East Grinstead parkrun - event 189

On the 27th August 2022 I ran the East Grinstead parkrun which was the 189th event held at the venue, my 92nd parkrun and 27th different course I'd attended.

The last time I visited East Grinstead was to pay a visit to my Nan who was in hospital having her wedding finger surgically removed. She was on a ward of females having a variety of cosmetic procedures. My grandfather, fondly know as Gramps teased the patients that were in the ward with her. Pointing to a lady who had a rather excessive bossum he said 'she's here to have her boobs reduced'. Looking around and pointing to a woman on the other side of the ward he said 'and she's having hers made bigger'. As I'm sliding down my chair getting redder and redder he says 'they should go in together, swap and save a few bob'.

More than twenty-five years have passed since that moment and I finally felt comfortable returning to East Grinstead without being recognised. I needed to collect an 'E' for my parkrun alphabet challenge and an 'East' for my compass challenge so it was the perfect venue to tick both boxes at the same time.

Upon arrival at East Court, after parking the car at the local football club and walking to the start area I saw a chap attempting to take a customary selfie with the name stand that adorns the name of the event. Being polite I asked him if he wanted me to take a photograph for him, which he agreed. After he'd taken a pose alongside the purple stand and I'd filled his camera roll of the same photograph in multiple levels of zoom he thanked me and said 'I recognise you'.

For a brief moment my blood ran cold and I began to mentally dust off apologies for my Gramps's misplaced verbals. 'I recognise you from the Cyclopark parkrun'.

Not sure the look of relief on my face registered with him, but two parkrunners from Gravesend driving 40 miles to the same parkrun was a marvelous coincidence and one we chatted through enthusiastically. Our conversation was only broken up by the arrival of Jennie and Tom Grimes who I had arranged to meet.

Earlier in the year I had visited the Uckfield parkrun which I'm still yet to write about. But on that occasion Stephanie and the children came with me and we arranged to meet Stephanie's childhood friend Jennie who lives in the town. It was Jennie and Tom's first experience of parkrun and they've both returned several time since. With East Grinstead not being a million miles from Uckfield it was an opportunity to meet up and allow them both to experience their first joys of parkrun tourism.

My research had already told me that the course was going to be difficult and that in winter months it got very, very muddy. Hence why I was trying to complete the course in August when the ground was still dry. Although on arrival the grass was a lot greener than the grounds of other more recent events and there was a definite dew on the ground providing much needed moisture.

The pre-run briefing explained the route and also suggested that the course was rather 'challenging', estimating that it was in the top 30 toughest UK parkrun events. Walking around from the carpark and the starting area you could see for yourself the undulating nature of the surroundings, but normally what does go up must come back down again and that's always the saving grace for any route that might contain hills.

East Court park is divided into two areas, a lower field and an upper field bisected by an access road between the two. The lower field features football pitches and the upper rises up on a hill with a mansion house at the top overlooking the downs beyond the park itself. There is a car park at the top next to the mansion house and bathroom facilities in case you need to answer the call of nature before or after the event.

The course takes in a lap of the lower field, which towards the end of the lap leaves the field via a short wooden bridge and enters onto a trail path through the adjoining trees. The trail path rejoins the lower field again at the meeting area alongside the pavillion which appeared to be under some form of renovation.

The lower field lap is then repeated, but instead of going right past the pavillion for the second time the path heads left into another set of adjoining trees where the trail path zigzags through and around a peice of hidden play apparatus before chucking you out onto the bottom of the hill of the upper field.

On the first loop up to the mansion house I made it the whole way without stopping, aided by the encouragement of the volunteer at the top who was screaming words of advice to everyone who passed. At the top there is a firmer path which winds down in front of the mansion house making up for the initial slog upwards. Once the field has been circumnavigated you return back into the trees via the trail path which brings you out again at the pavillion which you do pass this time for the second time.

Another loop of the undulating bottom field ensues, back across the wonky wooden bridge and back into the woods. The ground, despite the summer months did feel a little soft and took a lot out of the legs particularly the long upwards climb back to the mansion for the second and final time.

On the second run up the hill, I slowed down to walk. But only before the volunteer marshall spotted me and screamed at me to keep going. Off again I started to run, thanking her reluctantly as I passed. Parkrun wouldn't be parkrun without these superstar volunteer marshall's, so thank you very much whoever you are!

Despite the multi-lap nature of the course, it's by no means repetitive with lots to keep you occupied and lots of things of interest. The little dips in and out of the trees are fun and the downhill parts, as always are exhilarating.

After the summit was reached for the second and final time and the firm path back past the mansion house was underfoot, my psychology changed. It was all downhill from here and I started to enjoy myself a bit more. There is still a little bit to go to the finish, which teases you as you run down the hill towards the access road and lures you into a force sense of security. As you leave the trees for the final time and come up past the pavillion it's an upward slog to the finish line and a chance to leave everything out there on the grass with a full-beans finish.

At the finish I met up with Tom where we stood cheering Jennie across the finish line. I felt a little bad when we were listening to the pre-run briefing and the course was being described. I wasn't sure if I'd quite sold it to Jennie that strongly and whether she would have been as obliging if I had. I needn't have worried as she quite simple smashed it out the park. Whether she enjoyed it or not is another story!

I finished in 80th place out of a field of 123 parkrunners in a time of 31:29. It also meant that I had completed my 17th letter of the alphabet in the first run of events where I'll be looking to also collect my P, N and K.