Cyclopark parkrun - event 87

On the 16th July 2022 I volunteered at the Cyclopark parkun which was the 87th event held at the venue, the third time I'd volunteered at the event and my 8th and 9th volunteer credits overall.

As I'd injured my calf at Lullingstone two weeks ago and hadn't quite recovered at last week's event in Warsaw I gave myself some extended time off from running to give myself some time to heal and recuperate. I'm not a very patient person in general and have hated not sticking to the routine I'd spent a long time getting used to. I had severe blisters in the autumn last year which taught me trying to do something too soon can ultimately mean being out for longer than necessary, so this time around I'm more determined to do the right thing.

Whilst my Wednesday wellbeing run (we get an hour extra break on Wednesdays to do something for our mental health at work) is difficult to find suitable alternatives. Parkrun Saturdays are straightforward - instead of running an event you can turn up and volunteer! Parkrun can only exist with its volunteers and without them parkrun just simply cannot take place. There are a whole number of different roles, from setting up the course, marshalling, time-keeping or even being the event photographer! Today I was able to combine two different roles as a marshall and run-report writer which is credited as two distinct contributions.

The Cyclopark event is my home event and volunteering is a fantastic way of giving something back and help support those people who have supported me and all my fellow participants.

I've run the Cyclopark event on 51 previous occasions and consistently attended the event until my obsession for touristing took over. I was at the inaugural event back on the 20th of July 2019. Having an event so close to home gave me the incentive I needed to get back to parkrun after having been to the Great Lines on and off for the previous few years. It also coincided with changes in the childrens saturday clubs routine - the stars aligned perfectly and a new obsession was born!

The course, entirely comprised of tarmac paths is a fairly straightforward out and back affair, not on the Cyclopark circuit but along the path that runs adjacent to the facility itself. In fact, there was one event, the new year's event of 2020 where for a one off, they ran the course on the circuit which still stands as the biggest event in terms of numbers held in the events history. I ran the course that day and then the Shorne Country Park event straight after to complete the last ever new year's double. Due to the popularity of these double events parkrun had to cancel them on health and safety grounds.

The start is just past the back of the main entrance building complex and participants face towards the Tollgate where they head until they reach the alleyway next to the Travel Lodge hotel. This is the first turnaround point and the point that I was marshalling on today's event. From here it is a case of continuing along the path, downhill until the second turnaround at the bottom just before the road that leads out to Ifield. Runners then face a long uphill trek back to the top again before repeating the whole thing a second time. The finish line is at the top of the hill on the left hand side, slightly forward of the start behind Morrisons.

Most people's first impression of the course is 'the hill'. Having run the course so many times I have grown to love the hill of doom. At first it proved to be a continuous source of frustration. From not being able to run up it first time around to eventually completing the course under 28 minutes and recording my all time personal best 5k time. I've got myself into a bit of a rhythm now and even relish running back up second time around as this is where I think there's the most time to be made as it's my slowest split of the course!

As I've kept going and plugging away I've grown to be accustomed to regular event volunteers recognising me and recognising my improvement and offering me support along the route. There's a universal truth amongst the parkrun community and the volunteer's are always championed and recognised for their friendliness and support. But the level of support at Cyclopark does seem to be almost an extra level. Running the course you will frequently find words of encouragement written in chalk as you go 'dig deep!' or 'down-hill from here!'. It really does make a difference!

Which is why it was such a pleasure to volunteer and be able to give something back. I think where possible any regular parkrunner should look to volunteer on occasion. It's not mandatory, but I would gently encourage anyone to put their hands up and don a high-viz jacket on the odd occasion. There was a real risk of having to cancel the New Year's Day event this year and so I put my name forward for duties then. I'd much rather not run and help the event go ahead than the event not take place at all.