Skip to main content

Aylesbury parkrun

I was a little nervous attending Aylesbury parkrun this week. It had been cancelled the week before due to flooding, and so I wasn't completely sure it would be going ahead this week. Fortunately, the event never appeared on the Cancellations page, and so I headed towards Aylesbury!

The area

Located in Buckinghamshire, Aylesbury has been a settlement since at least the 4th century BC, and has a long and storied history, playing key roles in many major events through the years. Plans are in place to increase the population from roughly 75,000 people to over 100,000 by 2023, which includes the building of hundreds of new homes around the town, including the Buckingham Park area, located to the north of Meadowcroft Open Space where the course normally takes place.

Meadowcroft Open Space is an area of land adjacent to the River Thame, and acts as a floodplain during times of peak rainfall.

The course

While the flooding had allowed the event to take place, it took place on the "B" course.

The "B" course is a two-lapped out-and-back run along a tarmac path near the Buckingham Park neighbourhood, north of the run's usual location. There is an incline at the western end of the route, and the route is deliberately longer than the normal 5km run - an attempt to ensure that the regular attendees don't set a personal best that they can't beat on the normal course.

Free parking is available at Meadowcroft Open Space, along with toilets and changing facilities.

The run

After parking in the Meadowcroft Open Space car park, I was guided by a marshal to the "B" course start area. This allowed me to witness first-hand just how flooded the main course was. The main path was submerged in 6 inches of water in some places - it was definitely the right call to switch courses!

The start of the run

The main course was supposed to be very flat, so I wasn't anticipating the hill to be navigated on this course, but all of the runners took it in our strides. This was the first out-and-back parkrun event I had taken part in, so it was novel to see how so many people handled running in relatively close proximity to each other. The "ankle-breaker" turn-around points were another unexpected surprise to navigate, but fortunately only a minor one.

While the hill presented an unexpected challenge, what goes up must come down, and so it actually turned out to be a lot of fun running down the hill on each of the two laps!

The eastern half of the course, with runners on the tarmac path and pooled water on the grass

There was another unexpected addition to the run this week, with a drone recording the start of the run. Some of the pictures shared after the event highlight the extent of the flooding even around the "B" course.

The eastern end of the greenspace, with pooled water on the grass

An extra special thank you to the event team this week, as there wouldn't have been any complaints from me if they had to cancel due to flooding, but their forward planning saved the day today!

Links: Results | Strava

References: Meadowcroft Open Space

Labels:
Location: Meadowcroft Open Space, Jackson Rd, Aylesbury HP19 9HH, UK

Popular posts from this blog

Coldham's Common parkrun

As my recovery from injury is still underway, I decided that I would attend a flat course this week to avoid any potential for reaggrevation. Unfortunately this means I will need to pause my completion of the Essex events, as the remaining courses are all somewhat lumpy. Having visited all of the other Cambridge parkruns, including Storeys Field parkrun, Fulbourn Hospital parkrun, and Cambridge parkrun knowing that they are all relatively flat, I decided that this week I would complete the Cambridge set. The area Coldham's Common has a long history, serving as both a hospital during the 17th century smallpox outbreak, and a quarry during the 19th century, as well as a rifle range also during the 19th century. The course The route follows two laps of the perimeter of the common through an hour-glass shape, connecting two fields through a five-bar-gate. The course is all on grass, and is all flat. Limited parking is available nearby, while toilets are available in
Read more

Aldenham parkrun

Icey conditions in days leading up to parkrun day meant many events were cancelled this week. While I would have ideally been able to visit another event in Essex, I decided that I valued having options more in the event of cancellation this week, and so I instead headed to the cluster of events surrounding the Watford area. The area Aldenham Country Park is located near Watford, and centres on Aldenham reservoir, with grassland and woodland surrounding the reservoir itself. The reservoir was excavated by French prisoners of war during 1795 as part of the wider management of the Grand Union Canal's water levels, and now serves as a reserve water supply. In addition to the reservoir, the country park also supports the breeding of a number of rare species of farm animals, including cattle, goats, pigs, and sheep. The course The course follows two laps of the reservoir, with the second lap skipping the inner peninsular. The course is flat, and is run mainly on trail pat
Read more

Brentwood parkrun

This week I decided to return to making more progress towards completing all events in Essex by visiting Brentwood. The area While the modern town of Brentwood is a popular commuter town, being served by the Elizabeth line, it is also where the first events of the Peasants Revolt took place. Locals refused to pay a poll tax imposed on them, and instead rioted, threatening to kill the commissioner trying to collect the tax. Word of these riots spread to the wider country, initiating the wider revolt, including at Littleport , Billericay and North Walsham . The town is surrounded by countryside, and in the west lies Weald Park; the remains of a former country estate. The park was originally considered as a possible location for the mountain biking course during the 2012 Olympics, before the committee ultimately decided that Hadleigh would prove a more challenging course. The course Owing to the wet weather, today's run followed an alternative route nicknamed "The B
Read more