Swanscombe Heritage Park junior parkrun

Swanscombe is an area in the north east of the Borough of Dartford, in Kent, with a population of around 6,500 people. The earliest mention of the name is from 695AD, and over the years has been recorded as Swegenscomp, Swanescampe, and in the Domesday Book as Suinescamp. The motto of the County of Kent is 'Invicta', which comes from Roman times and means unconquered. It is generally accepted that this comes from Kent's conditional surrender to William the Conqueror after his victory over the last Saxon King of England, Harold II, at the Battle of Hastings in 1066. It is claimed that the men of Kent met (or intercepted) William at, or near, Swanscombe, on his journey to London and offered a peaceful transition if he agreed to grant their ancient rights, which he did.

Swanscombe is home to one of two identical 190 metre-high electricity pylons, the other being in West Thurrock. Together these are the two tallest electricity pylons in the UK. They stand on either bank of the River Thames and support the overhead power line which runs between them. Swanscombe and its adjacent areas have a long history of being quarried for the materials required to support north Kent's cement production industry. One of these vast quarries is now home to Bluewater shopping centre, which lies just to the west of Swanscombe. Another quarry was called Barnfield Pit, and a number of archaeological finds, including a number of hand axes.

The most significant discovery here was made in 1935, 1936 and 1955 when three fragments of the same skull were found. Further analysis showed that the skull belonged to an early or pre-neanderthal person, and it dates from around 400,000 years ago. It was initially known as Swanscombe Man, although further investigations suggest that the skull actually belongs to a woman. It is one of only two Lower Palaeolithic human fossils to ever be found in Britain (the other one is known as Boxgrove Man). The Swanscombe Skull is on display at the National History Museum. 

Quarrying at Barnfield Pit ceased, possibly in 1936, and it was subsequently backfilled with Thanet Sand. In 1954 it was made a National Nature Reserve when it was donated to the nation by its owner, the Associated Portland Cement Company. The site is technically owned by Natural England and is leased to Swanscombe and Greenhithe Town Council where it is open as a public park called Swanscombe Heritage Park. It covers an area of 9.6 acres and in 1988 was designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest. The park was given a makeover in 2005 where new interpretation boards, set within large split granite rocks, were installed and new pathways created. At the main entrance is an oversized sculpture of a 400,000 year old hand axe that was found at the site. It was unveiled at the park's re-opening ceremony in June 2005 by archaeologist Phil Harding, who is most well-known as being part of Channel 4's Time Team series.

In March 2024 the park became home to Swanscombe Heritage Park junior parkrun, which is a free, weekly, timed 2k event. The junior parkrun series takes place on Sundays and is open to children of all abilities aged 4-14. Participants should be registered and have been issued with their own personal barcode before taking part, this personal barcode will be required for scanning at the end of the event.

There is a free-of-charge car park which is next to Swanscombe Leisure Centre, just off Craylands Lane. The closest train station is Swanscombe and this is located about 1 kilometre to the east. My understanding is that there are no bus services that stop at the park on a Sunday, but there are some services that stop on London Road, which is not too far away. Once at the park's main entrance, the huge hand axe sculpture is the most distinctive feature. Once at the sculpture, there are a choice of three paths to follow - the meeting point for the parkrun can be found by following the middle path. If you require a toilet, just pop into the leisure centre before entering the park.

The entire parkrun is set within the park's rectangular central open grass area which I'd say is roughly the size of two adjacent football pitches. The perimeter measures almost exactly 500 metres and is mostly bordered by trees, bushes or a sloped bank. The grass area is totally flat and seems to cope well after wet weather, I expect the drainage is good owing to the park sitting on the back-filled sand. As is standard at junior parkruns up and down the country, the kids are given a briefing which is followed by the legendary junior parkrun warm-up! This takes place at the start area which is on the north-east side of the grass field.

The course could easily have been four identical laps around the perimeter, but that would most likely end up being a little chaotic with lots of lapping and the very youngest children having no idea how many laps they had done at any given point. So...

... in order to make it a little more manageable, and a little bit more fun, a two-and-a-bit lap course has been designed. This features some parts where the course sticks to the perimeter, but also a central section which is affectionately called 'The Snake' or 'The Lanes'. Underfoot is 100% grass and as mentioned above, it is flat. As far as footwear is concerned, in the winter I would say that a trail-style shoe may be better than a road-style shoe, but it's a fun kids event, so I guess they will wear what they feel happiest in.

From the start on the north-east side, the junior parkrunners (and probably a few accompanying adults) set off in a clockwise direction, initially following the perimeter of the field.

At approximately half-way into the lap, on the western side of the field, the snake section begins. The course turns into the inner grass area and heads straight across before doing a 180 degree turn and heading back towards the south-western perimeter, in effect creating an out-and-back section. Once back at this end the course re-joins the perimeter path ever-so-briefly and then does another separate long out and back across the centre of the field. Thus creating the snake.

Once back on the south-western side, the course re-joins the perimeter path where it continues in a clockwise direction around until reaching the start area - this completes the lap. It is repeated one more time, again returning to the original start area. From here the course continues around the perimeter of the field until reaching the finish funnel which is located next to the bench on the south-eastern side of the field.

The finish funnel must only be entered by children in the 4-14 age group - any accompanying adults should peel off to avoid entering the finish funnel itself. The children are given finish tokens which are then presented along with their own personal barcode to one of the volunteers scanning barcodes.

The results are processed after the event and published on the Swanscombe Heritage Park junior parkrun results page. At time of writing, this event is still very new so is still in the early days of becoming established. The number of participants tends to hover in the 12-20 region with it dropping into single figures when the weather is particularly bad.

I have done a freedom run of the course and the resulting GPS data along with a Relive course fly-by video can be viewed via the links at the bottom of this page.

Should any visitors be looking for any post-parkrun activities, the first one that comes to mind is to follow the heritage trail and learn about the history of the place and the items discovered here. There is also a very small playground which will give the kids something to do for a while. Finally there is the Swanscombe Leisure Centre which has a very small range of snack items for sale at their reception desk, plus they can also knock up a hot drink too. Even if you do not require refreshments, I would recommend popping into the leisure centre as they have a small display cabinet showing some of the archaeological finds from the pit, including a replica of the Swanscombe Skull.

I should also mention that at the time of writing, I am volunteering here every week, so if you visit, please come and say hello. Also if any parkrun voluntourists fancy paying the event a visit, your help will be very much appreciated.

Related links:

• The course GPS data (March 2024)
• The course Relive course fly-by Video (March 2024)

• Swanscombe Heritage Park junior parkrun (Event home page)

Dartford junior parkrun 27 (Christmas 2016)

My daughter, Matilda's love of parkrun comes and goes throughout the year and in 2016 she has mostly decided not to take part. As an alternative she has spent quite a few Sunday mornings training at Dartford Valley Rugby Club, plus she has also taken part in a few Obstacle Course Races (OCR) which were great fun. In the last few weeks, her attention has, once again, turned to junior parkrun.

Despite being a little on the tired side, the lure of a Christmas-themed event and a few hours with the great core team of volunteers was enough to tempt her out of the warm and cosy bed for a couple of laps of our local park. The weather was really mild for the time of year, so that also made it easier to get up and out.

merry christmas [photo: renee-marie young]

We managed to get out of the house in good time and wandered over to the park where we were greeted by the festively dressed volunteers. Matilda wore her Santa suit (probably a tad on the small side now, so we'll buy a new one next year) and I did my best with a red running top, a santa hat and my favourite festive socks.

Matilda decided that we would continue our Formula 1 themed junior parkrunning, but as it was Christmas, it was mixed with a bit of festive spirit. We spent a good deal of the run with Adam, who was tail running. We did pit-stops every now and then and there were lots of jingling sounds coming from our jingle bells and from Adam's festive jumper.

we were red bull two one this week [photos: renee=marie young]

We had already made plans to go for breakfast in the local Wetherspoons after the run, and it worked out that the core team had also decided to do the same. So we all went over to the pub where we were joined by the third member of our family.

The official results were online a few hours later and Matilda had completed her 29th junior parkrun in a time of 16.06. This was a little slower than her last run, but it was still a decent time for her - the only stops were for a quick breather during the pit-stops. So with 2016 all done, I'm eagerly awaiting what type of sport/activity takes her fancy in 2017. I suspect the OCRs will feature heavily once they start up again, but whatever it is, we'll do our best to have as much fun as possible doing it!

Dartford Junior parkrun 24

Over the last six months or so, my daughter, Matilda, has not really been interested in running at junior parkrun. However, when I suggested we could pop over to Central Park for Dartford Junior parkrun's 24th event, she said that she quite fancied it.

So we made a plan to take part in the parkrun and then go to the pub for a father-daughter breakfast. After what felt like an age of faffing around, we finally got out of the house 21 minutes before the run was due to start.

warm up...

Arriving at the start just a minute before the warm-up was due to start, we got changed out of our coats and Matilda went over to get loosened up while I sorted out our bag. A few minutes later we were at the start line and ready to go.

As soon as we started, Matilda decided that we should play Formula 1, so we picked Red Bull as our team and got to work on our first lap. We had a few slower moments where a rest was required, but by large we kept moving at one speed or another.

junior parkrunner and her v25 t-shirt

High-fives were being handed out left, right and centre by the fantastic course marshals. By the time we reached lap 2, we decided to bring on some F1 themed pit-stops. So every couple of hundred metres one of us would pull into the pits and the other would change the wheels and then release us back onto the track.

I had no idea how much time we had taken to go around the course because I had forgotten to take my stopwatch. We soon reached the final straight and Matilda took the chequered flag while I peeled off onto the grass next to the finish funnel (adults are not allowed in the finish funnel).

finishing token

It turns out that Matilda [parkrun profile] had managed to knock three seconds off her all-time junior parkrun personal best. Her new PB stands at 15.18, which of course, she's not overly fussed about because, well, she's six years old and was more interested in playing with the other children.

I, on the other hand, was very excited about her new PB, especially as it had been six months since she last took part in a junior parkrun. We continued our morning, as planned, with a visit to the pub for some jam on toast and a drink before heading back home to watch the final race of the Formula 1 season.

Dartford junior parkrun 1

It was inevitable that after the success of Dartford parkrun a junior event would eventually follow. Conversations had been ongoing ever since the full 5km event started, but it just needed that one person to come forward to be the event director before it could really gather some momentum. I seriously considered taking it on myself, but decided against it.

Fast-forward to 22 May 2016 and the Event Director, Angela O'Sullivan, along with her fantastic core team were ready to go live with their inaugural event, which takes place in Central Park, Dartford.

[photos: bruce li / 7t]

As with all junior parkruns, this is a 2km event which takes place every Sunday morning. Remember that times do vary between junior events, but this one has a 9am start time. I imagine that most people attending this event will be local, but for anyone travelling here, Dartford train station is about 5-10 minutes away from the park.

All the local buses that stop in the town centre will get you with a few minutes walk of the start line. If travelling by car, there are some public car parks in the town centre and as I understand it, parking is free on Sundays. Bike racks are situated outside the cafe.

[photos: bruce li / richey]

The run itself starts outside the 'Cafe in the Park' which is located within the children's playground. Just head towards the white, wooden building in the centre of the park and you'll be in the right place. The course is made up of 2 laps on a mixture of tarmac paths and grass (the grass section is quite short). The course is flat apart from one teeny, weeny bump at the end of each lap. 

So on the day of the inaugural event, we wandered over to the park and arrived in good time for the start. It was always my intention to volunteer at the event, but my daughter wanted me to run with her, so I did that and my wife volunteered as a marshal.

[photos: dani]

The standard junior parkrun warm-up took place and this was followed by an opening speech from the leader of the council who has been very supportive to both parkruns in Dartford. With the runners in place at the start line, the signal was given and the first Dartford junior parkrun was underway.

It was a lovely, sunny morning and two laps later Matilda crossed the line to complete her 26th junior parkrun and her 11th different junior parkrun venue (it was also the 6th inaugural junior parkrun that she had been present at - however only 5 of those are logged as completed runs as she had a DNF at Medway juniors).

[photos: bruce li]

It wasn't one of her greatest runs as she didn't really seem to be into it this week, but she stuck with it and had a smile on her face when she crossed the line where she was handed her finish token by her favourite 'silly guy' Adam. We hung around for a bit to chat but we soon had to head off for our 15 minute walk up the hill to the rugby club where Matilda was due to continue her morning's activities.

The core team have a great deal of experience between them so it was no surprise that the results were processed at lightning speed - in fact we received Matilda's results text message before we had even arrived at the rugby club. The roving parkrun photographer, Bruce Li, was at the event, and as well as taking some great photos he also knocked up an incredible video from the morning. You can find it here: Dartford junior parkrun #1 (video)

A perfect start to what is another great addition to Dartford's running community.

Hilly Fields junior parkrun 53

This was our second visit to Hilly Fields junior parkrun, the first visit didn't end too well as Matilda tripped over on her first lap and hurt her knees. She didn't carry on with the run and we retreated to the cafe until she started to feel a little better. You can read all about that visit in my original Hilly Fields junior parkrun blog post.

pre-run [fertas: dani]

Our main reason for being in this neck of the woods was that New Cross Fire Station were having an open day and we had decided to go. The fire station is only five minutes away from Hilly Fields (by car). It was also Hilly Fields junior parkrun's first birthday, so it just all tied in very nicely.

We arrived at Hilly Fields and wandered over to the parkrun meeting point. As we were walking across, Matilda said to me 'Papa, is this the place were I fell over and hurt my knees?' 'Yes' I replied. I could tell she was now a little apprehensive about running here, but I assured her that I'd stay with her during her run and hold her hand if required.

all three smiling in one ferta - that's rare [ferta: lisa power]

As we reached the start/finish area, I was immediately hit by the community feel here - somehow it feels so different to anywhere else. The park has a bohemian vibe to it and this seems to extend into the junior parkrun.

The run briefing and warm-up took place in the usual way and we then lined up at the back for the run. We headed off at a nice slow pace and started to play some games. Firstly it was The Hobbit - I was Thorin Oakenshield and Matilda was Smaug the Dragon.

another collage [fertas: lisa power / dani]

We played this until we got about halfway around the first lap, at this point we switched to Indiana Jones and The Temple of Doom, playing the scene where they are running away from the large boulder. Matilda managed to get away from the boulder thanks to her new, super speedy running shoes.

After this, we reached the 'hilly' part of Hilly Fields which is a section of 200 metres or so uphill back to the start/finish area. She put in a good effort up this hill, but at the top she started complaining of a pain in her right calf. I gave it a quick massage but it didn't help so we mostly walked the second lap. However, lap two did include a section of hopping which we dubbed 'parkhop'.

parkrun 24 for lime [ferta: lisa power]

She manage to put in a good effort for the last 100 metres and as she reached the finish line, she stopped. She won't tell me exactly why, but the word on the street is that she was checking that the timer (Adele) was doing her job properly.

With her barcode scanned and Hilly Fields junior parkrun birthday cake in hand, we headed off to the playground while Matilda's mum picked up some breakfast and drinks in the cafe. We spent a good deal of time in 'Pistachios in the park' cafe drinking their great coffee (it really is worth visiting for the coffee alone) and reading some of the cafe's children's books.

post-run [fertas: dani]

Another visit to the playground and then it was time to head over to New Cross Fire Station (apparently, it's the oldest operational Fire Station in Europe) for the open day, which was fun. 

Lesnes Abbey Woods junior parkrun 10 - Father's Day

I was pleased when Matilda decided to run at junior parkrun this week because it fell on father's day, and I really couldn't think of a better way to spend it than by running around a beautiful park with my daughter (breakfast in bed would've come a close second). So after receiving a lovely card and story book, we hit the road.

We headed over to Lesnes Abbey Woods junior parkrun (LAW) for a few reasons. Firstly, it has a 9am start and which means we were finished and able to carry on with the day earlier than some other venues and secondly because Richey (Dartford parkrun ED) was run directing and I thought it'd be cool to join him.

richey's warmup session [photo: dani]

As it was father's day, we decided to dispense with the parent relay method of running and go for a straight father-daughter combo with mum on photographer duty. I find one of the downsides for the younger (or slower) runners at LAW is that the course is three laps. Matilda tends to cope better with out-and-back, single lap or two lap courses. After Richey's warm-up session and briefing, the run was started.

Lap 1:

The first lap is the easiest - she is very eager and heads off into the distance with the other children. I pootle along at the back of the pack with the tail runner, Jane, for a while but soon continue onwards and catch up with Matilda about three-quarters of the way around the lap. She's happy to see me and we continue to run until completing the lap.

being cheered on by ola [photo: dani]

Lap 2:

It starts well, but I can sense that she will be in need of a short walking break at some point during the lap. It's time to start the games. The first is the one where I go in front of her and pretend that I am the fastest runner and that nobody can overtake me, when Matilda overtakes I react in shock and try to catch up, but I can't.

We eventually take that walking break at the half-way point. The break is broken when another young girl comes past and Matilda runs with her for a few hundred metres. The second half of the lap is tough as the lead runners start to lap us, but we continue the game.

lots of grassy things to jump over [photo: dani]

Lap 3:

We pass the start-finish area and commence the final lap. It's mentally tough for Matilda to go past the other children that have already finished. However, she pushes on and we continue playing our games.

We've now moved onto jumping over things. We find a rock, a stone, a drain cover - all great for jumping over. Then there's a cone - we jump over this.

the downhill tarmac path [photo: dani]

Further along we switch games to 'let's hi-five the marshals' - we get one, then we get another - it's Ola the event director who is marshalling. He encourages us one last time as we now jump over the tufts of long grass in the second half of this final lap.

As we approach the final straight I am ordered by Matilda to peel off and meet her on the other side of the finish line (no adults allowed in the finish funnel!). She passes through and is given her finish token. The results are published later that day.

just about to peel off at the end [photo: dani]

It's not her fastest time over the course, but then Matilda doesn't run her best times when I am with her because we spend too much time faffing around playing. She runs her best times when she's alone or with her mum.

In fact, and I may have mentioned this in other posts, she doesn't really care about her finish times, and I'd like to keep it like that for as long as possible so she can just enjoy the purity of running around the park for no other reason than she wants to.

post-run education at the ruins of lesnes abbey [photo: dani]

7t

Goudhurst junior parkrun (#1)

When I heard that there would be a junior parkrun in the attractive village of Goudhurst my initial reaction was something along the lines of ‘but that’s in the middle of nowhere!’. While that is true, it does sit quite nicely in between a number of established Kent 5k parkrun venues. Tonbridge and Tunbridge Wells are both only a 20 minute drive away, Maidstone is a little further at 27 minutes, while Ashford is furthest of the four at about 40 minutes.

typical tudor building in goudhurst [photo:7t]

Travelling by public transport alone is virtually impossible. There used to be a train station in Goudhurst but this was closed in 1961 and demolished a few years later. The closest remaining train station is Marden (Kent), but it is over 5 miles away from Goudhurst. The main problem is that the two bus services that run through Goudhurst (the 26 and the 297) do not run on Sundays. So unless you live very close, you'll have to rely on your own vehicle or look into the possibility of getting a taxi from Marden or Tunbridge Wells train stations, which all seems a little extreme for a 2 kilometre run.

the church tower [photo:7t]

We drove our 4 year old junior runner and her two cousins in the car from Dartford and it took about an hour door-to-door. The officially listed car parking facilities are as follows; behind Goudhurst Village Hall or at Goudhurst Primary School. There is also some space to park on Back Lane, but it is pretty narrow. Goudhurst junior parkrun takes place on The Glebe Field. This open grass area is adjacent to the grounds of St. Mary's Church, which sits at the highest point of the village.

the church [photo:7t]

The church records date back to 1119 but it is thought that the church itself dates back further than this. It is also the most prominent landmark of the village and the church tower is open on weekend afternoons between Easter and mid-July where visitors can admire the stunning view across the Weald of Kent. There are toilet and café facilities in the Church Rooms right next to the field.

ready to go? [photo:7t]

An important point I will highlight again is that Junior parkruns, while all on Sundays, do not all have the same start time and not all venues put on events every week. The point I'm trying to make here is to spend some time checking these details on each venue’s website before you travel. Goudhurst junior parkrun starts at 9.45am, which is probably better than 9am as I imagine most runners will be travelling from outside of the village and the extra time will most likely be appreciated.

and they're off [photo:dani]

I would usually have had a freedom run before the event got underway, but we were a little later than I had planned due to the A21 being closed for roadworks. So we spent a bit of time taking photos - my daughter even had a go with the DSLR and produced a couple of great photos of her cousins. The run was preceded by a short briefing and a warm up. My daughter really seems to enjoy the warm up, so I'm pleased that they take the time to do it.

looks like fun [photo:dani]

The course configuration produces the most laps we have encountered to date on our junior parkrun tour – this one takes place over four 500 metre laps all within the boundaries of the field. The advantage of this is that it is very compact and parents are always within around 100 metres of their children. The downsides of this layout are; keeping track of how many laps each child has completed; and keeping the younger (or slower) children motivated to complete all four laps when they see that the other children have already stopped running.

i don't always receive an invite to run, but when i do i always accept [photo:dani]

The course is flat but smaller legs may notice the tiny change in gradient along the length of the football field. It takes place on a mixture of grass and a gravelly path, so is likely to be a bit mucky during the winter months, but we all like playing in the mud, right? (I do). It also worth noting that the ground underfoot is very uneven and bumpy whilst running across the football pitch, and in the winter months you'll probably get wet feet so take a spare pair of shoes and socks along.

pretty much spot on with our synchronised strides [photo:dani]

When viewed from the air the course looks a bit like a curvy Pac-Man (do kids these days know who Pac-Man is??). The field itself is only just larger than the child sized football field that occupies the centre of it. The 2k route starts on the southern edge and weaves its way along and across the football pitch and around the posts of the western goal before moving onto the northern and western footpaths until they lead back around to the start/finish area.

it's sometimes nice to just have a bit of fun [photo:dani]

I was lucky enough to be issued with an invite to join Matilda on her run today. Once we started the second lap, the small cones marking the route became objects that we had to hurdle which was great fun. About two-and-a-half laps in, she needed a short walking break. She soon got going again, but when she reached the end of lap 3 and saw that most of the other children had finished running, she also wanted to stop. After a bit of encouragement, she continued with the final lap. Towards the end, she found a huge burst of energy and sprinted away in the direction of the cheering volunteers, runners and parents at the finish funnel.

her seventh junior parkrun (sixth venue) complete [photo:dani]

After the run, I managed to squeeze in my freedom run while my daughter, wife, niece and nephew headed off to the Church Rooms where there were complimentary drinks and cakes for all of today's participants, parents, supporters and volunteers. The Church Rooms boast a fantastic view across the Weald of Kent and the results were processed while everyone took the opportunity to socialise over the fantastic chocolate brownies.

the view from the church rooms [photo:dani]

It's a lovely little village and it really feels like it's going to be a very close knit community - and maybe even more so than some other events because of its rural location.

Mile End Junior parkrun (#15)

It wasn't long ago that the junior parkrun series only consisted of about 3 or so venues. However, the junior series has grown quite significantly during the last year, and we decided to visit Mile End Junior parkrun for Matilda's very first official parkrun.

briefing and warm-up session with kelly sotherton [photo: 7r]

The Mile End Junior parkrun takes place in Mile End Park, in East London, on part of the original 5k Mile End parkrun course. I visited the full 5k event back in September 2013 and as I was back in the park, I decided to squeeze in my Sunday running by completing two freedom runs - one on the 5k course and another on the 2k course.

and they're off... [photo: dani]

With those done, it was time to hang out at the start area and wait for the run to begin. Now, by complete coincidence we had turned up on the same day as the Join in crew, who had brought with them Great Britain athlete (with an Olympic bronze to her name) Kelly Sotherton and a film crew from ITV news. I offered my services as a volunteer but they had all roles covered so I was free to wander the course with the legendary Craigie-Lee Paterson offering encouragement to the 13 junior runners.

mile end juniors event 15 [photo: dani]

As far as facilities go, there are toilets, showers and changing rooms right next to the start. You can park for free on Copperfield Road. Mile End tube station is adjacent to the park and gives easy access to anyone travelling from a little further than the immediate local area.

almost at halfway [photo: dani]

Before the run started, the children were treated to a fab pre-run talk from Kelly Sotherton who then went on to lead them through a brilliant warm up session. She also presented some of the regular runners with their junior parkrun wristbands. I had never seen Matilda so excited about, well, anything - she had been asking to run with the children for ages and had woken up at about 6am that morning really excited and bouncing around the house, eager to get to the 'baba race' as she calls it!

luke gets a hi-five [photo: dani]

The run starts at the same place as its 5k sibling and heads off in a northerly direction following the left side of the double paths. The course consists of two laps of a 1k out and back route which takes place on the park's double paths. The runners head out on the left hand path and has some really nice sweeping curves and even a little hump (which must seem like a proper hill to those tiny legs) for the juniors to tackle.

i ran the last part with matilda [photo: dani]

So after weaving around to the far end of the course, the runners perform a 180 degree turn and head back along the other side of the double path. There are marshals positioned roughly every 100 metres or so and they are absolutely wonderful - encouraging the kids and offering hi-fives all the way around.

about to complete her first parkrun

Matilda was joined by her cousins Holly and Luke for today's run - they had both previously run at Bushy Junior parkrun on a few occasions so it was good to see the three of them out there together enjoying the course.

don't forget your barcode

Once the run had finished and barcodes had been scanned all three of the Stockwell juniors were interviewed by the ITV film crew, which was totally unexpected and really exciting for them. (I'll add a link if the piece is put online).

stars of the small screen

The results were online a short while after and Matilda had managed to open her junior parkrun account at the age of 4 years and 5 days old with a time of 19.44 and scored a 40.54% age grading. It is a great little course and I am pretty confident in saying that we'll be back here in the future.

Matilda was also mentioned in episode 155 of the parkrun show 'pygmy mammoths'.

Bushy juniors parkrun freedom run

As you may know, I volunteer at Bushy juniors parkrun. But something I had never done before is run the course to see what the runners have just experienced by the time they reach me to have their barcodes scanned.

It's a 2 kilometre course and this run is only open to junior age category runners (please remember to register and print your personal barcode beforehand - your barcode works at any parkrun worldwide). Parents that run with their children are asked to peel off at the very end to ensure that they do not cross the finish line as doing so may mess up the results!

So about 20 minutes before the runners arrived, I positioned myself on the start line, put my finger on my stopwatch start button, gave myself a 'ready..... go', hit the start button and off I went!

The first kilometre is run along the avenue of trees between Teddington gate and the fountain. This avenue is nice and wide, allowing the hundreds of runners to spread out and jostle for a comfortable position.

The run is entirely on grass apart from the times where you must cross the four tarmac paths that cross the course - people are usually kind enough to wait for runners to pass but remember they have as much right to use the park as we do. So keep an eye out and remember to say thank you to anyone that does stop.

As you near the 1 kilometre point at the far end of the avenue you will see some cones on the ground and a marshal with a big smile on their face! When you reach them you will do a 180 degree turn to your left around the very last tree.

The second kilometre heads back towards Teddington gate under the adjacent avenue of trees and is slightly narrower than the first, but as the runners would have spread out by this point there won't be any congestion.

After a while you'll soon be longing for that first glimpse of the finish line, but it takes ages to appear and by the time it does it still looks so far away!

The course is flat but you will find a few uneven bits where the ground dips down suddenly, so look out for them to avoid twisting your ankle. Also try to keep an eye out for stinging nettles - they tend to grow under the trees so if you keep to the centre of the grass path you should avoid them.

Finally you'll hear the encouragement, cheers and clapping from the parents and volunteers as you reach the last few metres.

Then you'll cross the line, the timer will log your time and another volunteer will give you your finishing token. After this you will take your finishing token and your own barcode (you did remember it, didn't you?) to one of the volunteers at the tables behind the finish line.

Your result will appear on the bushy juniors parkrun website a few hours later. If you forgot your barcode you won't get an official time in the results but please remember to give your finishing token back!

Once all of the runners had left, I ran it again (and was a tiny bit slower) and thanks to the wonder that is the 'freedom parkrun', I was able to log both efforts on my profile even though I ceased being a junior runner many years ago.