Homewood parkrun - event 368

On the 15th March 2025 I ran the Homewood parkrun which was the 368th event held at the venue, my 228th parkrun and 146th different course I'd attended.

If I had my way, I'd have been in Accrington running Hyndburn parkrun before ticking a new football ground off to watch Accrington Stanley Vs Gillingham. But Hayden's best friend had a birthday party at 3pm on Saturday, which as far as I'm concerned should be made illegal. Saturday afternoons are sacrosanct and should be reserved solely for the beautiful game.

Once I found out that another away day was no longer on the cards, I started to make provisional plans to head to Wormwood Scrubs and started to plan my route using public transport. There are three parkrun venues in London that I think will be tricky to get to and park by car, Wormwood Scrubs, Fulham Palace and Battersea all needing an extra level of planning when it comes to attending their events. However Stephanie had also made plans and I was asked to be home at an earlier time instead.

So that's how I ended up at Homewood, a parkrun I'd not heard too much about, hadn't planned it on my calender and was sat at a nice distance on the M25 that allowed me time to get home on time.

My preliminary research late in the week leading up to the event told me that the event was the 54th hardest event in the country and so for me that meant hilly. I quite like a woodland based course so I wouldn't say it put me off, but I was cautious as I'm still suffering the effects of a leg pain which I can't seem to shake.

Upon arrival, I parked at the free car park which was based next to a playing fields. At first glance there didn't appear to be anything extraordinary, but for another shared use community space where local kids played football and parents took their toddlers to the swings.

The course was already marked out when I arrived at 8:30, so I started to walk around part of the course.

From the start the course runs straight across the field and turns 90 degrees left and heads towards the woodland which neighbours the south western border of the park.

The path starts to rise a little and enters into the woodland and thins out as it enters into the woods. Because of the distance from the start and the number of participants taking place it didn't seem to bottleneck too much when the event took place. But it might do on busier event days.

Participants then follow the path around the perimeter of the woodland area which rises up quite dramatically and steeply. You did need to have the agility of a mountain goat to make your way up the steep incline which had eroded in parts making it quite a challenge.

On my first walk around the course and the subsequent three laps during the event I tackled the ascent at walking pace. Each lap I had someone in front of me who was also walking and there wasn't sufficient room to overtake and it would have been hard work had there been more room.

The good news is that once at the top of the hill you've reached the top of the course and the rest of the lap is either downhill or gentle upward ascents.

Running around the first half of the woodland lap is actually quite pleasant. The surface underfoot was firm and fairly flat. Lots of pine needles and a few tree roots to navigate around, but there is a stretch on the second half of the lap that was as challenging as the hill described above 

This 50m or so stretch of the course runs uphill slightly but the soil has eroded quite significantly here leaving a maze of tree roots to navigate through. Running here was tough and full of jeopardy as you had to hopscotch your way through without twisting and breaking your ankles.

The sun was out, the weather was gorgeous and the surroundings truly beautiful, but this little stretch of the course felt really quite challenging and didn't quite live up to it's surroundings.

At the end of the woodland trial, there is a nice downhill section which spits you out again by the playing fields where you rejoin.the start/finish stretch. You run around the first two times retracing your steps and then once the third lap is completed you retrace your steps to the start line where the finish funnel lies in wait.

I came home in 74th place out of a field of 107 participants in a time of 33:17.

I think that the 54th hardest parkrun billing is quite a fair assessment. I can imagine in winter months the course being incredibly brutal with mud only adding to the challenge. I think if there wasn't that stretch of tree roots it would definitely be a little easier. The hill is a challenge, but it is short, sharp and awkward taken 3 times, but by no means the angina inducing hills of other venues.

One word summed the event up though more than any. Even if it's not quite a real word - brutiful!