Like many people, I was tracking the arrival of Storm Darragh out of concern for people, the built environment, and the cancellation of parkrun events.
Coming in off the Atlantic, BBC maps showed red warnings of Welsh parkruns cancelling in their droves. Initially, I wasn’t too concerned that parkruns in London would be at risk. However, around 1800 hours, after Facebook page refreshes revealed more events posting cancellation notices. And then, a different notification on my phone, an email from Burgess parkrun saying,
‘With powerful winds forecast tomorrow between 7 and 11 am, we've made the call to cancel Burgess parkrun tomorrow. We can't guarantee putting on a safe event for runners, joggers, walkers and volunteers, so believe it's best to make the decision now before people set out in the morning in stormy weather’.
I appreciate all the safety concerns; this has to be the priority. It dawned on me that I might not be able to attend a parkrun in the morning, and I started to wonder: what was I going to do? How would my weekend go without me showing up at a startline at 0900 with a bunch of strangers to complete a 5k together? What would I do without this trusted barrier between the work week and the weekend?
I woke up anxious. My running Whatsapp group was a hive of noise and then confirmation that Southwark parkrun had done a course check and would be going ahead. We layered up and set out to reach the start, parkrun here we come!
The weather, as reported, was miserable, with a shrill shriek in the air, but the rain hadn’t come yet; that joy was still to come.
Earlier in the week, I’d listened to an interview on The Running Channel podcast, which really moved me. The guest, Prav Patel, in 2023, had been admitted to hospital with a bout of malaria, three times over the severe infection rate, Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) and COVID. A Doctor told Prav that he hadn’t been training for a marathon; he’d been training for malaria and that running had probably saved his life. The interview reminded me how vital running can be for us, and I was determined to get to parkrun this morning.
As we walked over the wind dropped, and it was fairly calm for a short period. We reached Southwark parkrun just in time, along with 389 brave, slightly shivering participants and a 58-strong volunteer team led by Ivi, Run Director for the day. Ivi explained the usual 3-lap course was now 4-laps as the lake section was deemed too problematic. With the wind whipping around us and the rain starting to come down, hunched together, we moved to a new start area before being cheered off by the volunteer team.
This was my 16th attendance at Southwark parkrun, which is also the first instalment of the Southwark Slam. Today, as the rain lashed down and the wind blustered, the marshalls cheered and encouraged everyone as enthusiastically as ever. I walked with Simon Rutter, his wife Mira, and Helen Murdan. Simon is recovering from an injury, and with me pushing the pram, we reflected on our parkrun journeys, which have included international tourism fun, personal bests and friendships. We shared how the Saturday morning ritual provides so much mental resilience for handling the kitchen sinks and challenges life throws at you; at the start, you might all be strangers, but once you enter the finish funnel, you’re all friends.
A massive thank you to all the volunteers who enabled this event to take place along with the Wapping Runners Club pacing team. The buzz in the cafe afterwards affirmed what a triumph this morning had been, irrespective of pacing success.
As part of his road to recovery and to thank the hospital's team, Prav has run a marathon to raise money for the Manchester Foundation Trust Hospital, which you can still donate to here.
‘We humans have an uncanny ability to learn. We grow. We overcome. We adapt. We rest. We change our minds. Make amends. Laugh. We can do hard things’. Glennon Doyle
Next week, I'll be back to Burgess parkrun to celebrate my friend Geoffrey’s 250th run/celebration.
Stay well, stay safe and happy running.
Another great write up on the wide benefits of Park runs. Fantastic!
A great read Aqasa! Definitely enjoyed the reflection of what ParkRun offers; even in a storm!