Chelmsford Central parkrun - event 562

On the 1st January 2025 I ran the Chelmsford Central parkrun which was the 562nd event held at the venue, my 218th parkrun and 136th different course I'd attended.

2024 was quite a year for me in parkrun terms. I had run a parkrun every Saturday throughout the calendar year and would have had the full set had it not been for one thing - Oliver's 18th birthday.

I tried my best, but it wasn't to be. Could we celebrate Oliver's 18th birthday as well as keeping my parkrun streak in tact? In fact, I hadn't missed a parkrun event on a Saturday morning since August 2023 and had my original suggestion been followed we would have successfully combined both. 

We had decided to celebrate Oliver's birthday by enjoying a weekend away with three of Oliver's best buddies. Originally I'd suggested Krakow in Poland. Stephanie and I could enjoy the Christmas markets and festivities whilst the boys could get acquainted with vodka and enjoy the nightlife. Krakow has a couple of difficult parkrun options so I was well accommodated for, but Oliver is the oldest out of his group of friends with the others not turning 18 until midway through 2025 and we were concerned the boys might have trouble being served alcohol and not having quite the weekend that they wanted. So we had to come up with a plan B, and plan B was a country that hasn't yet quite grasped the parkrun phenomenon.

It worked out for the best, Oliver had an amazing time in Benidorm and whilst he didn't quite get around to meeting Sticky Vicky he threw himself off a bridge attached to a bungee cord and got his first tattoo. He also got more than one hangover which must be the sign of a good night!

So I didn't quite manage to keep my streak going but it was for all good reasons. After missing the Saturday before Christmas I managed to make the next event slot with another Christmas Day visit to Great Lines which was my 17th visit and now a Christmas tradition. The following Saturday was supposed to be back on the tourist trail, but the worry about driving the next morning under the influence forced a sensible decision to run locally and so I paid another visit to Dartford parkrun where I was running for the second time. Foordy came with me to both events and so he ticked off two new venues even if I didn't.

Which brings us nicely to present day, a new year a new parkrun and another venue over the water in Essex.

Chelmsford Central is a one lap course which takes in three of the cities parks. Next to the town centre is a green lung comprised of adjoining public spaces and have all been named separately. 

Starting at the southernmost end in the park that the event gets it's name from - Chelmsford Central - beneath an imposing viaduct, participants take a clockwise route around the park before heading north and into the next park via an underpass.

Due to the numbers of participants and the reasonable lack of space within the area the venue have adopted a split start where runners who expect to run under 28 minutes start on one side of the park and those who expect to finish higher than that on the other. The two groups join part way into the lap and join together quite nicely.

From leaving the aforementioned underpass, you leave Central Park and are now into Admirals park. This part of the course follows a lengthy pathway, all carrying on as you've done already on form paths before eventually turning left past a football pitch.

If I'm honest, I'm not entirely sure where the third park boundary is or where the third park is on the course. I just repeated above what was written on the course website and so it must be true, even if I couldn't work it out for myself!

The next phase of the.course consists of two loops around two different perimetera. The first slightly smaller around the edge of an awkward slice of park lane that doesn't seem to serve much purpose other than a necessary green space. This, as is the second is ran on grass and collectively accounts for approximately 20% of the course. The rest is all on tarmac and firm paths and road shoes were perfectly adequate 

The second, slightly larger perimeter around the second field is where the route becomes it's most challenging in terms of elevation. The route is virtually all flat, so this last section is slightly out of character as it does dip up and down slightly, but it finishes on a downhill and leads back to the tarmac path which leads back through Admiral Park, into the underpass and back to the finish which is situated beneath the viaduct.

Due to the number of participants the venue operate a double funnel set-up, but due to its long and winding length only one path seemed to be in operation 

I finished in 308th position out of a field of 519 participants in a time of 29:39. I had a sneaky suspicion before running the event that I was going to quite like it. I do have a fondness for single lap courses and this was indeed an interesting one. Each part of the course was different and running for the first time you wasn't ever sure what was around the next corner. Having kilometre markers along the route was also another nice touch which you don't see often and I do think that they can help offer silent encouragement believe it or not.

Either way, another new venue in yet another new year. What a great start to 2025 and long may it continue!