in the bandstand

This is another very beautiful parkrun - I ran it on a lovely sunny day so really got to see it at its best and I really enjoyed running the course (even though I was made to run up a hill two-and-a-half times!). It is popular and on the day I visited there were 221 runners. It really is worth visiting this venue. There are also loads of things to do after the run so it's worth hanging around if you're not in a rush to be somewhere else!

Tivoli Lauf Halb Marathon 2014 (Aachen, Germany)

I've had 'run an overseas race' on my to-do list for as long as I can remember. So when I seriously started looking for one, I naturally looked towards Aachen in Germany to see what might be on offer. My thinking was that I could kill two birds with one stone. Firstly, I get to tick 'run an overseas race' off my to-do list and my daughter gets to see her Omi (her Grandmother on the German side of the family) who lives in Aachen.

the new tivoli stadium

So I went ahead and signed up for the race. At 16 euros (£12.96), I thought the price was extremely reasonable for a half-marathon. Of course there were the Eurostar and Thalys train fares to add on top, but we would have to pay the train fares to get there regardless of whether I was racing or not. Believe it or not the website was in German, but I was able to read some and translate anything I was unsure of by using the power of internet translation services.

the schedule for the day's races

We travelled to Germany on the Saturday afternoon and stayed at my Mother-in-Law's house. On the day of the race she was kind enough to drive us across to the venue. The race is centered around the New Tivoli football stadium and is where Alemannia Aachen Football Club are based. Car parking was provided right next to the stadium, and once inside there were toilets and refreshments available. Spectators were able to sit in one of the stands to view their running friends passing through the stadium and also when finishing.

bib and tee-shirt collection point

I had to collect my race bib upon arrival and it was a swift and easy process. At this point I also picked up my souvenir Brooks race tech tee-shirt. The only real problem with the tee-shirt is that the smallest size they had was a medium, which is huge on me and although nice to have, is nothing more than a souvenir rather than something I can wear to run in. It's shame because it feels like a pretty decent one. I then checked the entry list and saw that I was the only GBR runner here today, which meant that I'd definitely be the fastest (and slowest) finishing brit of the day! (I'll take what I can)

there i am on the start list #soletsgorunning

The race start time was 10.30am, so a short while beforehand I wandered away from my little group of supporters, visited the toilets - this is a football stadium which is used to hosting thousands of people so the facilities were ample, it made a nice change from the 30 minute wait to use a portaloo! After that I had a warm up around the stadium before getting a decent spot at the start area.

so let's go running in aachen

Being in Germany, a country known for being precise and punctual, it came of no surprise that the race started, with a bang, right on time. The only criticism here is that there could have been a countdown so that I could have been better prepared to hit the start button on my Strava app to record the race. Anyhow, we headed off.

hanging around for a good spot at the start

My plan was to run a decent time, but not completely ruin my legs for the rest of my week-long break in Aachen. I settled on aiming to run a sub-90 minute time, which was a happy medium between leg ruination and just taking things too easy. I had printed out two pace wristbands (89 and 87 minutes) and wore them both to help me to see how things were coming along as the race progressed. As this was a European race, the half-marathon distance would be marked in kilometres rather than miles.

and we're off on our first loop of the stadium

After running one-and-three-quarter laps around the outside of the stadium, we finally joined the approx 5km loop that we would be running four times. The lap takes the runners on a snaking, twisty loop of the Sports Park Soers area which the stadium forms part of. Underfoot is mostly tarmac, but on a couple of occasions it changed to gravel or cobble stones. On lap two I got stone stuck in the sole of my shoe during a gravel section so had to stop to prize it out!

go #teamslgr

During the loop there is one point that is almost scenic, where runners could look to their left and see some horses in a field. Apart from that, there is not really much to look at on the course. There are a few stadiums en-route, including the Deutsche Bank Stadion and the Hauptstadion, which hosts the popular CHIO Aachen horse show, there's also a point where the course passes through a car park (closed to traffic) and a short tunnel. Coming through the stadium at the end of each lap was really good - a nice touch was the announcer reading out the runners' names as they entered the stadium. Although, I always tend to become 'Schteven Schtockvell' when in Germany.

the bridge

A special mention should go to a footbridge that the runners have to cross four times in each direction. The ramps are very steep and slightly gravelly, so it was a case of getting up, having a quick breather and then preparing for the fast exit, not easy on the slightly gravelly surface. The rest of the course was almost flat, with just slight gradient changes every now and then. While we're on the subject of special mentions - there was also music! Outside Tivoli Stadium there was a band playing all sorts of popular songs and at other points there were some sound systems pumping out dance music to help runners on their journey. 

that looks like a smile (water station in the background)

It was a really warm and sunny day, so I was nervous that the on-course water supplies could feel the strain. There was one water station which served runners running in both directions. Plus there was a sponge station a bit further on. It seemed to work pretty well. There weren't many places to run in the shade and the unbroken sunshine definitely made this run a little bit tougher than it could have been.

getting a hi-five while passing through the tunnel

From the very beginning, I didn't really stick to my race plan. I went out on the hard side of sensible and passed the 5km marker in 20.26, which was just slightly faster than the 87 minute pacing wristband said. However, it did feel a little fast. I maintained the pace and hit the 8km marker in exactly 33 minutes. One second off 87 minute pace, but still well within the 89 minute pace which was serving as my plan b should I not feel up to sticking with the faster of the two options.

live coverage

By the time I hit 10k, I was falling behind the 87 minute pace, so I adjusted my pace by about 10 seconds per kilometre to reflect the 89 minute plan. After a slightly slower 11th kilometre (my slowest split) to recover, I started to feel a little better and focussed on catching a runner ahead who I had been slowly gaining on. We ran together for a while before I pressed on. At the 17km marker, the watch said 71.40 (1.11.40). Glancing down at my 89 minute pace band, I saw that I was only two seconds ahead of it and started to worry that if my pace was slowing, I could miss my sub-90 minute goal.

it looks like four #teamslgr runners were out on the course

After realising that, I started to work harder - the pace stayed largely the same, which was fine. At least I wasn't slowing! I didn't see any more km markers so just continued to push towards the finish line. As I entered the stadium for the fourth and final time, I headed straight towards the finish where I saw the clock slowly edging towards 89 minutes. I crossed the finish line with the clock showing 1.28.52 (88.52), which was only 8 seconds slower than my current (as of May 2014) half-marathon personal best. It's interesting how the two completely different approaches gave me almost identical times. I then grabbed some water and quite possibly more than my fair share of banana segments from the refreshments table.

just a few metres left

My gps data tells a slightly different story as far as my splits and finishing time are concerned. First of all, it had me passing the first 5k point in just under 20 minutes and 10k in around 40 minutes. It calculated the course as being 21.6km with my half-marathon time being 86.56 (1.26.56). The gps must surely be wrong because I doubt the organisers would have made such a mistake with the distance (I will however keep an eye out for other people's data to see what the overall consensus is). I'm also having a little trouble with it displaying a really odd total time and pace on Strava, even though the splits are recorded properly. I've also transferred the file to my other log and the total time is ok. It still shows as 21.6km though.

Anyway, I had a brilliant time running the half marathon. However, I do have another couple of gripes. At the end the organisers removed all of the runners bibs, which contained the timing chips. So I have no bib as a souvenir of the race. Also there was no participation medal at the end. I'm not that fussed about the medal because they quite often tend to be quite generic and not really of any use, but I find the bib is a great item to have as a reminder of the day. When I'm old and reliving my youth through my race box memories it'll be like the race never happened.

ready to race

I won't dwell on that because after the race an even more exciting thing was about to happen. My daughter was running her second race! She had signed up for the 'Bambini Lauf' (children's race) which was for children under 7 years of age and absolutely free to enter! There were also 2.5km and 5km races for the slightly older children. The organisers even printed the children's names on their bibs for them. The race was about three quarters of the way around the edge of the football pitch inside the stadium and finished at the same finish line that the half-marathon had finished an hour or so earlier. 

go lime! #teamslgr #team7t #teamgbr

In total it worked out that she ran about 350 metres. At the end all of the children were given a few little souvenirs (a frisbee, a water bottle and some sweets). For me it was great that this race took place after the main race had finished because it gave me the opportunity to watch her, unlike at her first race. It was brilliant and I was so proud of her!

approaching the finish line

Another good thing was that all the bambinis got a free tee-shirt. Matilda didn't wear hers during the race because it was too big. A few minutes after setting off, she came back around to the finish.  The finish area was very crowded with parents, we stayed as far back as possible to give the kids some space. Eventually we had to dive in to pull her out of the sea of people.

picking up some post-race goodies

All done, the two #teamslgr runners from GBR had a special photo taken with the stadium in the background before heading off to spend the rest of the day chilling out. Well deserved all round, I think. Lastly, a big thank you to the rest of team7t who were supporting me and who took most of the photos for the blog.

teamslgr /  team7t

Update: The results are now online. I finished in 13th position out of 286 participants which means I was in the top 5%. I was indeed the first finishing GBR runner, but I wasn't the first finishing non-German participant. That honour went to a runner from the Netherlands who finished a couple of minutes in front of me. Something that partly makes up for the bib being removed after the race is that you can print off a certificate from the results page, so I might just do that for my race box.

screenshot from the results page (13th out of 286)

7t

Chelmsford Central parkrun

Recorded in the Domesday book of 1086 as Celmeresfort, which had changed to Chelmsford by 1189. Ten years later, in 1199, the commissioning of a bridge over the River Can marked the origins of the modern town (recently granted city status). At the same time a royal charter was granted for a market to be held between Tuesday and Saturday. 800 years later and the market is still an important part of the city centre. Interestingly, Chelmsford was the seat of Government for six days during the summer of 1381. And one last fact... The first entertainment radio broadcast was made from Chelmsford on 15 June 1920.

welcome...

The name of this parkrun gives you an idea of where it is located, and it is indeed very central. Travelling here by train to Chelmsford Station leaves any visitors with just a short walk to reach Central Park. For anyone travelling by car, there are a number of pay and display car parks close by. I managed to squeeze myself in next to the miniature railway just off Meteor Way - I'm not sure if I was technically allowed to park there, but I did. Most of the locals seemed to arrive on foot. I looked for some bicycle racks but couldn't find any in Central Park - the cyclists seemed to use the wooden fence adjacent to the river path.

the gazebo and tree provided some cover during the pre-run rain

The main part of Central Park is incredibly small (it felt more like a garden than a park) so you can't really miss the 300+ people in a multitude of fluorescent shades gathering near the start area. The run takes place on an almost-completely-flat course and is suitable for buggy runners. It's an out and back course with a large loop at the far end - the official course page describes it as a one lap course, but you would be forgiven (I hope) for referring to it as the former. It is mostly tarmac but features approx 1 kilometre on grass. I ran here on a rainy morning so popped on my trail shoes to be on the safe side. Before the run, I managed to find shelter in the toilets, which are just behind the cafe.

lake / viaduct

I joined the first time parkrunners for their special briefing, which took place a few minutes before the full full briefing. Once the run is underway, the runners follow a loop of the tree lined paths around the formal section of the park before running along the edge of the lake where they may spot one of its resident swans. They then head through one of the 18 arches of the Victorian railway viaduct that carries the main Great Eastern mainline services through (or over) the park. A real big plus point for this venue was the inclusion of kilometre markers around the course - very few parkruns do this, so I wanted to praise the organisers for going the extra mile (or kilometre).

the river can

The next part is interesting and/or controversial. The runners now head along the north bank of a river. The official Chelmsford parkrun course page says that this is the River Chelmer, Bing Maps says that it is the River Wid, and Google Maps has it listed as the River Can. From what I've read, it looks like Google are correct. The runners follow the meandering shared use pedestrian-cyclist path. As the course passes through a subway underneath the main road (Waterhouse Lane) the runners leave Central Park... (gasp!)

the riverside path

... Chelmsford Central parkrun doesn't just give you one park to enjoy. Here, the runners have the pleasure of sampling two of the city's parks. So as the runners emerge from the subway, they enter Admirals Park. Shortly after this they pass over a narrow bridge. A little further on they leave the river path and turn left to complete a lap of the north west end of the park.  This park features a children's playground,  tennis courts, football and cricket pitches as well as natural spaces that encourage wildlife. It is also home to Chelmsford Bowls Club.

admirals park (you can see the runner tackling the short incline)

At first the path is tarmac, but after crossing another bridge, the runners take to the grass for almost the next kilometre - the grass section is broken by a brief return to the tarmac path where runners have to negotiate a small incline. They then return to the grass to run a lap of the football pitches and then back past the children's playground. In the dry months it'll be fine for road shoes, but when it's wet, runners might find trail shoes come in handy during these grassy (and potentially muddy) sections.

runners coming back under the viaduct towards the end of the run

After completing the clockwise circuit of Admirals Park, the runners head back along the riverside path and follow it all the way back to Central Park. Just before reaching the viaduct the runners stay to the right and follow the path closest to the river, passing through another of the 18 arches before running another loop of the tree lined paths. Now at the end of the 5 kilometre run, the runners enter the finish funnel on the grass near the lake and collect their finish token.

5k done

Scanning takes place on the grass (head for the gazebo if it's there) near the finish line, and once done, runners are free to continue their day or head to the 'Cake on the Lake' cafe for a bit of post-run socialising with the other runners and volunteers. I ran at event 71 where 281 runners turned up - I imagine the rain put some people off. Anyway, it is a fast course and the surroundings are very pleasant. I only wish I could have stayed for a quick cup of tea, but I had to get over to Ebbsfleet International in order to catch a train to Aachen for my first international race.

The Essex parkrun venues

The county of Essex is made up of Essex County Council and the unitary local authorities of Southend-on-Sea and Thurrock.

The pins on the map mark the locations of parkruns within the county. The green pins show the venues I have officially visited while the red pins are venues that I still need to visit. The list below covers 5k events only, not junior parkruns.

Basildon - Northlands Park, Basildon, Essex
Course: Almost 3 laps
Underfoot: Tarmac, grass, gravelly / stony single track paths
Profile: Mostly flat with some gently undulating sections
Notes: Lovely park with picturesque lakes
Further reading: My 2024 Basildon parkrun write-up. Also, my old 2014 Basildon parkrun blog entry.


Billericay - Lake Meadows Park, Billericay, Essex
Course: 4 anti-clockwise laps (or 5 lap alternative course)
Underfoot: Tarmac and grass
Profile: Gently undulating
Notes: A beautifully landscaped town park with a lake
Further reading: My 2024 Billericay parkrun write-up. Also my old Billericay parkrun blog post from 2017.


Brentwood - Weald Country Park, South Weald, Brentwood, Essex
Course: 1 figure of eight lap
Underfoot: grass / forest paths / dirt and mud
Profile: undulating / hilly all the way round
Notes: A tough course
Further reading: My Brentwood parkrun blog entry


Burnham on Crouch - Riverside Country Park, Millfields, Burnham-on-Crouch, Essex
Course: Two laps
Underfoot: Multi terrain
Profile: Generally flat with a few small changes in elevation
Notes: Lots of dog walkers
Further reading: My Burnham-on-Crouch parkrun blog post


Chalkwell Beach - Chalkwell Beach, Chalkwell Esplanade, Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex

Course: Out-and-back

Underfoot: Tarmac (finish on grass)

Profile: Flat

Notes: Seafront - may be windy

Further reading: My Chalkwell Beach parkrun blog entry

Chelmsford Central - Central Park, Chelmsford, Essex
Course: 1 lap or an out-and-back depending on your point of view
Underfoot: about 4km tarmac and 1km grass
Profile: Almost completely flat. Just one short incline to tackle.
Notes: Takes runners into two different parks
Further reading: My Chelmsford Central blog entry.


Clacton Seafront - Clacton Seafront, Clacton on Sea, Essex
Course: 3 out and back laps (out along the upper prom, back along the lower)
Underfoot: Tarmac
Profile: Flatish, but has gradual incline along the 'out' section
Notes: watch out for vehicles on the lower prom
Further reading: My Clacton Seafront parkrun blog post


Colchester Castle - Castle Park, Colchester, Essex
Course: 3/4 lap, an out and back, then 1.5 laps.
Underfoot: Tarmac
Profile: Mostly flat but as an incline that as to be climbed 2.5 times
Notes: Very nice. Still flat enough to run a fast time.
Further reading: My Colchester Castle blog post


Great Dunmow - Recreation Ground, Great Dunmow, Essex
Course: 1 large lap, then 1 small lap (large lap is figure of 8)
Underfoot: mostly grass / dirt paths. Some tarmac style paths.
Profile: flat
Notes: There is a single-file bridge with two-way runners
Further reading: My Great Dunmow parkrun blog post


Great Notley - Great Notley Country Park, Great Notley, Essex
Course: 2 laps (not completely identical)
Underfoot: Gravelly paths, grass and a tiny bit of sand.
Profile: Flat apart from the hill at 2.8km
Notes: #touchthebird
Further reading: My Great Notley parkrun blog post


Gunpowder - Gunpowder Park, Waltham Abbey, Essex (also appears in London+)

Course: Two laps

Underfoot: Gravelly paths

Profile: Gentle undulations

Notes: 

Further reading: My Gunpowder parkrun write-up (2022). Plus my Gunpowder parkrun blog from my first visit in 2012.


Hadleigh - Hadleigh Country Park, Hadleigh, Essex
Course: 1 lap (lollipop)
Underfoot: Gravelly trail paths and 250m of grass
Profile: Hilly
Notes: A challenging route with great views
Further reading: My Hadleigh parkrun blog post (updated in 2024)


Harlow - Harlow Town Park, School Lane, Harlow, Essex
Course: Two large laps and one smaller lap
Underfoot: Tarmac
Profile: Undulating
Notes: Nice varied course with ups and downs and some twists and turns
Further reading: My 2024 Harlow parkrun write-up. Also my original 2015 Harlow parkrun blog post


Harwich - Cliff Park, Harwich, Essex
Course: 1.5 laps of small park followed by a long out and back along the seafront
Underfoot: Tarmac / concrete
Profile: Mostly flat but contains a slope between the park and prom
Notes: It was windy when I visited (headwind on way out)
Further reading: My Harwich parkrun blog post


Hatfield Forest - Hatfield Forest, Takeley, Bishop's Stortford, Essex (CLOSED)
Course: One lap (technically a point-to-point)
Underfoot: tarmac, grass, mud, puddles
Profile: almost completely flat
Notes: No longer in operation - event relocated to Castle Park, Bishops Stortford
Further reading: My Hatfield Forest parkrun blog post


Highwoods - Highwoods Country Park, Chanterelle, Colchester, Essex
Course: One lap (summer and winter routes)
Underfoot: Forest trail, tarmac, stones, plus the summer course has grass
Profile: Hilly
Notes: Look out for the googly eyed tree
Further reading: My Highwoods parkrun blog post


Hockley Woods - Hockley Woods, Main Road, Hockley, Essex
Course: Just under two laps
Underfoot: Woodland trails (dirt / mud)
Profile: Undulating throughout with a steeper incline at the end of the lap
Notes: A great run in the woods. This is a 'net uphill' course.
Further reading: My Hockley Woods parkrun blog post. Also, my second visit blog post.

Maldon Prom - Promenade Park, Maldon, Essex
Course: Two laps
Underfoot: Tarmac and grass
Profile: Flat with a steep bump that you negotiate three times
Notes:
Further reading: My Maldon Prom blog post

Markshall Estate - Markshall Estate, Marks Hall Road, Coggeshall, Colchester, Essex

Course: One and three quarter laps

Underfoot: Paths / Concrete / gravel / grass

Profile: Relatively flat with one easy incline

Notes:

Further reading: My Markshall Estate parkrun blog post


Mersea Island - Cudmore Grove Country Park, Bromans Lane, East Mersea, Essex
Course: Two full laps plus 1 shorter lap
Underfoot: grass / dirt
Profile: Largely flat with some extremely gentle changes in elevation (flat)
Notes: Lots of WW2 historic links / they have a PB horn.
Further Reading: My Mersea Island parkrun blog post


Roding Valley - Roding Valley Recreation Ground, Loughton, Essex (also appears in London+)
Course: Two laps
Underfoot: Fairly even split between grass and tarmac
Profile: Flat
Notes: Fast and flat - Lovely, friendly team. Park popular with dog walkers.
Further reading: My Roding Valley parkrun blog post.


Southend - Gunners Park, Shoeburyness, Essex
Course: Three laps plus a finish tail
Underfoot: Tarmac and a tiny section on gravel and dirt
Profile: Flat
Notes: Sometimes suffers from wind coming off the sea
Further reading: My 2024 Southend parkrun write-up. Also my original 2014 Southend parkrun blog post


South Woodham Ferrers - Marsh Farm Country Park, South Woodham Ferrers, Essex
Course: One single lap with an out-and-back section included
Underfoot: Mixed terrain
Profile: Flat
Notes: Beautiful country park adjacent to the River Crouch
Further reading: My South Woodham Ferrers parkrun blog post


Thurrock - Orsett Heath (Chadwell Recreation Ground), Chadwell St. Mary, Essex
Course: Two laps
Underfoot: Grass
Profile: Flat
Notes: The venue is a little rough around the edges, but overall it's a great event
Further reading: My 2025 Thurrock parkrun write-up. There's also my original 2016 Thurrock parkrun blog entry.

Wickford Memorial - Wickford Memorial Park, Rettendon View, Wickford, Essex

Course: Two-and-a-bit laps

Underfoot: Mostly tarmac paths, some grass, some non-tarmac paths

Profile: Flat

Notes: Really nice park, great playground, nice breakfast

Further reading: My Wickford Memorial parkrun write-up

Please note: Information contained within the blog posts, such as the course configuration, parking arrangements, availability of toilets etc, may change. Please always check with the relevant events' web page and social media channels for the latest and most accurate information.

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Hillcrest 10k 2014

The Hillcrest 10k is a very low key event and is put on by the Hillcrest Netball Club. The race HQ, start/finish, changing rooms, toilets, refreshments and car parking are all at Warlingham Rugby Club, which is just off of Limpsfield Road in Warlingham. With the event being low key, the method of entry was via a paper entry form which needed to be sent in advance. It was also possible to enter on the day. I couldn't see a way to enter online.

hillcrest netball club

The reason I entered this particular race is that the majority of it takes place on the Riddlesdown countryside area, which is also the venue for my home parkrun. Even though I have run Riddlesdown parkrun 70 times (plus one freedom run) I had never really explored the area any further than the confines of the parkrun course.

The race started at 11am on the grass directly outside the the rugby club's clubhouse. Over the course of the 10k route, runners encountered a mix of grass, tarmac, stones, gravel, and dirt paths. Some sections were fairly flat, but the underfoot surfaces (quite a bit of uneven ground and long grass) were not great for fast running. Overall the profile would be best described as undulating, but with a couple of testing inclines.

start line - you can see me in my black and orange SLGR vest

The race started with a lap-and-a-half of the rugby fields. The runners then went through a short trail path and onto a small private road. At the end of this road, they had to cross Tithepit Shaw Lane - A marshal controlled the traffic here to allow the runners to safely cross the road. The runners then continued along the pavement until they reached Riddlesdown Common.

Entering the common, underfoot changed to grassy/dirt paths and the runners follow the course around a few of the fields before running a section of the Riddlesdown parkrun course in reverse. This section included the stony trail section and when the runners reached the end they were directed onwards into the part of the area that goes beyond the parkrun course.

off we go

This next section was where the undulating part started. At first it meant heading slightly downhill towards a marshal. Straight after the marshal there was a closed gate that runners had to open to pass through. It's funny how such a simple task can seem impossible during a race! Anyhow, once through, the runners continued on a trail/dirt path before joining a long straight hard surfaced path that undulated.

At the end of this path, the runners re-joined the grass paths and did an almost-180-degree turn when reaching the marshals and water station (my water was in a polystyrene cup which was harder to drink from than a plastic cup and most of it went down my shirt rather than in my mouth). This was the far end of the course and was about 5.5 kilometres into the race. From here runners headed back along a slightly different path until, at 7km, they reach a second gate to pass through.

at the end of the opening lap of the rugby fields

After this gate, the runners took a hard left and were faced with the start of the toughest section. First of all, the next path was heavily overgrown and on an incline. At the end of the path, the runners turned right and ran directly up a much steeper section before joining the very end of the first section of the parkrun course (apologies if you're not familiar with the parkrun course). It was interesting to run in the opposite direction along the parkrun start straight.

From here, the runners left the parkrun course and circumnavigated a few more of Riddlesdown's fields. Eventually the course joined the final section of the parkrun (in the same direction). The strange and tough mental aspect of this section was that usually on a Saturday morning I would shortly be crossing the finishing line and stopping. However, when crossing the point used as the parkrun finish line, I still had a whole kilometre left to run.

just about to cross the finish line

The last kilometre had the runners going back along Tithepit Shaw Lane and, with the aid of the traffic marshal, crossing the road and then heading back into the grounds of the rugby club. With just half a lap of the rugby field at the end, the finish line was a welcome sight. I was handed a cup of water instantly by one of the children who were volunteering on water duty (very good job - thank you) and then shortly after, my participation medal.

Out on the course were marshals and some direction signs. The marshals provided a lot of information as I passed which was great but sometimes difficult to take in. The signage could have been a little better, especially at points where the paths split. There were a few times that I was unsure which path to take and ended up running a slightly longer (or harder) version of the course.

the compulsory shot

My goal for this race had been to get as close as possible to 40 minutes, with a eye on possibly trying to finish under 40 minutes if the course and conditions would allow (they didn't). I started aggressively and ran the first couple of kilometres at a pace slightly faster than my current 5k pace. As you can imagine, that kind of approach is bound to come back and bite... and it did. Just over half-way into the race, I felt wrecked - and that was before the most difficult section. The hot weather and heavy training week didn't help much either!

I've looked at my GPS data and even though I felt like crap for a large part of the race, I still managed to keep my kilometre splits within a fairly reasonable range. So I'm quite pleased at that. I finished in a time of 40.49 which although slower than I was hoping for, was faster than I thought it would be as I struggled through the latter stages. I think I should be quite happy with that time.

4th overall / 3rd senior male

From the 1km point onwards I was in 4th position, and this is where I ended up finishing. Plus, as the 3rd placed runner was a veteran, I was the third placed Senior Male and had my name mentioned during the prize giving ceremony at the end. That was a first for me, so was very pleased.

But.. the best part of the day was that my daughter entered and ran her first ever race - All by herself! (as she keeps reminding me). It was one lap of the rugby fields and was about 900 metres in length. The downside is that this race took place after the 10k runners had headed off for their run, so I didn't get to watch her. It would have been awesome if this race could have taken place 30 minutes or so before the main event so that any parents that were running the 10k could also watch their children.

born to run

Anyway, she almost ran the whole way. The only time she stopped was about half-way around when she decided to take off her shoes to run barefoot. By the looks of it, she was smiling all the way too.

The results can be accessed via this news page on the Hillcrest Netball website.

#teamslgr

Basildon parkrun

Please note: There is a newer write-up available for this event - Basildon parkrun 2024 blog.

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Basildon as we know it today was formed in 1948 from the conglomeration of four small villages - Pitsea, Laindon, Basildon, and Vange. The new town took the name of Basildon as it was the most central of the four. It was created as part of the post-war 'new town' scheme, and was to designed to accommodate the London population overspill. When researching the history of the town, I found out that Pitsea has a tip which deals of all kinds of waste sent over from London and neighbouring councils.

not quite hollywood

With the above information fresh in my mind, I was prepared to arrive and find an urban park that was a bit rough around the edges that would quickly fade from memory as being quite a generic venue. However, what I found was a beautiful park with two stunning lakes and a landscape that varies from flat neatly mown grass to undulating grassy fields with outcrops of trees. I could have spent all day here admiring the park from every possible angle. It really is a treat!

looking across the lake at the cafe

The park that hosts Basildon parkrun is Northlands Park, which is on the Pitsea side of Basildon in the Northlands park residential area. It was created in the early 1970s on land that formed part of Felmore Farm. In total the park covers about 70 acres including the two lakes which were created as part of a flood relief programme. The lakes are also used for fishing. I didn't venture into the town centre, but from what I gather, it was largely developed in the 1950s and 1960s and its architecture is very much what you might expect from that period.

the cafe building (meeting point / start / toilets / post-run coffee)

Upon arrival, I parked in the car park on the north side of the park, just off of Felmores Road. The car park isn't that large but seemed to have enough space for everyone. I searched and searched but I could not find any bicycle racks, so if you travel on your bike you'd probably find the fence around the children's playground or the bench near the finish are the best options. By train, you'd be looking at either Pitsea or Basildon train stations. There is a bit of onward travel (but both look walk-able to me) from the stations so you'd need to leave extra time to do that.

a section of path around the lakes

The toilets are located around the back of the cafe, which is just next to the children's playground and has lovely views over the lake. The lake is used mostly by fishermen (or fisher people) and they have their own little areas to sit in, which are all quite far off the main path, which is good for us parkrunners because it means there is no conflict. In addition to the playground, the park also has a half-pipe thingy for skateboarding and BMXing or whatever those crazy kids do these days. It also has an enclosed concrete multi-sports pitch.

believe it or not, this is the incline - it is a little steeper than the photo suggests

There seems to be a split of where people congregate before the run. Some were waiting at the cafe (aka the start line), while others were further down the path at the finish line. As nine o'clock draws near, the two groups merge and the run briefing is held outside the cafe before the runners are sent off on their Saturday morning run (or jog or walk). I arrived quite early (as always) and chatted to a couple of the volunteers who made me feel extremely welcome.

the single track path that runners follow

Please note: The course has been changed since I visited. It now has a slightly different starting point and the course is now clockwise.

The run takes place on an almost-3-lap anti-clockwise course and is run on a mixture of tarmac/concrete paths, trail, and gravel paths. When it is nice and dry underfoot road shoes do the job just fine, but when the wetter seasons come around trail shoes will be quite useful. Buggy runners would get around but might find the gravelly paths are a little harder to negotiate.

where the single track path widens slightly

From the start, the runners head off around the outer edge of the lakes on the tarmac path. Once they get about three-quarters of the way around, a lovely marshal directs them off of the main tarmac path and onto one that is a little trail-like. There are trees and bushes on each side and even though we hadn't had rain for a while, a few small patches of damp ground remained. As runners reach the end of this path, there is a little uphill section to negotiate - it's not going to break you, but it does get harder on each lap!

runner about to take a sharp left turn from gravel onto tarmac

Once up the incline, the runners continue to follow a very narrow single-track gravelly/stony path which cuts through the open grass areas in this part of the park. Next up is 'cone corner', where a number of cones guide the runners around the edge of a copse before returning them to the single track path. Shortly after, the path starts to drop slightly and then widens as the runners approach a tight left hand turn. Be careful on this section as the stones were quite loose.

the very last corner

After the tight left-hander, the runners find themselves back on the tarmac paths which meander around before appearing back at the lakes. Towards the end of the third and final lap, instead of joining the path around the lake, the runners simply follow the cones onto the grass and into the finish funnel to collect their token before finally taking a well-earned rest. Barcode scanning is taken care of immediately after the finish funnel.

the finish area

I visited at event 7 (results) and I could see (and feel) that a great community was already forming. On top of that, they are yet to have a run with less than 100 runners, so they've had a very healthy start in terms of numbers. As I was talking to one of the volunteers, they were very excited that they were seeing so many new faces each week. As I said before, it is a beautiful little park. It now has a parkrun and the course is brilliant. It's a great mix of terrain and has that short incline which throws in something to think about each time you approach it. I think you get the picture - I really, really liked this one. Go Basildon!