Burgess Park is in Camberwell, just down the road from Elephant & Castle. Its formation is a result of the Abercrombie plan of 1943 following World War II and the blitz of London, which aimed to correct the previous unplanned development of the city from uncoordinated industrialisation in the nineteenth century. Burgess Park was intended to be a ‘green lung’ for South London.
Demolished factories, churches, bomb-damaged areas and the filled-in Grand Surrey Canal were all brought together, it was formerly named Burgess Park in 1973 after the first female Mayor, Jessie Burgess. At 140 acres it is one of the largest parks in South London and since September 2012 it’s been home to Burgess parkrun.
Since then there have been 30,794 finishers looked after by 1756 volunteers. 776 participants turned up today to join the event’s 12th-anniversary celebration and for me my 300th run at this event.
Burgess parkrun is known for providing bananas for everyone at the end, coordinated by a dedicated ‘banana group’ of the Burgess ‘family’ and with it being the event’s birthday there was cake too, a huge thank you to Petra.
The day also happened to be the end of the 2024 Southwark Slam, which is the completion of all 4 of the parkruns in the London Borough of Southwark in the month of September.
This year I thought about what ‘twist’ I could make for the end of the Southwark Slam. I hit upon the idea of running what decided to call the Burgess Marathon. This would mean setting out at 0515 to run the 1 lap Burgess parkrun course 7.5 times to arrive at the start line for 0900 to finish the 8th lap and final 5k with my running community.
I decided that I’d raise money for the charity Become to ensure that my running helps to contribute to the upliftment of others. I used the Runna app to work out my training plan and had been following it meticulously until I got norovirus, which knocked me off my feet, as Race Week approached I was feeling nervous.
My friend Alice, an experienced marathoner, had been unable to attend the Berlin Marathon this weekend, her first marathon since the arrival of her daughter. I mentioned the Burgess Marathon as a plan ‘B’ and she agreed to run it with me!
We set off at 0515 in pitch darkness and just a sliver of a crest moon. We started to count laps and were treated to an incredible sunrise. We saw the park awake, sighting foxes and squirrels, bats and birds. We saw the mist rising off the lake and the unfolding of a beautiful day.
At 0730 we were joined by Harry, a Burgess regular, veteran of supporting ‘crazy’ running challenges. This might sound odd but as it got harder it got better. We were joined by other runners, friends I’ve made over my 12 years of running here. It became a running crew, reminding me of the protective crew supporting Eluid Kipchoge for his sub 2hr marathon in Vienna, Austria in 2019. I wasn’t going for a sub 2hrs rather 30mins (6mins per kilometre) for each parkrun lap.
Great things don't come easy and certainly not marathons, I was digging deep, even with compression socks on my calves were burning. I remembered my only previous marathon back in 2007. I’d run out of energy, hit the wall, been in floods of tears and collapsed at the end needing a wheelchair to take me to the Salvation Army medical tent. This time I’d remembered to keep taking my gels, the 'why' had crystallised through running for a good cause, and support from the running community was amazing!
As we did the final 5k I saw lots of other runners also in Become shirts. Staff had come from the charity to run, support and soak up the fun.
It was so uplifting saying hi to the marshalls and seeing so many familiar faces that I’ve run and volunteered with over the years, this is my community and it’s the best!
Our running crew brought us to the final 100m as we came of the path onto the grass to the finish funnel. There was a column of marshals, Burgess regulars, friends and family cheering us home. This had been a Burgess parkrun anniversary to remember, my 300th run, the conclusion of the Southwark Slam and the Burgess Marathon done!
Parkrun has given so much; friends, community and emotional well-being through the ups and downs of life. I hope you can help me reach my fundraising goal so that my running contributes to helping others, my sponsorship link is here; https://2024thebighalf.enthuse.com/pf/aqasa-nu
Next week I’ll be back at Burgess but only for 5k and whilst there might not be cake there will be bananas and a warm welcome for all who attend.
Well done Alice for being the first woman at the Burgess Marathon and shout-outs to Pip, Martin and Gayle who both recorded pbs on the day. Congrats to all this year's Southwark Slammers, it's been great. A special mention to Ruth who travelled up from Dorking to support me and completed the event in her wheelchair #legend
Lastly thank you to all the volunteers and attendees who made and make Burgess parkrun such a special place to be.
Happy running
Love the photo of you and Alice flanked by supporting runners. What a rockin citizen you are. Great achievement. Congratulations 👏🏾 Did you hit your fundraising target?
What an achievement! 👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾It is inspiring to read about the way you consistently challenge yourself and support good causes. Great stuff.
Oh my goodness what an amazing adventure and challenge, and on such a beautiful clear morning. 🩷🌸
So happy to hear that you checked all the boxes. I expected nothing less. You continue to be an inspiration to so many. Congratulations on this huge accomplishment. What's next?
There’s a LOT to feel good about here and no doubt more stories to come out of it. Well Done!