Hadleigh parkrun - event 319

On the 22nd June 2024 I ran the Hadleigh parkrun which was the 319th event held at the venue, my 189th parkrun and 111th different course I'd attended.

Hadleigh has been my nearest parkrun event that I hadn't done yet for a while. Partly because I'd been saving it for a time when I needed to be back home early but mainly because of it's reputation. The course description kind of gives it away when it says that the park was used for the Olympic Mountain Bike events in 2012. 

Yup, it was going to be a hilly one!

In the week leading up to parkrun day (formerly known as Saturday) I had managed to find a convenient excuse to wimp out. I'd been suffering from a rotten cold all week, so much so that I took Friday afternoon off of work just to try and get some extra rest. I'd heard plenty of previous advise about running with a sore chest and how you should avoid it. But with the number of last minute changes of plans so far this year I've been keen to keep to a schedule. 

The extra rest seemed to do to the trick as I woke up feeling a lot better on Saturday morning, albeit still coughing but the sneezing seemed to have stopped.

Upon arrival at Hadleigh Country park, having parked and made my way to the start I could see straight away what was in store.

The park over looks Canvey Island and the Thames Estuary which lay at the bottom of a hill from where the start and park was located. Across the river you could see Alhallows to the east and I felt a compulsion to wave to my Auntie Jean (knowing she was unlikely to be at home, but on holiday somewhere).

For some reason I assumed that the course started and finished in the same place and that the route was an out and back, which was true. But the start and finish were a little way apart. In the first timers briefing we were told that if we had drinks or belongings that we wanted to leave behind that we could drop them off at the finish as we past, which was a first for me. We could have dropped them off beforehand had we wanted to, but you'd need to give yourself the time to do that and after the first timers meeting there was insufficient time to do so.

Alongside the 91 participants were a herd of cows that were sat nearby the start line completely oblivious and unfused by us as we made our way past. The route started on a gravel based path that wound it's way up hill slightly, past the grazing cows and into the woods where the finish line awaited on the bend of a downhill turn.

I stopped briefly to put my drink bottle down and then proceeded to make my way downhill, safe in the knowledge that whatever I was doing downhill I'd soon be having to retrace my steps uphill a short while later.

Running downhill is normally great fun and exhilarating, but due to the path surface at Hadleigh I was slightly nervouse. The compacted gravel beneath felt secure but I had visions of falling and hurting myself and so had to control my speed, which was easier said than done. The paths weaved around zigzagging in places and was for a good distance single file only which did help control the pace a little. I knew that whatever we were enjoying going downhill we'd have to make up for later and so was keen to conserve a bit of energy, considering also my health conditions during the week.

After various levels of downhill had been successfully navigated the route threw in some uphills, as teasers to the bigger obstacles to come. These were mainly achievable and gave the legs a good workout and we're followed by more downhills before the course flattened out briefly and the far western point of the course was reached.

Essentially the out and back features a wide loop at the bottom of the course which almost reaches sea level. On the way around the loop the course runs alongside a canal and a train line and it really does a job of emphasising just how far downhill we've come (and how far uphill we've got to go!)

I knew that the uphill was going to be a challenge and when it came I didn't even really attempt to try and take it on. The gravel path turned off at a marshall point turning right into a field and I looked up briefly, thought 'sod that's and I started to stroll up at a gentle walking pace. 

After the field had been successfully climbed, the route rejoins the gravel path in the way that you'd just come. Ahead were some steep sharp hills and some steady flat bits in between which I managed to run in-between my walks up the ascents. 

Once the finish line was in sight uphill ahead of me I also got sight of a man ahead of me who was also walking. I started to run and caught up with him and started to encourage him along, more for my own benefit than his, but it seemwd to work as we ran around and up the last few corners together.

I crossed the line in 51st place of a field of 91 participants in a time of 32.25. it was one of my slowest times a parkrun event that I've run out properly, but a time I'm.well chuffed with all things considered! 

As I ran across the finish line I shouted out 'evil' to the timers and it is a quite evil course! But, jokes aside. If Hadleigh was your local parkrun event and was someone like me. You could really use that course to get a sense of achievement by progressing each week and running that little bit further to eventually run the whole course without stopping.

I don't normally like hilly parkrun events, but oddly they keep drawing me back and I'd certainly like to tackle that course again, this time with some added determination!