Peterborough parkrun
The city is around 40 miles from Northampton and takes just over an hour via the A605. The journey was uneventful as I made my way through the early morning mist covered meadows. As the fog cleared a stark blue sky revealed itself. The air was cool, an autumnal feel to match the vibrant colours of the trees, their fiery extremities flashing in the sunlight.
I was heading home. Peterborough was the place of my birth almost 40 years ago although my parents moved when I was less than a year old so I have no recollection of the place.
I arrived at Ferry Meadows Country Park with time to spare. It was well signposted and had plenty of parking available. I noticed a visitors centre, a café and was impressed by the immaculate toilet facilities.
A small crowd began to form outside the café while I took a look at the course map. The route began with a 1K anticlockwise lap of the smaller lake followed by two 2K anticlockwise laps of the larger lake. There was no need for me to search for markers as the laps themselves would break down the distance nicely to help me pace the race.
There were plenty of marshals present wearing the requisite luminous tabards and they were helpful in showing me where I could leave my jacket. One marshal took a group of first time parkrunners aside for a briefing which was a nice touch.
At five to nine the Race Director stood on a chair, megaphone in hand and made a number of announcements. There were first timers and visitors to applaud, a 50th and 10th run to celebrate and a fundraising stall to promote. All was done clearly, positively and in good humour.
Following a short walk to the start line we set off at 9 o'clock on the dot. I hadn't been sure how far forward to start and settled for about five rows back. However the front runners didn't pull away as fast as I expected and I was soon passing people to settle into my rhythm in around 20th place.
By now the sun was fully out and sparkled on the surface of the lake. I felt good, my breathing was easy and the marshals were full of smiles and support. I continued to move up the field as we completed the small lap and passed the café. My first mile clocked in at 6:45.
We now turned left onto the start of the big loop. The path was tarmac and bordered by grass on both sides allowing easy overtaking of lapped runners and dog walkers. Signage was excellent regularly reminding people to keep right. The lake and surrounding green meadows reminded me of the Daventry parkrun which was an equally attractive course. Two swans glided low overhead coming to land in the lake. I felt a real sense of tranquillity and joy despite my heavy breathing.
The route was flat for the majority of the race and included a couple of bridges. One of these involved a short but steep incline which made a nice challenge without disrupting my rhythm too much. It was good to see so many children at the event as well as people running with dogs.
During the second lap I increased my pace and began to chase down the runners in front of me. Despite my determination to run it easy and enjoy the event I couldn't hold back that competitive edge. I managed to catch and pass a number of runners and crossed the line in 8th place with a time of 20:14.
348 people had turned out which was a great effort given that the following day the Great Eastern Half Marathon was taking place in the city. The people I saw were extremely welcoming; an archetypal parkrun community. People smiled, said hello and were clearly happy to be there and encourage one another.
Unfortunately I was running late for my course - literally - so didn't stay for coffee but many people were. The charity stall was also doing good business. Some runners were just starting their last lap and were chatting and enjoying the fresh autumn morning.
On the whole it was a wonderful experience which I hope to repeat. It was well worth the hour's drive. Thank you to everyone who made me feel at home especially the marshals who did a great job.
