Now Team Mermaids are swimmers which means that we are pretty rubbish at running but we do absolutely love parkrun. Parkrun is an organisation which operates 5km runs usually at 9am on Saturday in parks and commons literally ALL OVER THE WORLD. What’s more the runs are FREE to enter!
All you have to do is sign up on the parkrun website and you get issued a bar code. At the end of the run you are given a token which lets the organisers know what place you came and the timers know what time is associated with that place. You then have your token and barcode scanned and your individual time is logged.
Parkrun relies on volunteers on the day – our favourite job is doing the bar code and token scanning.
There are awards for parkrun milestones. You get a free t-shirt when you have run at 50, 100 and 250 (!) events. We have currently done 10 but we have ambitions of getting to 50 in the next 10 years!
The atmosphere at parkrun is always fantastic and so relaxed – everyone chats to each other brought together by a shared love of running.
One of the things that I think is amazing about parkrun is how many off them operate. There are 359 parkrun locations around the world and over 800,000 registered runners – wow!
To give you a bit of a flavour of the events we are going to write reviews of the different courses we have run at below. We will add to this as we run at more events.
30 January 2016 was a momentous day – Tooting Common held its first parkrun! Campaigning to bring parkrun to Tooting Common has been going on for years but Wandsworth Council kept refusing permission for the event to take place. We were pretty excited therefore to finally be getting our very own local parkrun. Parkrun organizers tried to keep it on the ‘downlow’ so as not to have too many people at the first event but despite the lack of publicity 200 people turned up and ran. We were clearly therefore not the only people who were happy to see parkrun come to Tooting Common. The event was even covered by the Wandsworth Guardian. The article included pictures of Max and I (Katie) and some quotes – we are famous!
The course is a three lap loop, most of which on is on concrete paths but with a small section on a track. It was a nice course with some interesting twist and turns.
Post run refreshments from the nearby Tooting Bec Common Café. There is no inside space which makes it a bit of a chilly stop in winter but perfect for summer. There are also loads of brunch places in Tooting and Balham. We headed to Mud after the run which was yummy.
Post run swim at Tooting Bec Lido of course (temperature dependent)!
Buggy running suitable – The parkrun website says that the course isn’t suitable for buggies but there was no way I was missing out so ignored that advice. While it probably is not the easiest course for a buggy as there are some narrow gaps to squeeze through overall I didn’t have a problem. We have a BOB utility stroller but I imagine if your running buggy is wider or not as sturdy it would be trickier.
Richmond Park was the first parkrun we both ran at. Richmond Park itself is gorgeous and the perfect place for a parkrun. We are so lucky to have a park like this within a shortish drive of us. The course itself starts off going downhill and along a trail before veering on to the grass and up what I can only describe as a mountain! At least it is just one loop so you only have to climb the mountain once.
Our friend Karen (@runwithkaren) is a regular run director at Richmond.
In 2013 I (Katie) did the Christmas Day parkrun event. It was so much fun and had a lovely Christmassy community spirit.
Post run refreshments from the café at Pembroke lodge (also nearest car park) or otherwise head down to Richmond town centre for tea and cake from hummingbird or coffee and breakfast from Butter Beans.
Post run swim at Pools in the Park. Heated outdoor and indoor pools. (Note: this pool is closer to old deer park parkrun)
Buggy running suitable – TBC
The original and some might say the best. This is where I (Manda) logged my fastest time thanks to the favourable flat course. It has been known to have +1000 runners on a Saturday morning and is really a sight to be seen. Like Richmond park it isn’t unusual to be running past a deer/stag, which should be done with caution!
Post run refreshments from mobile café at car park where run finishes.
Post run swim at Hampton Pool. Outdoor, heated and 36m. They also have a small but lovely café on site with a terrace in case it is sunny.
Buggy running suitable – Yes – not from Katie’s experience but confirmed due to number seen there!
This is a deceptive 2 lap course that seems to cover all the mountains in London in one go but it is a cracker. If the race director is Andy you have GUARANTEED sunshine for the run… he can’t guarantee anything post run though. You also can’t fail to smile and have the cockles of your heart melted when the volunteer high fives you after your first lap with a foam hand. He is my hero every time. It has become our regular parkrun due to proximity and post run refreshments and swim options.
Post run refreshments from the lido café. This is one of our favourite places for brunch in London.
Post run swim at Brockwell lido… although in the winter we have to relocate to Crystal Palace.
Buggy running suitable – YES… as long as you don’t mind pushing a buggy and baby up a MOUNTAIN or 2
Guaranteed mud no matter what time of year. It is a flat course but the mud does make it a challenge but I (Manda) love it for a bit of “trail” running. 2 lap course but not one for a PB. We need to get Katie some trail shoes and she will have to get over her sever aversion to mud. I blame it on her growing up in the city.
Post run refreshments from the windmill café right by the start/finish and car park.
Post run swim at Putney (if you can be bothered to deal with the traffic!)
Buggy running suitable – Not really due to mud and challenging terrain
Longrun Meadow
Dennis, Max and I were away for the weekend in Somerset and I (Katie) thought this was the perfect opportunity to try out a parkrun in a new location. We therefore went to Longrun Meadow parkrun in Taunton only a 10 min drive from where we were staying. We happened to turn up at the event’s second birthday which meant that lots of people were in fancy dress. Everyone was so welcoming and we had a chat with the run director prior to the event who told us that he wanted to break the record for the number of runners that day. I’m not sure if they did or not.
The course itself was lovely and flat and comprised of two loops.
Post run refreshments at a lovely mobile coffee van there especially for the occasion. Dennis wanted to have a bacon sandwich but I wouldn’t let him as we were heading home for breakfast after the run.
Post run swim – we had a pool at our cottage so we headed back to that. It wasn’t really long enough for laps but Max had a little dip.
Buggy running suitable – The course was very flat which is great for buggy running but the paths were quite narrow which did make passing people pretty challenging – you had to veer onto the grass and sprint! There was a lovely lady there also pushing a buggy who I had a chat with most of the way around.
Old deer park is a smaller parkrun to its big neighbours of Richmond and Bushy. I (Manda) visited during the rugby world cup where old deer park hosted a fan zone, this meant running on their B course. The course is flat but 3 laps. I thought I wouldn’t like it but it actually made the run go quicker if not faster. Due to its small nature I banked a position of 36th… unheard of!
Post run refreshments – nothing of note but there is a cafe in pools in the park.
Post run swim at pools in the park. Luckily for me the outdoor pool was open – such a treat on a winter’s day.
Buggy running suitable – TBC
We went to Dulwich parkrun on October 31 aka Halloween and were promptly greeted by various spooky creatures. After a Halloween pun filled briefing we were soon off. Like Old Deer park this is a 3 lap course of the flat (hoorah!) tarmac carriage way in Dulwich park. The 3 lap format meant I (Manda) got overtaken by a few of the leading runners when I was just settling in to my 2nd lap – their speed is amazing! Our friend Claire also came along and finished 300th. They had never had this many runners before so only had tokens up to 299, so Claire didn’t get a finishing token but did become a record breaker!
Post run refreshments – we headed down to Gail’s for some tea, brunch and cake.
Post run swim – You have a choice as you are between Brockwell lido, Dulwich leisure centre and Forest Hill pool. Personally if it is warm enough for you then head to Brockwell every time.
Buggy running suitable – yes! The wide tarmac paths make it perfect for a buggy run and the paths are nice and wide so easy to overtake / be overtaken!
Skipton
For New Year’s Eve 2015 my husband, baby and I (Katie) took a trip to Ilkley to spend the evening with some of my university friends. The way Christmas and New Year fell this year meant that you could run on Christmas Day, Boxing Day, New Year’s Day and the 2nd of January. So after running at Richmond and Dulwich on Christmas and Boxing Days respectively we were determined to therefore find a nearby run so we could ‘complete the set’. After somewhat of a late night we therefore dragged ourselves out of bed to head to Skipton parkrun 20 mins drive away.
After a very mild winter the weather had taken a dip and it was 0.5 degrees when we arrived. I was not properly equipped at all and had very cold hands for most of the run.
The course was a four lap loop which meant that I was lapped by the fastest runners on my second lap and on the final lap I was even lapped by a seven year old (oh the shame). I know people have mixed views on several lap courses but I don’t mind them at all as I like to know how far I have still to go. There were a couple of inclines but generally it was an enjoyable course.
Post run refreshments – as it was New Year’s Day the café wasn’t open but I think on regular days there is a standing invite for post run coffees.
Post run swim – There was a pool right next to the start of the course (Craven Swimming Pool). I didn’t have a dip but my friend who I was staying with says the pool is really nice and modern.
Buggy running suitable – Most of the course was on tarmac which made pushing the buggy quite easy but for parts of the course the path was quite narrow which meant that overtaking was quite difficult which slowed my progress (well that is my excuse anyway)!
I (Manda) was staying in Hastings for new years and after missing the opportunity to do an official parkrun in Guernsey over Christmas (Guernsey sort.it.out!) I was looking forward to racking up 2 parkruns, however, Hastings decided to give themselves New Years Day off so I headed down for the 2nd January run.
The course is an straight out there (to Hastings pier) and back (towards st Leonards) run along the sea front. The only deviation to the normal course was we were sticking to the promenade as there was too much shingle on the beach side path from a storm. As expected a sea front run is beautiful, however, we had gale force winds and this is the excuse I am using for the personal worst parkrun time I have ever logged… oh and that my husband was slowing me down (Fortunately for me he doesn’t read the blog!).
Post run refreshments – not close but highly recommend The Red Pig food van down at pett level for some lovely food and drink.
Post run swim – the sea!! Not always suitable though.
Buggy running suitable – straight route and wide tarmac paths are perfect for this.
For the first ‘normal’ parkrun of 2016, Dennis, Max and I (Katie) headed to Peckham Rye parkrun. This is one of the smaller parkruns in the local area with around 100 runners normally. New Year’s Resolutions were in full force with a massive 186 runners on the day.
The course is a three lap run meandering through the park and common – lovely, if slightly ‘undulating’! There is a car park not too far from the start which makes the logistics of getting there quite easy.
I’ve not been to Peckham Rye before but it is really lovely. It is a mix between a common with wide open spaces and a more manicured park including a Japanese Garden!
Post run refreshments the parkrun team go for a coffee at Cafe on the Rye each week and all runners are welcome to join them. I’ve not been to the café but it looks pretty nice from the website.
Post run swim Dulwich Leisure Centre is not too far away and the newly refurbished Peckham Pulse Healthy Living Centre is just around the corner. Both are run by Fusion Leisure.
Buggy running suitable: The course is on tarmac which makes it good for running with the buggy. The paths are also relatively wide which makes running alongside others quite easy. There are some tight turns which can be a bit more difficult to manoeuvre but all in all a pretty good course for buggy running.
Rushmoor
Dennis (Katie’s husband) and their friends Ali and Dawson have been having a competition to see who could be the first to run 1,000 miles. Dawson, who lives in Chicago, trained for and ran the Chicago marathon in 2015 so was well ahead of the other two.
Dawson was over in the UK for a wedding in April and as all the gang was together, I (Katie) managed to persuade them to put their hangover aside and go to parkrun on Saturday morning.
The wedding was near Sandhurst and due to a lack of childcare I had to travel back to London on the Friday evening. Max was up bright and early on the Saturday, however, so despite only having about 4.5 hours sleep, I jumped in the car to meet the guys at Rushmoor park run.
The run starts on the edge of a field which you run across. You then run by the road for a bit before dropping down to the river to run along the bank which was lovely. I felt like I had been running for miles so it came as an unpleasant surprise to find out as we left the river that it was a two lap course and I needed to do the whole thing again.
Overall a lovely course and I would recommend a visit if you are in the area. Out of the boys Ali speeded to victory in 21:37. Dennis and Dawson ran together for 24.30ish.
Post run refreshments we went back to have brunch at the Aviator hotel which was very nice. The official post run coffee is at Daisy’s café in Queens Road, North Camp.
Post run swim we didn’t go for a swim post run but google reliably informs me that there is a 50m pool at the Aldershot Garrison Sports Centre nearby.
Buggy running suitable there are some tricky bits running across the grass and some sharp turns coming down onto the river but generally it was a good course for the buggy.
Thanks to Kimberly for the below reviews:
The course is a five lap loop all on is on concrete paths around the edge of the park which is on a hill so you go up and down five times and finish going uphill.
It’s a good run but a bit soul destroying to see the short-shorts runners finishing when you’re only on lap 3!
Post run refreshments from The White Swan, which is the local Wetherspoons so I decided to give that a miss… There are a few nice cafes nearby, I went to the fairly new Nanna’s for an excellent latte.
Post run swim There is a 25m pool in Highbury Fields or Cally Pool is only 25mins walk away too.
Buggy running suitable – Yes, although it was horizontal rain that day so not much fun for a child! My buggy is not running appropriate so I left it and the baby at home.
I haven’t ever been to Finsbury Park and it turns out that it is beautiful, bonus! It is a deceptively hilly course, two laps takes you up a long drag of a hill, then it’s flat and down through the trees before you head up a very steep climb, however you are rewarded with a lake-side path and a finish through some flower gardens which makes you feel like a proper winner!
Post run refreshments from the cafe in the park, which is nice but will be really lovely in the summer as it’s right in the centre of the park with loads of outdoor seating. We walked down to Green Lanes for a Turkish breakfast, delicious.
Post run swim: Clissold Park is the nearest.
Buggy running suitable: Yes, it’s all on proper paths. There was one kid shouting ‘faster daddy! as they hit the hill, poor man.
TEAM Mermaids 
