I used to run Parkruns quite frequently when I found myself close to Greater Manchester, the race at Bramhall Park being a particular favourite. I found the regular fast-paced runs were a helpful addition to my training schedule and added a bit of variety to the gentle plods around the same old Sandbach roads. Parkruns are very well organised events and are free to enter (a quick registration on-line is all you need.) So I was very excited when I happened to stumble upon the news that a Parkrun was to start in Hanley.
The organisers had wisely decided on minimal publicity at the start in order that they could build steadily once they had developed more experience in managing a regular running event. That being the case, there were just 17 of us lining up at the start near the Boughey Road entrance of Hanley Park. Sandbach Striders having sent two representatives to this inaugural event. The race was to be two and a bit laps around Hanley Park, taking in a decent sized incline on each circuit. There was a bit of a mix-up with the directions on the first lap when a Marshall directed us down the wrong path, though ultimately this didn't matter as several runners clocked the total distance at 5k on their GPS.
Congratulations to Liz, who (for the time being at least) holds the age grade course record with a WAVA score of 68.11% - Well done Liz!
I sincerely hope the organisers, who are students at Staffordshire Uni, manage to embed this event into the local psyche. Having a regular free 5k a short drive away could become a regular fixture for us Striders who want to improve our race speeds. And if that doesn't sell it to you, there are excellent (and very reasonably priced) post-race coffees, cakes, oatcakes and fry-ups on offer at the nearby Flavours Cafe, where everybody gathers after the event for some chit-chat and calorie replenishment.
Click here to register, or visit www.parkrun.org.uk for more information.
Michael