Alton Water parkrun - event 97

On the 9th September 2023 I ran the Alton Water parkrun which was the 97th event held at the venue, my 145th parkrun and 73rd different course I'd attended.

Another week, another parkrun venue and another passenger alongside me on my parkrun journey. This week was the turn of my niece Layla who has started lodging with us in our spare room. Jokingly I suggested that as condition of her lodging with us, she needed to come parkrun with me each week. But her enthusiasm caught me by surprise. In fact, it was her that instigated the conversation this week with an "Uncle Adam, I might come parkrun with you this week".

Having gone on to explain that she really didn't have to if she didn't want to, and that we were going to be getting up early and that we were going to be driving quite far. I also explained that it was going to be very hot and nobody was forcing here to do anything she didn't want to. She remained steadfast and was to my great surprise that when I walked by her room in the morning she was up, awake and raring to go!

Now that number chasing events have been outlawed by the parkrun organisation I've been trying to plan my parkrun tourism around the clock using the M25 as a guide. Whilst not chasing specific numbers as such I am trying to ensure that I tick off a unique event number each week as well as trying to find events that are below 100 in order to try and build up volume to aid my Wilson Index (see previous posts on background to this subject!), hence why Alton Water was chosen for todays event as it fulfilled the event number criteria as well as being held in a county (Suffolk) where I'd not participated in an event before.

If last week was about the views and the terrain, this week was about the peace and serenity. Upon arrival at the venue, the view from the car across to the reservoir was one to savour. Both Layla and I got out the car and was drawn by a magnetic force towards the water where we stood and admired the stillness and reflective views all the way across its entire expanse. "This is why I tourist Layla, I wouldn't get to come to places like this if I didn't".

Alton Water is famed for its Highland Cows which are normally situated by the start line, but after talking with the run director, she explained that they had been moved elsewhere, likely to do with the heat. Despite taking a little pre-event walk we never got to saw them although Layla said she saw one whilst on her way around. We had a good chat with the run director who was ever so welcoming and friendly, making another good impression on Layla. We talked about it being Layla's first event and she went to every effort to make Layla comfortable and reassure her on any worries she might have had.

Pre-run it was evident that there was going to be a fairly small field in comparison to the previous few weeks where they'd had 104, 125 and 84 participants consecutively. Although the average is only 68, there was likely to be even fewer than that on account of the weather. Having done my previous research, I had planned to attend in the hope of a dry spell of weather as I knew that mud was never far away. I hadn't quite anticipated recording breaking September temperatures and a heatwave to boot.

It was always going to be a tough event purely on weather alone, but the course definitely has its challenges in whatever temperature the weather decides to be.

Two clockwise laps, on a mixture of hard gravel paths, grass and trail starting just inland from the reservoir behind the childrens playground - next to the pasture which was missing its usual Highland Cow habitants. Participants run along the straight hard gravel path towards the woods, which give the field ample opportunity to spread out without tripping over one another. Once the woods are reached the course rises gently and meanders its way around through the trees which was welcoming being under shade and away from the glare of the sun.

Once the woods has been successfully navigated, the path joins the outskirts of a field and weaves in and out of neighboring fields in an effort to make its way back to the start. The terrain on the grass is generally bumpy,  and even with the dry weather there were a few spongy spots in places under foot. After weaving in an out of fields the path takes a dip down towards the reservoir and a small beach where you pass on the left hand side. The route here takes you back to the start where the second lap is completed.

Running the course is generally really peaceful and the highlight for sure is alongside the reservoir which peeps out behind the trees and opens out in places offering quite beautiful views. With the sun overhead and morning shadows bouncing across the water it really was a fabulous place for a run and well worth the travel. 

After making my way around the second lap, instead of turning right to the start participants take a left for a short sprint to the finish funnel. I finished in16th position out of a field of 48 participants in a time of 29:14. In actual fact 16th place was the highest position that I've ever finished and I can't imagine that there will be many occasions, if ever where I finish higher than that! 

Once I'd recovered after a gruelling 5k in that heat, I walked back around the course in reverse to catch-up with Layla who wasn't sure whether to strangle me or cuddle me. She loved the views and the location, but wasn't so keen on the running! But she has asked to come again with me this week, as long as she doesn't have to get up so early or travel so far - it's a deal!