With no parkruns starting with a 'Z' in the UK, we'd taken to the air in search of a parkrun starting with the letter 'Z' to complete the parkrun alphabet challenge (completing a parkrun with each letter of the alphabet). With Poland being easier to reach than Cape Town, South Africa to complete Zandvlei parkrun or Zillmere parkrun in Brisbane Australia (this was before Zuiderpark in the Netherlands), we arrived in Gdansk, a port city on the Baltic coast of Poland with our target being Zamek w Malborku parkrun.
Established in the 10th Century and then remodelled after WWII, Gdansk is a beautiful bustling market square with elegant streets, charming lanes, shops, boutiques and restaurants. It is also the world centre for trading amber. With its 17th century Neptune Fountain it's a stunning place to stroll, peruse, sit and spend time in.
Friday included a food and drinks tour of the city and a trip to the European Solidarity Centre created on the old docks. An amazing piece of architecture, it is a dedicated space chronicling the history of solidarity movements of communist Eastern Europe. This includes the Polish trade union and civil resistance movements, their struggle and ultimate victory over authoritarian communism. It was very powerful.
The parkrun is in Zamek, a 30min train ride from Gdansk. We boarded a grand old locomotive-looking train with 21st-century speed, service and comfort. We arrived and made the 1k walk to the start which is between the Castle of the Teutonic Order in Malbork, the largest castle, by land area in the world and the river Nogat a branch of the Vistula river.
At 0830 the Zamak core team arrived confirming we were in the right place. Being a relatively new event the field of 24 participants was made up largely of tourists from overseas much to the amusement of the locals, seeing people in 50 and 100 parkrun club shirts.
The run director did their briefing in both Polish and English, there was a countdown and then we were off, running away from the castle, taking us down the Maciej Kilarski boulevard with the river Nogat on the left heading down to Wilenska. Approximately 1.5k out we take a 180-degree turn coming back on ourselves. The course is run on cobblestones and gravel and is entirely flat. Approaching the start you’re able to see the castle’s imposing glory. We continue to the Northern Park before taking a final 180-degree turn and coming back to the start, which is now the finish. The course is very similar to Cyclopark parkrun in Gravesend Kent.
This is a beautiful run unencumbered by pedestrians or traffic. With bird chatter ringing out as we ran through the more tree-lined section in Wilenska and then the Northern Park and always the constant soothing sound of the river next to us.
I cast my mind back to when I’d committed myself to this goal of completing the Alaphbet challenge and to all the different destinations attended, many with my friends here today. It included, York parkrun for the Y, Queen Elizabeth parkrun for the Q and East Grinstead for the E, to name a few. Now finally, here in Poland, completing this epic challenge with friends in such beautiful surroundings; this is challenging conquering parkrunning at it’s best.
After the last participant came in, we helped the core team shut down the event before going to the Castle for a tour and brunch at its Michelin-starred restaurant. My dessert came in a bird cage perfectly capturing the grandness of the occasion.
The castle is big, with LOTS to do and see. It is very educational about Poland’s turbulent history. After several hours and the 85th sword and armour display we decided to head back to Gdansk to shower and unwind.
That evening, we met for dinner and then strolled, with a celebratory mood in our footsteps. That evening to mark 30 years since the collapse of the Berlin Wall there were fireworks, a fitting conclusion to this alphabet adventure.
On the Sunday, before heading to the airport, we took a taxi to Zaspa which upon approaching looked like any ordinary housing estate with uniform blocks laid out neatly. In the 1980’s and 90’s Zaspa was known to be a desolate and dangerous place. Local artists were brought in to liven up the area. Once we’d been dropped off we walked around to see ‘the art’. The art/murals are known as the Monumental Painting Collection, an integrated open-air gallery with over 60 large format murals painted on the sides of the many high-rise concrete residential blocks creating an incredible outdoor gallery of local and international artists. As we walked around we were amazed by the work. I highly recommend a visit.
The whole trip had been a fabulous adventure.
There does remain the not insignificant matter of the letter ‘X’ but currently there are no parkruns with this letter. If parkrun starts to operate in China their languages might provide this elusive letter. Until such time I will enjoy the completion of this challenge and meeting all the fantastic volunteer teams and fellow parkrunners on tour.
Happy running
BLTN! Great and in depth write up on what sounded like a fab trip… Zaspa art looks epic in quality and scale. Looking forward to the X, when China enter the PR chat 👍🏽
What an interesting trip. Congratulations on the Alphabet Challenge