With over 900 people at Burgess parkrun made up of over 100 tourists, it could only mean one thing: London Marathon weekend. With people travelling from all over the UK to participate in this incredible event, Burgess parkrun is an ideal destination for a shake-out run before the main event on Sunday. This is one of the ways parkrun has embedded itself into the running tapestry of the UK.
Parkrun can also be a great gateway to running other events and other distances too. This year, like previous years, Burgess parkrun has been given community places to be distributed to regulars to run The Big Half. If you’ve volunteered regularly you might be approached about accepting a place. Alternatively, you can speak to the Run Director there are a limited number remaining for this year for people who have made a difference to the Burgess community.
Big events are often well organised, sometimes with hundreds or thousands of other participants. The energy at these events is often incredible with supporters, razzle-dazzle, bands, cheer squads, pyrotechnics, sound systems, fueling stations around the route and of course the thrill of wearing an official running number pinned to your vest! I had a community place from Burgess parkrun to complete the Big Half in 2018. On the start line, I remembered that Sir Mo was also running and wondered if I could beat him. Unfortunately, it was very windy and I could only finish 5,685th 😂
The recent London Landmarks Half Marathon is another example of a half-marathon through London and this Sunday we have the annual London Marathon, one of the World Marathon Majors. With closed roads, these events provide the potential for personal bests from the energy of the occasion which for many is the culmination of a training plan. For others the thrill of running against elites and for many it’s an opportunity to raise funds for a beloved charity or special cause.
It’s always great hearing from other Burgess regulars about how they’ve taken on different events. Today it was great hearing people talk about their hopes and expectations for the big one tomorrow.
Parkrun is a great place to learn about different runs which can be added to your running season ‘menu’. It’s a great place for a shake-out run before a Sunday event. It’s a great place to swap stories and running tales and as a regular volunteer you just might be offered free entry for an event too.
Happy running
900 people. Must have been a blast …. And quite crowded.
Gets everyone in the mood for the marathon tomorrow.