Sunny Hill parkrun - event 174

On the 16th December 2023 I ran the Sunny Hill parkrun which was the 174th event held at the venue, my 159th parkrun and 85th different course I'd attended.

Having suffered a little bit with my leg at last week's parkrun I decided to take friends and family advice and have a rest. Every evening I sat with an icepack on my thigh and missed my usual Wednesday wellbeing run in the hope that I'd not suffer or make worse whatever it was that was affecting me.

I also considered my choice of venue, instead of Sunny Hill I thought I'd look to run somewhere a little flatter. I'm also borrowing Mum and Dads car whilst they are away travelling so I've got easy access to a reliable transport that I can use to travel to further away venues whilst the car is in my care. But after a couple of weeks of unplanned, last minute changes I decided to stick to the script and tackle whatever Sunny Hill had in store for me.

Last week, I bemoaned the direction instructions provided by the website after being twice directed to the wrong place. So I made sure that I read and reread the driving instructions and was clear on where I needed to go. But once again the reality proved to be slightly different to what was written on the site. It stated that there is a small carpark and to follow the directions using the postcode provided. But I never found the carpark and was instead reliant upon on road parking at a nearby street to the park.

Sadly for me it was also on top of the hill. After getting out the car and finding the entrance to the park I realised quite quickly where the name has come from, even if the weather wasn't quite matching. From the entrance there was a wide panoramic view of the surrounding area and the landscape of the park dipped down and spread out beneath me.

The start line and meeting point took place at the bottom of the hill, and the flattest part of the park at the cross roads of two pathways. On one side was a play park and multi-sports playing surface. On the other side was a tree lined avenue which led up one side of the hill.

As I made my way around the top of the park following the pathway along the perimeter admiring the views, I thought about Ally Pally and Hilly Fields parkruns wondering which of the three venues had the best view and which one was going to be the toughest course to complete.

After the formalities had been completed we made our way to the start line which is a short walk along one of the arms of the crossroads next to the play area. The course is effectively a two-lap course, but with a smaller 'pre-loop' to help make up the distance. 

The pre-loop takes in the tree-lined avenue and rises gradually part way up the hill. At the end is a t-junction which forms part of the main two-lap route. From this junction participants turn left, which leads around the northern edge of the park dropping back down hill to the start line. The downhill stretch is a good warmup for what's to come, as instead of taking a left at the cross roads participants carry on going up the steepest part of the hill to the top.

I did question my life choices as I reached the top and regretted not finding that flat alternative I was thinking about. From the top, participants turn right and head straight back down hill again which is great fun, but another opportunity to recover from the uphill climb. At the bottom of the hill participants turn left and run along the south western perimeter of the park which is a long gradual drag back up hill again to perimeter pathway that I used to enter the park earlier when I arrived.

The long slog ends with a short change in elevation as the pathway steepens the closer to the top you go. First time around it was quite tough going, but second was even worse. The perimeter path is mostly flat and you can enjoy wide views off to the left. There are parts of the pathway here that undulates, including a little steep down and up section on the bend just before the path dips down to make it's final descent towards the t-junction and first pre-loop part of the course.

I was keen to complete the course without stopping after last week's debacle and I made the first lap without issue. Whilst yes the hills were a challenge and tough going they weren't of sufficient length where I felt I needed to stop. The further around I got on the second lap the more determined I was to keep going. The long drawn out hill second time around took some effort, but nothing should be easy.

On the way down hill for the last time you can really pick up pace and momentum into that final pre-loop and start line straight. At the crossroads again for the last time the finish funnel is set up just on the left. I finished in 34th place out of a field of 69 participants in a time of 28:28. Normal service had resumed and I'd put the memories of last week away for another day.

So to answer my earlier question, was it London's toughest parkrun? Time was, Sunny Hill and Hilly Fields wasn't much in it. I recorded a slower time at Ally Pally, which I think shades it in terms of it's challenge. It was a much warmer day that day back in September which always makes a difference. But I think the trail elements of that course are more challenging than the all tarmac paths of Sunny Hill. I think Hilly Fields would also be tougher in inclement weather as I ran that too in drier conditions. Either way, it's great that there's so much variety and different challenges across the capital city for us all to enjoy and take on whenever we fancy.