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Upton Court parkrun

My target for this week was a "U" event. Of the few events that exist which begin with a "U", several are in the south east of England, and therefore a relatively short distance from me, while the other "U" events in the UK all seem to be in Scotland!

With my goal settled, I selected Upton Court parkrun, both based on convenience, but also due to the fact that should it be cancelled, neighbouring events begin with letters I also need to tick off.

The area

Upton Court Park is located in Upton - a suburb of Slough. Positioned within commuter distance to London, Slough serves as home for many global company headquarters, having the highest concentration in the UK, outside London.

Upton Court Park is located in the south east of the town, and adjacent to the M4 motorway. The park is in the process of being renovated to its Victorian prime, and has views of Windsor Castle to the south.

The course

The course follows two laps of the park, primarily on grass, with some gravel paths too. The first lap is slightly larger than the second, taking in an additional field.

A view of the start area with the main grass field in the background

A free car park is available a short distance from the start, and toilets and a cafe are available within the rugby club.

The run

The surface was quite muddy and slippery this week, and I think that slowed down a lot of the field, as they were being more careful with their footing than normal. Fortunately for me, I had brought trail shoes, and so it felt like I was running on a dry surface.

During the run briefing, we were reminded to look upwards at the northern corner to see Windsor Castle. The sight served as a good marker after the lap of the field to help break up the run before entering the wooded area.

I was slightly surprised with my finish position today - last week (at Oxford) I finished position 238, while I finished 5 seconds quicker this week and in position 62! I knew there were a lot of people in Oxford last week, but didn't realise quite how many.

Ian running with a group of other runners

Thank you to all of the marshals, especially considering the wet weather we've been experiencing in the run up to this event.

Links: Results | Strava

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Location: Upton Court Park, Upton Rd, Slough SL3 7LU, UK

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