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Cambridge parkrun
Saturday 27th February 2010
Simon
There was no snow for last Saturday's Cambridge parkrun. No iced and rutted pathways. Just the gentle ooze of the mud underfoot, and the challenge of some water jumps that might be at home on a steeplechase course. It was my first run as a participant, and I have to say that I thought it was a fantastic course. I loved splashing through the puddles, pushing through the woods, and gasping for breath as I crossed the line (in retrospect). Thank you to all the volunteers who made it possible, and to all the runners who came along and joined in the fun.
This week saw the parkrun widen its participation. Alongside the large number of unaffiliated athletes, we saw groups from Walden Tri club put in a strong performance, some having cycled from Saffron Walden as a warm up (did they take a dip in the swollen Cam and swim to Waterbeach as a cool down, I wonder?). Runners from Biggleswade AC, Thetford AC and even as far away as Great Yarmouth Road Runners made their debut appearances at the parkrun. Indeed, almost half the participants were first timers. Twenty new PBs were also recorded.
Taking the honours for the men was Harry Fowler (Newmarket Joggers) with Chris Pyle (Cambridge & Coleridge) coming second, which appears to be C&C's customary placing. Jack Peasgood (Walden Tri) came third as fastest junior runner. Fiona Hunter (Biggleswade AC) set a new female course record of 20:47 as well as the best female age grade. For the men, John Oakes set the best age graded performance of 81.8%.
Finally, as the runners entered the second big loop of the course, the sun made a welcome appearance and shone down on us all. A sign of things to come, as the days lengthen and spring makes itself known? It will be interesting seeing the parkrun progress as the seasons change, and word gets out to all those who don't know what they are missing!
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