Margate parkrun - event 439

On the 17th December 2022 I ran the Margate parkrun which was the 439th event held at the venue, my 107th parkrun and 41st different course I'd attended.

Multiple events had been called off around the country in the days leading up to the weekend, and as I lay in bed on Friday night refreshing the Margate parkruns facebook page for news I was secretly hoping for a cancellation too. I'd been feeling rough all weekend and I had a sneezing, coughing Stephanie lying next to me who had gone through the same dramas.

But schedules are schedules and as part of the plan I was due to complete the Kent parkrun set at Margate which ordinarily I could have shifted. However, I had volunteered to mark the occasion by writing the run report for the events website and didn't want to let anyone down by not attending.

So after a final check on the morning of the event for further news on facebook, I ventured out at minus something degrees and de-iced the car with a cough and sniffle and wondered whether I was truly doing the right thing. But once I had arrived and saw the calm blue of the sea I felt better, its restorative effect being instantaneous.

I was a little later arriving than usual, or more punctual if you want to look at it that way. So I didn't really explore very far as I normally try to do. It was so biting cold anyway, so had I arrived any earlier I'd have likely stayed in the car! But I did take a short walk and took the usual array of first impression photos.

As I was on volunteering duties I headed over to the starting point, but I was recognised by one of the volunteers who asked me if I was Adam before I could make myself known. Such is the power of facebook and the parkrun tourism community groups! I got called out during the race-briefing too as the run director made it known who I was and why I was in attendance. There was an enthusiastic cheer and a large round of applause which was touching and I'd like to thank them very kindly for that.

The course itself starts a little outside of the main Margate strip that most tourists would know and recognise. Further east along the coast, past the Turner Contemporary you head into Cliftonville and then towards Palm Bay Beach. Just opposite the Walpole Bay tidal pool is a bandstand type structure where the starting point sits and the volunteer team congregates. 

A quick note about the Walpole Bay tidal pool... you people are mental! How anyone was swimming in that water today I do not know. But there were plenty of people in there. Not just one or two, there were a good half dozen! Down to the bikinis and into the water. Brave or mental, discuss!

From the start, participants head west towards the main Margate beach for around 500m. Once the Oval gardens are reached, participants loop all the way around the centrepiece before retracing their footsteps the way that they came back towards the start.

From here the course continues east for a 4km out-and-back which is all fairly straight-forward. Although rather than getting to the end and turning directly around again, the course loops off the main path onto a short grass section - which circles around and rejoins the main coastal path in which you came.

Unlike Hastings parkrun or The Leas parkrun, the coastal path is not pancake flat. It isn't quite as long as steep as Folkestone parkrun, but the path does undulate up and down across its full distance, so it does offer quite a nice, but easily manageable challenge.

The view of course, as per any coastal course is well worth the getting up early for, and bearing with the cold which soon gets forgotten. After 500m I wanted to remove my hat, 1km my gloves and by the time I am 4km in I've got a yearning to join people in the Walpole tidal pool!

I finished in 43rd place out of a field of 86 participants in a time of 28.53. For someone who wasn't particularly keen to go today, in cold weather suffering from cold/flu symptoms that is I time I'd have taken all day long before the event!

I was asked this morning what my favourite event was and of course it goes without saying that Margate is now my undisputed all time best!

Jokes aside, it’s a very different question to answer. I personally believe that we are very lucky in Kent to have such a diverse range of events within easy reach. Even the coastal events such as Margate, Folkestone, The Leas, Whitstable, Walmer and Deal Seafront, they all have different characteristics and variety as well as the obvious link to the sea. If I was to make a recommendation, I’d advise on checking out Kingdom parkrun, a fairly low-key event in an amazing setting – if you want to know what running a rollercoaster feels like Kingdom parkrun gives it a good go.

We do indeed have it all; sea, rivers, lakes, hills, trail, forests, vineyards, single laps, multi-laps, out-and-backs and lollipop routes. But one thing that does remain true of all events is the warm welcome of the high-vis heroes and of course, the event only took place this morning due to the commitment and dedication of those who volunteered, so a big thank you to all our high-vis heroes whoever you are!