Mile End parkrun - event 499

On the 28th January 2023 I ran the Mile End parkrun which was the 499th event held at the venue, my 115th parkrun and 45th different course I'd attended.

With a still striken bird mobile, I had to face the choice of running locally, or trying to attempt a parkrun by public transport. Fortunately from Gravesend we have easy access to London by train and where London is concerned there are an abundance of parkruns to choose from.

I settled on Mile End, mainly because it was the closest event that had a Prime Number that I hadn't ran before and that it wasn't very difficult to get to. From Gravesend you can get the High Speed service to Stratford International, walk through the Westfield Shopping Centre and catch the Central Line from Stratford one stop on the Central Line to Mile End - all easy and straightforward which is exactly what I did.

With public transport there is always the worry or concern around delays and cancellations, but as mentioned last week it's alway handy for a fallback plan. Fortunately everything went on time and as planned. In fact, I ended up at Mile End park a little earlier than anticipated and had the luxury of being able to explore the park and the surrounding area before the event started.

From Mile End Tube station you turn left and 100 yards or so you can see a green bridge spanning the main road in which the station sits. The bridge gives the impression of being a railway bridge, which it may well have been at one point or another in the past but that's where I head as I knew that the Mile End park was near or accessible from the immediate vacinity.

Climbing up the steps that lead to the top of the bridge I was reminded of the high line in New York City which was the renovation of an old subway line into a recreational space, and whilst this wasn't entirely the same it certainly felt similar, at least until you drop down the other side of the bridge into the park itself.

The park, a sliver of green space next to the Regent's canal has a pathway that winds through the park and is made up of two lanes. The course makes use of these lanes throughout directing runners on a two-lap out and back course.

Starting at the southern end of the park next to the mile end leisure centre and running track participants head north on the left hand side track in a clockwise route winding all the way to the northern end of the park. As they go, the path undulates, firstly over a natural hump in the middle of the park before secondly the bridge in which I'd crossed on my way to the start. This second up and over is more severe than the first, compounded by the fact that you cross it again on the way back and twice more on the second lap.

Towards the northern end of the course, the route leaves the park momentarily and joins the Regent's canal path and runs along it for 100 meters or so before turning right and back into the park. This marks the head of the course and a turnaround point that loops around before rejoining the main path track parallel to those participants still making their way around the course.

This close proximity to other runners makes for an interactive event with participants cheering one another as they pass one another by. And although participants share the same path the two lane nature of it prevents it from feeling congested or over crowded.

After two laps of the winding pathway and up and down the undulations I couldn't help compare with how much tougher the course was in comparison to the mighty flat Sutcliffe parkrun last week where I set my fastest ever parkrun time.

At no point did I ever consider that I'd beat my time from last week and so it came as a bit of a shock when I stopped my Strava app crossing the line. Not only was it a sub 27 minute time, it was 8 seconds faster than last week! Normally the recorded time is slightly faster than my Strava time, so I had an anxious wait to see what the official scores were!

I finished in 231st place out of a field of 396 in a time of 26:46, recording a new fastest parkrun time in the most unexpected of places. Just goes to show what repetition and confidence can do!