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Perry Hall parkrun

In a rare turn events, I found myself heading westbound this morning, to run at Perry Hall parkrun, which was hosting the With Me Now podcast's second Pow Wow (the first being at Oaklands parkrun last year)!

The area

Perry Hall parkrun takes place in Perry Hall Park, Birmingham (not to be confused with neighbouring Perry Park, which was preparing for hosting the 2022 Commonwealth games), which is the remaining grounds of the former Perry Hall estate. Perry Hall itself was demolished when the local council had to make a financial decision to save either Aston Hall, or Perry Hall, leaving the moat as the only remnant of the site's history.

Former site of Perry Hall

Modern Perry Hall Park is primarily a recreation ground, counting 15 cricket pitches amongst its many facilities, although it also doubles as a flood-prevention basin for the wider area, storing excess water during heavy downfalls, and subsequentially releasing it as capacity allows.

Cricket Pitches at Perry Hall Park

The course

The course is run over 3 laps of flat, mostly gravel, paths, with the second and third laps each having their own out-and-back sections, which means there is plenty of opportunity to support other runners!

Parking is available near the main entrance to the park, and toilets are available near the ranger hut in the same area. A cafe is available a short distance from the main entrance, on the main road, and a retail park with adjoining shopping arcade is located at the south-eastern corner of the park with a wider selection of shops, which also includes public toilets.

The run

Despite the scheduled sunny weather, the morning started with a brief rain shower as I arrived to an already very full car park. There were already many tourists, and so after a quick warm-up, I spent some time socialising before the First Timer's Welcome.

Group listening to the first timer's welcome

As the run began, so too did the sun emerge from the clouds, resulting in a very warm and humid run, punctuated with many "Dolly or Bevs?" as we went around.

Ian running - photo by David Taylor

Thank you to all of the volunteers and voluntourists who made this event happen!

With Me Now group photo - photo by David Taylor

After the run

While I would typically explore an area after parkrun, today was about socialising, and so I instead spent some time with my fellow tourists!

Links: Run report | Results | Strava

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Location: Perry Hall Park, Perry Ave, Perry Barr, Birmingham B42 1RS, UK

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