The Leas parkrun, Minster-on-Sea (Isle of Sheppey)

The Isle of Sheppey is an island just off the north coast of Kent and separated from the mainland by the water channel called The Swale. Its name comes from the Old English word 'Sceapig' which means Sheep Island. It was at one time known as the Isles of Sheppey owing to the fact that it used to be three separate islands - the water channels have since silted up leaving the land as just one island.

It has always been an important strategic point as it sits adjacent to the Thames Estuary. A fort was built in the town of Sheerness by King Henry VIII to protect the entrance to the River Medway as this lead to Chatham Dockyard which otherwise would have vulnerable to attack. In fact the Island has historically been a place susceptible to invasion; the first known Viking raid in southern England took place here in 835, this was followed by many more. Subsequently the Dutch army occupied the island for a few days in 1667 - this was the first time a foreign power had done so since 1066.

Isle of Sheppey, The Leas

The island also has aviation history. The Aero Club of Great Britain was set up here and the Wright Brothers are known to have visited. The founder of the club, Lord Brabazon, made what is thought to be the first live-animal cargo flight when he tied a basket to his plane and transported a pig. He subsequently became the first person to qualify as a pilot in the UK.

There are known to be around 200 shipwrecks off the coast of the island, but the most famous of these is the SS Richard Montgomery which ran aground and sank in 1944. The reason for it being so well known is that it was carrying approximately 1,400 tonnes of explosives at the time. It has always been considered too dangerous to attempt to salvage them, so they remain onboard about a mile off the coast. An exclusion zone is in place and its three masts are still visible above the sea. It is constantly monitored by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency.

Wet beginnings [right photo credit: Debbie Hodgson]

The island is home to three prisons which combined hold just under 3,000 prisoners. On the east of the island, Leysdown-on-Sea is home to the highest concentration of chalets and caravan parks in Kent. Modern-day Sheppey includes the Port of Sheerness which is one of the major ports in the UK. It is thought to be the largest point of entry for foreign car imports, but also handles large quantities of fruits, vegetables and meats.

The existence of the port has been responsible for the introduction of one of the islands most unexpected residents - Scorpions! It is thought that they arrived on cargo ships in the 1860s, and it is estimated that there are in the region of 10-15,000 of them residing in the colony which is centred around the port. The London Clay which forms the island makes it a prime spot for fossil hunting and is known for providing paleontologists with almost all the known examples of 'Dasornis', a 50 million year old prehistoric seabird with a wingspan of at least 5 metres. 

mid-run / turn-around points [bottom left photo credit: Debbie Hodgson]

The town of Minster-on-Sea is named after the monastery that used to be here, and now it is home to Kent's 22nd 5k parkrun, which goes by the name of The Leas parkrun, Minster. Interestingly a Sheppey is also an obscure, humorous unit of measurement. A Sheppey is equal to 7/8 Mile (1.4km) and is said to be the optimum distance that you should be from a sheep for it to look picturesque. So I think it only fitting that this parkrun's distance should be referred to as being 3.57 Sheppeys.

The Leas is the name of the road and promenade which runs alongside Minster Leas Beach. We visited the venue on 24th July 2021, then revisited 22 April 2023, and on both occasions parked for free alongside the seafront. If travelling by train, the nearest station is over in Sheerness which is three miles down the road, but I am reliably informed that there is a bus that runs between the two towns. There is also a traffic-free cycle route along the sea from Sheerness to Minster Leas, so cycling would be another reasonable option for navigating that final stretch.

The Leas [left photo credit: Debbie Hodgson]

The parkrun starts right outside the Sweet Hut which is at a lower level than the road, so that's the spot to head for. Toilet facilities are present. Firstly, there's a toilet block a few minutes away at the junction with The Broadway - this is fairly dated and had no toilet paper when we first visited in 2021. This toilet was closed on our second visit in April 2023. This was due to a fire in January 2023. Alternatively, if you head east along The Leas, there is another toilet block just outside a car park which is a newer and much nicer option.

The course is effectively a double out-and-back starting from the Sweet Hut and heading east to the end of the footpath. However, the first 'back' does not return all the way to the original start point. You could say that it's an out-and partial-back, followed by a partial-out and-back. The finish is back at the Sweet Hut. My GPS data on Strava and the Relive video are probably both better resources to show the course properly.

The finish

Underfoot is beautifully smooth tarmac and the profile is flat apart from a small bump as you pass the aforementioned toilets next to the car park. Being a seafront event, there is always the threat of wind, and the day we visited in 2021 had a strong headwind blowing from the east. To make it worse, it was also raining at first. Thankfully the rain eased off about 10 minutes into the event. The plus side was that we had a tailwind when heading back along the seafront, so that was nice. During our second visit, in April 2023, there was no wind at all.

The eastern section (after the bump) goes through the dog-friendly zone, so you may find a number of loose dogs running around at this end. You also get to run past the 35 colourful beach huts which add a bit of variation to the scenery around the route. Another thing worth bearing in mind is that the course is on a shared-use path with bicycles, so keep an eye out for those.

Post event

The official average number of participants stands at 124 at the time of writing in 2021, so it's quite a nice-sized event to attend. We took part in event number 25, which was the very first post-covid-shutdown event and the number of finishers was slightly lower than the average at 81, which was to be expected. The official average was 89.6 when we revisited in 2023. Everything seemed to run smoothly, the volunteers were fab and we received our results text messages while still hanging out on the stony beach.

Still living in this strange covid world, we decided to avoid any post-event mingling so didn't visit the post-event social venues (The Playa and The Beach Bar are mentioned on the official page). We didn't actually have any post-parkrun plans so once we had exhausted everything the beach had to offer, we headed back on the short drive home for lunch, grateful that the opportunity to have these experiences had finally come around again.

When we revisited on 22 April 2023 for event number 114 exactly 100 people took part. The only difference I spotted was that one set of toilets were closed (as noted above). Everything else was identical. Again the volunteers were wonderful so a big thank you to all involved.

Related links:

The Kent parkrun venues

GPS data of the course (2021)

Relive Video (2021)

Dartford parkrun 34 - This is fun!

The night before parkrun, my daughter announced to me that she fancied a spot of buggy running, so at 6.30am the following day I was sat there on the bed trying to gently wake her so we could get over to the park in time to start setting up the course.

About 15 minutes later she finally opened her eyes and confirmed that she still wanted to come with me. I got her dressed as she slipped in and out of her sleepy state. We left the house, grabbed the running buggy from the garage and hit the road to Central Park.

i love it when gary volunteers as photographer [photo: gary bignell]

As the first of the early bird volunteers to arrive, we got on with unpacking the kit and a few minutes later, Richey and Adam arrived. All together we set off around the course to put out the signage and cones. About 30 minutes later we were back at DpHQ where we eventually managed to get ourselves ready to run.

When running with a buggy at parkrun I have often stuck to the parkrun buggy running guidelines which are to start at the back and to try to keep to the side of the main body of runners. However, if I start at the back and run at my normal buggy running pace, I end up within the main body of runners, which increases the risk of an incident. So..

passing the cafe [photo: gary bignell]

..after weighing up the pros and cons, I have decided that the best starting position for me (at Dartford) is to line up on the main footpath to the side of the main field of runners (following half of the official advice) and to start at a strong pace so that I reach the first corner before the main body of runners. I can then filter in with the first 20 or so runners. And that's what I did at this event.

We went around the course in the usual way. The muddy corner was still muddy but not as wet as in previous weeks. The subsequent incline is hard work on lap one, but always feels that little bit harder second time around. When running with a buggy, this is amplified further especially with the bumpy tree roots to negotiate.

at the finish line [photo: adam hunt]

Matilda was very vocal on today's run and spent a great deal of time giggling and screaming 'THIS IS FUN!', so I think it's clear that she enjoyed it. And apart from one point when a dog stopped right in front of us and we came to a halt, the run was incident free.

When we finished, we quickly got changed, did a bit of writing down of non-scanning barcodes and as we had a very healthy supply of volunteers (lots of resting runners in advance of the next day's Dartford Half Marathon), we generally just chatted and soaked up the great atmosphere. Once the results had been processed, I was happy to see that we had run a new buggy running course best of 21.59.

For the record, at the moment I reckon the course takes about 90-120 seconds longer to complete with the buggy compared to a standard time trial effort. That's around 8-10% slower than normal TT pace if you want to adjust it for different paced runners. It's the grass and that incline that does it - If it was flat and all tarmac it would be around 40 seconds slower which is about 3.3% difference.

#buggyrunner

Dartford parkrun 32 - buggy running

Runners from a range of abilities descended upon Dartford’s Central Park this morning for the thirty-second running of the ‘always one word, always lower case’ international phenomenon that is parkrun. The free, timed, 5 kilometre event kicked off at 9am and the one-hundred-and-twenty-four runners hurtled off around the two-lap, mixed terrain course.

Those new to the parkrun movement may initially refer to it as a race, but in fact parkrun is not a race. It is simply a timed run and is probably best described as ‘a run around the park with your mates’. Although timed, there is no pressure to run at a hard (time trial) pace. Quite often runners will run with friends or family at a sociable pace and enjoy the experience together.

buggy runners [photo: brian page]

The event is inclusive and open to runners of all abilities as well as those running with dogs (for safety reasons parkrun dog policy states only one dog per person) and buggy runners. Today saw Steven Stockwell, who was running his 189th parkrun (30th at Dartford), tackle the mixed terrain course with his daughter in their running buggy in 22 minutes and 46 seconds.

Steven said of his run ‘the start is always tricky with the buggy; I have to make the decision between starting at the back as per parkrun buggy running guidance but then passing the majority of the field or starting near the front and getting into our natural position from the very beginning.’ He went on to add ‘the muddy corner and slippery incline were both very challenging with the buggy, especially on the second lap where we got stuck in the mud. But we dug deep and got to the top without stopping both times around’.

the view from stones corner across to our lovely off-road, muddy corner [photo: dani]

After the run, a member of local running club SLGR, commented ‘I woke up this morning, did a 3 kilometre run with my dog and then headed over to Central Park to meet my running buddies. I also sometimes wear my personalised running top back-to-front to let the person behind know my name'. The event utilises facilities in the adjacent Dartford Harriers Athletics Club and after the run many of the runners and volunteers relax with a beverage and a snack in the clubhouse.

Dartford parkrun is organised primarily by Event Director Richey Estcourt along with a small core team of volunteers who perform a few key roles throughout the week and on the morning itself. However, every week a full set of around 15 volunteers are required in order to successfully stage the event – the rest of these positions are filled by volunteers from the wider Dartford parkrun community.

buggy runners in full flight at stones corner [photo: dani]

One of these volunteers, who was taking a rest day in advance of a race the following day, told our reporter ‘I usually run, but when I have a race on the following day I like to volunteer instead; that way I can still be part of our community and save my legs for the next day’s race.’ Another volunteer added 'I love volunteering, I just let the event team know when I am available and which role I fancy doing, and they add me to the volunteer roster for that week - it's brilliant!'

The results are compiled through a simple yet effective solution which requires each runner to register with parkrun in advance. Each registered runner is issued with a unique personal barcode which they must bring with them every time they run at a parkrun event. It can be used at any parkrun event worldwide and the results are all recorded on each runner's own results page.

at least one of us looked good for the camera [photo: brian page]

When the runners reach the end of the course they enter the finishing funnel where they have their time registered. They then collect a finishing position token which is scanned along with the runner's own personal barcode. The stopwatch time and the corresponding finishing position token / runner's name are matched up using computer software once the run has finished and the results are usually available to view within an hour or two.

The final word from Dartford parkrun event 32 goes to nine-time-junior-parkrunner and twenty-six time volunteer Matilda Stockwell who was the passenger in the aforementioned running buggy, 'I kept telling Daddy to run faster and to catch the people in front. It was fun!'

If the video which should be above does not display, it can be viewed directly on my youtube page via this link - Dartford parkrun 32 - stones corner

Buggy Running 5k Time-Trial at the Cyclopark

I wouldn't usually write a blog post about the 5k cyclorun, which takes place at 8am on Sunday mornings at the Cyclopark near Gravesend in Kent, but on this occasion it was special. Instead of turning up for a normal run, I took my daughter and our running buggy. After two years the time had finally come to do a proper buggy running time trial effort.

The goal was to try to run under 20 minutes, and I was confident that I could get close... on a flat course. However, the cyclopark track is not completely flat. It has undulations most of the way around and I wasn't quite so confident that I could break the magic 20 minute barrier.

So on Sunday 8 June 2014, we lined up on the start line with 14 other runners (including another buggy runner). At 8-something sharp we were sent on our way to complete the two-lap course. I started politely (that means that I gave the other runners some space and didn't crash into anybody with the buggy wheels) and after 50 metres or so, the runners fell into their desired paces and positions.

We were in third position at this stage and we stayed close behind the runners in positions 1 and 2 until just before the 1 kilometre point when we edged into the lead - which is where we remained for the rest of the run. We completed the first lap in 9.49 - within the time window for running a sub-20 time, but I was exhausted.

I pushed (pun intended) as hard as I could around the second lap, but I knew I was a little slower than the first. The last kilometre of each lap is largely uphill, and as we ran up the incline towards the finish on the second lap, it was as if the finish line kept getting further away - a feature of this course! My daughter was loving every minute of it, and I usually talk to her as we go around, but at this stage of the run, and at this pace I just didn't have enough puff to talk and run at the same time!

Finally we crossed the finish line and I instantly parked the buggy and sat (or fell in a heap) on the floor to recover. I was in complete agony during the last incline and was relieved that it was all over. I had stopped my watch as we crossed the finish line and I now had a chance to look at it. It read 19.49, this was followed up by confirmation from the official timer that I had indeed run a sub-20 buggy run.

The second lap had indeed been slower than the first (10.00), but we still managed to keep it within the buffer zone. Over the moon, we took the buggy back to the car, packed it away and then went to the cinema to celebrate our first sub-20 5k buggy run! We're now on the look out for a flat course to see how much faster we can go.

Baby Jogger 2

Back in 2012, I had the idea that I would like to try buggy running with my daughter. Looking around at the prices quickly ruled out the option of buying a brand new one, so I started looking around for a second-hand option. Eventually I put out a call for help on Twitter, which lead to the acquisition of a Baby Jogger 2.

baby jogger 2

Design / Frame

The Baby Jogger was designed in 1984 to solve the problem of parents that wanted to jog but also had a toddler in tow. It sports an aerodynamic v shaped design and large (for a buggy) wheels. Its lightweight aluminium tubing frame helps to keep the weight minimal. The buggy is suitable for children from 6 months of age (or a year, best to research this and do what you feel is best) and will remain suitable until they grow out of it - this is usually around the age of 5, but varies from child to child. I'm not sure which year mine was manufactured, but it is an older model of running buggy. Judging by the colourway and the likely number of former owners, I would take a guess and say that this was produced in the 1990's.

Wheels / Tyres

The buggy sits on three bicycle-style wheels which give the buggy an incredibly smooth ride. The tyres on mine are what I'd describe as hybrid-style tyres which are amazing on smooth tarmac, but will easily also handle grass, trail and even thick sticky mud (but it's hard work). They are fixed in position and do not swivel.

Brake

There is a single hand brake lever located on the handle which connects, via a cable, to the brake which is housed on the front wheel - it is basically a bicycle brake. The handle also has a moveable switch which locks the brake should you want to ensure that the buggy doesn't roll away whilst in a parked position. The brake lever is central on the handle which means the brake is close by but not in the way during the run. I have never felt the need to use the brake whilst running and use it purely when stationary.

footrest / brake / seat and five-point harness

Seat and Harness

Before setting off on a run, you will want to ensure that your child is safely secured inside the buggy. The buggy comes with an adjustable 5 point safety harness which secures them inside very well. The straps that go over the shoulders can be adjusted as your child grows to ensure they are held in place safely and comfortably. There is also a fixed hard plastic footrest.

The seat is made from a water resistant canvas material and is narrow and snug, which is good as it helps to secure the child in place and prevents them from moving from side to side as you run around corners. It is a simple canvas material seat suspended between the frame. There are no additional creature comforts such as an option to change the seat position or additional padding on this seat.

Wrist Strap (for safety)

Once ready to go, you can place your wrist through the wrist strap to ensure that the buggy does not roll away from you, say, on a downhill section of your route. I'd definitely recommend using it during every run.

Luggage / pockets

There are two separate compartments for storing any items you have during your run. At the back, behind the seat and under the handle is a sizeable net and underneath the seat there is a further storage space. Handy if you are going to be out for a while you might need to take some nappies and other assorted baby things. I imagine that on a normal run you'd probably leave them empty to avoid carrying any excess weight. Of course purposefully adding extra weight could be another useful training option.

Hood

The buggy comes with a hood (but not attached in the photos), like the seat it is made from a canvas-type material. I'd say it is more useful for shielding your child from the sun rather than keeping them dry. It has a small window in case you need to check inside without interrupting your run. Mine did not come with a rain cover, but I understand that they are available as an added extra.

My only real grumble with the buggy is the design of the hood when folded back. While fine when you have it in its operating position, should you wish to fold it back, it bounces or rubs against my hand as I run. As a workaround I have removed the material hood, which has left me with the supporting wire-frame structure exposed. Once my daughter is in the buggy I move this forward so it rests just above her legs and is well out of the way. I could remove the wire frame entirely but would need some tools to do so and it would make re-attaching the hood less convenient.

Running

The first things I noticed as I set off with the Baby Jogger 2 on tarmac was how incredibly smooth it is and that there was almost zero rolling-resistance - this means that it is fast. Having your hands/arms removed from the running process is the main difference as far as the running action is concerned but it doesn't take long to feel completely comfortable pushing it during the run. In fact, the design of the buggy and smooth rolling motion means that on a flat tarmac path you can simply let go of the buggy and just keep nudging it to maintain the motion whilst running as normal. It is worth noting that the front wheel extends quite far out in front, so if you are running in a group or at a race you will need to be careful to avoid clipping the heels of other runners.

the baby jogger 2 in action

Turning corners generally involves applying a tiny amount of pressure to the handle in order to lift the front wheel, you can then swivel the buggy on its two rear wheels. The fact that the child's weight is centred over the rear wheels makes this process very easy and natural.

Venturing onto grass, mud or hills will of course require a lot more effort than running buggy-less but the Baby Jogger 2 copes very well in all of these conditions. The hybrid tyres are brilliant in all of these instances. If you are exclusively running on tarmac, you could look for one with some proper skinny road racing wheels/tyres which will offer even less resistance, but for the majority of us the standard offering is the best option as it keeps the buggy an option for all types of terrain.

The most important thing is that my daughter absolutely loves buggy running. While we're out she will constantly shout at me to go faster when I slow down (usually because I'm running up a hill) and when we get into a good rhythm she makes a really quiet but high pitched screaming noise. It lasts for minutes at a time and is very cute. She also really loves bumpy ground and the fast downhills - for her it's like a rollercoaster, so we're always on the lookout for some interesting terrain!

Storage and Transporting

The Baby Jogger 2 has a simple way of folding down to enable easy storage or transportation of the buggy. The easiest and quickest option is to remove the securing pins, which are located just behind the front wheel, and fold it down with the wheels attached. However, to fit the buggy into a smaller space (the boot of a smaller car, perhaps) you can remove the wheels completely. The front wheel has a quick-release mechanism just like you'd find on a bicycle. The two back wheels are secured in a different way. You press the 'Axle lock spring plate' behind the rear axle and pull the wheel out of the aluminum tube. You can then fold the buggy almost completely flat by removing the securing pins from their holes. It's very simple and quick to do. Reassembly is equally as easy - you just pop the back wheels into their holes and secure the front with the quick-release mechanism.

main frame securing pins / front wheel quick release / rear wheel axle lock spring plate

Maintenance

The Baby Jogger 2 is more akin to a bicycle than a buggy. So the maintenance is similar to that of a bike, just without the gears and chain. The brake pads could theoretically wear down after a while, but I use my brake so little that I doubt that I'll ever have to replace them. If the buggy gets wet you might find that some lubricant around the back wheel axle will help to prevent squeaks. Lastly, the tyres - they are very unlikely to puncture, and with such a light load they will last a good number of years without the rubber wearing out. All you'll need to do is check the tyre pressures which can sometimes drop a little lower than desired, just like with a bike.

Conclusion:

Should you want an all round buggy that is also ok for running, you should look elsewhere. This running buggy is the real deal. It does not want to go to the shops. In fact, if you take it to the shops it will clip the heels of every other shopper in protest as you pass them. The Baby Jogger 2 is the stripped down classic running buggy - it's the buggy world's go-kart. Light, nimble and very quick. It knows what it was built to do and does it very well indeed.

Technical Specifications (these are correct to the best of my knowledge)

Age range: 6 months (or possibly 1 year - best to research this beforehand and make your own decision) to 4-5 years - size and weight of the child are the key factors, rather than age alone. My daughter had her last buggy run at the age of 6 and even at the 7 she still hadn't outgrown it completely.
Maximum Load: 45kg (100lbs)

Construction materials: Lightweight aluminium tubing and durable nylon fittings
Weight: 8kg (17.5lbs)
Wheels: 16" 460mm wheels (tbc) with double steel bearings and quick release system
Tyres: High quality (all terrain) tyres with heavy duty inner tubes (to minimise risk of punctures)
Max Tyre Pressure: 2.3bar (35psi)

Length (upright): 127cm (50")
Width (upright): 64cm (25")
Height of handle (upright): 97cm (38")

Length (folded with wheels on): 122cm (48")
Width (folded with wheels on): 120 (47")
Height (folded with wheels on): 64cm (25")

Length (folded with wheels off): 120 (47")
Width (folded with wheels off): 55cm (22")
Height (folded with wheels off): 15cm (6")

Maldon Prom parkrun

Another trip through Dartford tunnel into Essex this week, this time to run a Maldon Prom parkrun which takes place in Promenade Park, Maldon. The ladies joined me again, and this gave the the opportunity to run with my daughter in her running buggy.

wilkommen

Maldon is on the Blackwater estuary and at the end of the promenade there is a statue of Byrhtnoth - leader of the Anglo-Saxon forces in the Battle of Maldon against the Vikings in 991. It is known throughout the country as the foremost modern day centre for Thames sailing barges, which you'll see as you run along the promenade during the parkrun. It is also famous for the Maldon mud race, where, providing the tide is low enough, competitors race through the mud to the other side of the estuary and back again.

start area

We travelled by car and parked in the fair sized car park in the centre of the park. It's a pay and display car park (£1 for an hour, £2 for two hours, £4 for four hours, or £5 for the whole day). From what I can see there is no train station in Maldon so that's not an option for any travelling tourists. If you're local, of course cycling would be an option. I didn't spot any bicycle racks but there is a fence right next to the finish line that could be used to secure it to.

lap around the lake

The toilets are right in the centre of the park, next to the very well presented children's playground - the park has a big sail ship to play on which fits in with the nautical theme of the area very well. There are also a number of food huts and a cafe as well as a marine lake, a skate park, sports fields and a bmx track. We were here on quite a misty/overcast morning, but should you run here in the summer it must be a brilliant little park to spend some time with the family.

bump!

The runners and volunteers meet adjacent to the marine lake, which is in the north-west part of the park. I joined the run director for a briefing with the day's first-timers (25 running their first ever parkrun) where the course was described in detail - I was glad that I was here because the course is slightly different to the one on the official course map at the moment (25 Jan 2014).

the muddy part

Apart from a couple of humps and one short steep slope that you negotiate three times, the course is flat. It starts on the tarmac path next to the marine lake, does one small lap of the lake and then heads off for two full laps around the park. The lap starts by swinging around a few corners and then passes the information centre, the toilets and the playground.

coming back along the prom

The path here is usually used for access to the overspill car parking area, but vehicles are prohibited during the parkrun. This section has a couple speed bumps (sleeping policemen) and my daughter loved being bumped over them in her running buggy, everytime we hit one she bounced right up in the air and giggled her head off! (the five point harness in the buggy kept her quite safe).

blackwater estuary

After this stretch there is a right hand turn onto the grass/dirt/mud section. We ran here in the winter and the rain had turned the dirt path into a muddy, slightly boggy section. Many runners ran to the side to avoid the muddiest parts, but me and the buggy ploughed right through! It lasts for about 500 metres and you do it twice, so in total 20% of the run takes place on this section. I wore trail shoes to help with traction on this section but when it's dry I would go for standard road shoes.

bryhtnoth

After this you make your way onto the promontory and run towards the statue of Bryhtnoth, sword in hand, thrust into the sky. When you reach him, you do a u-turn around the last bench and head along the promenade with the estuary on you right. This takes you back to the marine lake, where you circle it again. If you have only run one lap, you'll go off and do a second.

i like this one

However, if you have already run two laps, you will now turn right after the lake to leave the loop and make a final dash for the finish line. For the record, there are a couple of marshals in key locations around the course, and the rest is clearly marked with direction arrows - it worked very well indeed.

finished!

For the first time ever, I didn't actually touch my finish token. It was given to my daughter as we crossed the line and I gave her my personal barcode as we approached the scanning area so she could take care of the whole process. The barcode scanning takes place in the seating hut thingy which is adjacent to the finish area. We ran at event 23 and it turns out that we were part of a new record attendance of 128 (inaugural event aside), beating the previous week's record by 3 runners.

beep

They say that parkrun can be 'whatever you want it to be' and today that meant a nice easy run with my daughter in her running buggy. And with no pressure to try to run a certain time, we splashed through puddles, waved to Mummy (who had the camera), chatted and laughed the whole way round. It was brilliant!

the no (vehicle) access sign

For a place I'd never heard of before the parkrun started, it has a rich history and if I'd read wikipedia before visiting I would have gone to have a look at George Washington's great-grandfather's grave, which is in All Saint's parish church. I also would have known the the Marvel comics twin superheroes, Psylocke and Captain Britain were born and raised here. Go Maldon!