Floating Unicorns at your service - Barking parkrun #440 - 02/04/22

Floating Unicorns at your service

16k to the East of Charing Cross Station is the town called Barking, in the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham and home to Barking Park, the oldest park in the Borough. Opened in 1898, this Victorian 74-acre Park once had a Mississippi-style paddle steamer on its boating lake. Sadly the steamer is no more and instead, floating unicorns are moored waiting for customers who fancy a magical trip on the lake. 

With mature trees, a playground, toilets and a cafe it’s a well-serviced destination for parkrun. 

Starting by the cafe, it’s a two-lap anti-clockwise course with 8m of elevation and a section alongside the lake and piercing stares of the unicorns. The tarmac paths are wide the course snakes through the park going past the impressive war memorial to local people who died serving in WW1 and 2.  

Barking Park War Memorial, photo credit Wikimedia Commons

98 participants took to the start line on a bitterly cold morning, fortunately, the 16 volunteers all seemed to have checked the weather reports and looked suitably wrapped up and warm. There were a surprising amount of people running from running clubs, with two people from ‘Sikhs in the City’ which was founded by Fauja Singh, (holder of the highest age-graded parkrun) and Natalie running from the fantastically named ‘Badass Mother Runners’. 

I ran reasonably consistently but never truly finding a rhythm which is odd on a largely flat course. Looking back I can now see it was because I’d gone over 500k in my Brookes Adrenaline GTS running shoes. Strava has a function which will track the amount of mileage you’ve done in a pair of shoes and without fail, once I go past 500k my shines start to ache and my thighs get sore.  

Barking Park whilst lovely is no country park which I’d been to in recent weeks however the volunteer team were very friendly and it had a very local welcoming feel. 

I thanked the volunteer team and wished the unicorns well. another of the London parkruns completed.

Next week I’ll be heading to Burgess parkrun for a spot of volunteering and then heading to Ashton Court parkrun in Bristol for my Easter parkrun. 

Happy running