The parkrun 20202020 challenge - Fail

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With all the street running of recent weeks I really needed a break from concrete, traffic and buildings. After scanning the map I settled on a drive to Farningham on the edge of the North Downs. There is a path following the Derwent river through the rolling hills which passes by a parkrun in Lullingstone. Perfect I thought. The course seemed a simple one to follow so off I went.

I arrived in the beautiful village of Farningham where I parked up (for free!) and found the start of the path. After a steep uphill climb I was soon overlooking acres of green countryside. The clouds had cleared and it was a clear sunny summer's day. I wound along the valley beside the gently running water and past Eynsford viaduct carrying trains from London to Sevenoaks and beyond.


A further climb led me to a wood and I enjoyed running the tracks through the trees. I met a couple of runners who were heading to Sevenoaks. I was tempted to join them, but instead crossed the golf course down to Lullingstone. That's when I realised the full extent of the problem I faced.

I could see the café at the bottom of the steep hill I stood atop. The parkrun course had not shown the hill gradients. I had to run up here. Twice. I knew then that this was not going to be one of my sub 20 minute runs. If I had done my research I would have discovered it is the 18th hardest parkrun in the country...

Oh well, I thought, I'm here now. I found the start and followed the two lap course uphill and down dale. Twice. I finished in 25:21. Even at full tilt I would have struggled to break 22 and I wasn't helped by having to stop to let some jumpy horses pass. It was a beautiful course though with amazing views, wooden sculptures along the way and good signage on regularly space posts.

A coffee was my reward before following the river back to Farningham stopping for a photo op of Lullingstone and Eynsford castles.


I don't regret my trip out there. It was a relief to run the trails again and see such scenic views. Number 18 will have to wait another week and next time I'll check the elevation.


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