Hanworth parkrun - event 232

On the 24th May 2025 I ran the Hanworth parkrun which was the 232nd event held at the venue, my 237th parkrun and 155th different course I'd attended.

Last week I missed parkrun for non-holiday reasons for the first time since the spring of 2022. I'd had a long great innings but sometimes life is more important and unexpected things take precedent.

Stephanie has been suffering from some form of discomfort after eating for several months and had a second serious issue where the pain she experienced caused her to faint and lose consciousness. When it happens late at night in the ensuite bathroom it becomes a rather scary and traumatic experience, with paramedics called to the house and a visit to the A&E department necessary.

It was a long and tiring night, with no real explanation from the Dr before we were sent back home again. But after a night spent awake and in discomfort I didn't have the energy or the will to traipse across the Dartford Crossing again to tick off another parkrun venue. Castle park will have to wait for another day.

With a week away from the standard routine you'd think that I would have been full of beans on Saturday morning ahead of my visit to Hanworth parkrun?

It couldn't have been further from the truth.

Initially I had planned to visit Old Deer Park, but due to an event taking place in the park this weekend they advised via their Facebook page that they would be running an alternative course. I do prefer where possible to run the standard course as I have this perception, true or otherwise that the alternative course isn't as good. I mean if it was, it would be the standard course wouldn't it?

I mean there are plenty of examples of venues that have alternative winter and summer courses, that can differ quite significantly between one and another, but a course operating it's B route tends to be either longer or slightly trickier on the basis that they want to avoid people setting unrealistic PBs on the alternative course that they couldn't beat on the standard course. Which makes logical sense.

Either way, it wasn't the venue that was putting me off. It was just a general feeling of disinterest and lack of motivation. The one side of my personality was telling me to have a rest and that I'd had one week off, take another. The other side was telling me to shut up and remember the the thrill of getting to the finish line and the feeling of satisfaction at a job well done.

Fortunately for me the dominant side of my personality shone through and I arrived at Hanworth parkrun with my usual interest at discovering new surroundings and appreciating the great out doors.

Hanworth parkrun takes place on Hanworth parkrun, which is a large open space in west London a stones throw away from Thorpe Park and Heathrow Airport.

The course itself is two and a bit laps around the perimeter of the park taken in a clockwise direction. Underfoot is a mixture of grass, cinder and tarmac paths.

Starting on the grass on the northern side of the park, runners run around to the three o'clock position where the finish line sits. This is the 'and a bit' part of the course. The rest is two laps which wiggles and meanders around the perimeter of the park space and is entirely flat.

It might sound relatively boring and non-descript, but I didn't feel that as I was running. I've ran at Walthamstow and Charlton parkruns which are both events that take place in relatively plain surroundings and consist of multiple laps of the parks that they take place in. They took could be described as fairly dull, uninspiring courses. But my view is that there is always something to look at and you can't have a beautiful scenic course everywhere.

I'd completed my mandatory two and a bit laps in 36th position out of a field of 72 participants, in a time of 30:20. It was yet another morning where I'd failed to break 30 minutes. Which again I was fairly disappointed at. I felt I'd ran quite strongly and faster than previous weeks, but running is mentally challenging and what goes on in the head never matches the legs, normally does it match reality.

Either way, it was an event I'd made it to, and an event I'd made it around. Had I listened to the other side of my personality I'd not have done it at all. Just like last week when other things got in the way. Guess there's always a win somewhere.