Welcome to this week’s instalment of the Run Report, having hijacked the usual script writers, it is time for yet another new writer to talk about everyone’s favourite Bushy club! 

The day started with its usual preparations, those that begin their parkrun by congregating near the finish line discovered Andy Wingate was Volunteer Coordinator and was busy ushering the volunteers to their assigned roles.  Our usual Run Director Ray and Volunteer Coordinator Ann are away so for the second time the Emma Wingate stepped up to the plate.  Assisted by Carol on the new signage, Emma delivered a concise and well received set of announcements and touching on Mary H’s 100^th run asked the crowd to complete the SparkLE survey which only needs 368 parkrunners to meet its target. 

Emma also pointed out about the creepage on to the road is a safety concern and all runners should avoid the hill as this should be reserved as the Volunteer Verge.

One plead that was unheeded was the request not to take the tokens home, with 3 tokens having absconded maybe the sign should be even bigger.

There was also a very appreciative pack of runners during the run as volunteer Sarah D at the graveyard shift of the tree by Hampton Gate got 127 thank yous and one Catherine J flew back from South Africa arriving at 0515 this Saturday morning and still volunteered!

In the Pack

Out of the 872 runners (280 females and 62 unknowns) there were 719 were unattached to any Running Club with 105 runners achieving a new Personal Best (PB), it was also an experienced field with a cumulative of 870 runs between us. 

We had some notable parkrun celebs including Mr parkrun and Chris of Crispy’s Corner fame.

Whilst running I also noticed that the spring sunshine also brought out a number of running smiles, but the heat and humidity combination stifled long conversation.

Bubbling under, just short of their next milestones was:

• 49 runs completed - Ben Snowden, Chris Brimacombe, Peter Christian, Darren Franks and Julius Scheuer.
• 99 runs – Paul Robinson and John Wilkins.
• 249 runs – Derek Blackmore!

Those achieving their milestones were:

• 50 club – James Bowry (new PB), Keith Sandford, Francis King (new PB), Robert Mowbray, Jon Roddick, James Farrell and Jacqueline Rich.
• 100 club – Mary Hickson, Tracy Fraser and Jude Roberts (JM14 !).

We also had the following notables:

• Jon Samuel, Giles Pearson and Rod Fraser completing their 125^th run.
• Paul Belcher and Ewen Gibson completing their 150^th run.
• David Tyas completing his 200^th run.
• Nick white two away from his 100 club. 

One last remarkable runner was Jane Davies who achieved an age grading of 94.78% (VW60-64)!

Why parkrun?

On the parkrun show facebook page https://www.facebook.com/#!/theparkrunshow two recent questions were recently posed:

• How did you hear about and what made you take part in parkrun?
• Would you have rather been at the original Bushy Park Time Trial (BPTT) or just discovering it now?

I really recommend checking the parkrun show discussion on facebook and also the weekly podcast from Danny Norman and friends.  I do not want to detract from their discussion but my own experiences of starting parkrun went against the consensus of opinion.

Back in late 2007 I was looking for more structure to my running and had seen adverts in Runner’s World magazine for BPTT which seemed ideal, especially given that Bushy Park itself has a special place in my DNA.  However I was put off by the possibility of having to compete against Running Club elites and it took me two weeks to pluck up the courage! I only came with the caveat to myself that I could quietly hide somewhere if it looked too exclusive.  After skulking around for about 20 minutes I startled to mingle with the crowd and my fears evaporated and so began my parkrun conversion.

For me it was ultimately a pleasurable experience, but newcomers can still find it daunting.  However, the early inclusivity of parkrun is far more blatant today, most likely due to the micro climate of the Bushy Park parkrun with its diverse slice of running age and abilities.  We have them all, more than other smaller parkruns, so whilst some may moan about the size of the field, the benefits of atmosphere and a ‘something for everyone’ style has actually become one of Bushy’s most enduring qualities.

Therefore I prefer the Bushy parkrun today and would not have travelled in my TARDIS to the first BPTT, it would have been nice to be there but then I could also say that about the building of Stonehenge. 

The parkrun DNA, or to talk gobble-dee-gook, unique selling point – USP,  is the simple fact that once a week there is a 5k run that is timed.  What you bring to it is up to you but it allows you to race yourself and set your own benchmarks.  It can be competitive or relaxed and here is my main point – it attracts all sorts!  Where else can anyone convince teenagers to participate in physical activity that does not have peer pressure or reliance on results against a standard? 

People returning from injury or starting running after childbirth all compete and it is in them that I see the real spirit of parkrun is reflected.  The elites and fast runners are welcome and are the superb cherry and candles on the cake, but the other runners are the sponge and marzipan in the dessert that is Bushy.

I have also run many times with a number of friends and family and each run has had its own special meaning or shared experience, from the stolen moment in time when the sun hits a certain tree in a special way, to a deer rearing its head from grazing around the 2k mark.  I have also helped encourage a 10 year old to a PB and ended up enjoying that as much as my own personal timing achievements.  Finally I have had the pride and pleasure of watching my own son improve to a superb runner.

Last year I returned from knee surgery and got a new perspective on a different part of the pack and discovered the socialism of those runners who spend more time on their feet than the elites!

Now, that mention again of elites brings me on to my last point about structured running – those mystical Running Clubs.

Running Clubs

In a society which seeks heroes, we idolise football players or Formula 1 drivers as they have personalities and are reflected in our social media and television.  They become idols, even sometimes role models or people we would like to be.  I found a recent Marathon Talk podcast where Martin Yelling interviewed American Running Analyst & TV Commentator Toni Reavis very illuminating.  In the running community we have very few personalities that we, our children and therefore future generations can associate with.  Maybe this is not because they do not exist but, I feel, simply because the running community has dropped off the media radar. 

Therefore without parkrun and Running Clubs where is the attraction to the sport of running?  The danger is we relegate our sport to a mere keep fit activity and not a sport with health benefits.  For me, like many others of you I am sure, running was a punishment not a sport at school. I feel robbed now of that time and regret that it took until the age of 36 to tempt myself back in to a sport until then only associated with painful school day memories. I really feel then that running needs parkrun but also needs Running Clubs to nurture interest, and more importantly, give structure to those who have a goal. 

But Running Clubs are only for Elites, right?

So going back to my earlier example of nerves prior to my first parkrun, there is still a perception that Running Clubs are for those sub 20 minutes 5k’ers or those that run marathons for breakfast.

True they do have extremely talented people and our own Bushy parkrun can claim quite a few from many clubs, Anthony 2:30 marathon man J, to Dave Ironman R. Look closely and just under the radar are a number of exciting young runners from clubs who astound me with their ability and allow me to eat their dust on a Saturday! 

If like me, the nearest you get to a sub 18 minute 5k run is to view them finishing when you volunteer, it is simply staggering to see the ability of the top finishers.  They are a true credit to running and one to celebrate just as much as to the main pack. 

So why join a Running Club?

Well put simply it not only provides a focus for your running but also a support network (it can be safer to run in a group, especially at night) with sources of information from injury comparison/prevention to preparation and nutritional advice.

Clubs provide structure to your training as your parkrun results will show, they also provide:

• Events, from hosting a race to socials.
• Discounts to stores or treatment.
• Access to the ‘hidden network’ that provides competition places. 

Take the Mini Marathon, it is a 3 mile race which is part of the official London Marathon and includes teams from all 33 London Boroughs and outer London regions.  These areas have team managers and trials and the best way to get in to them for your sporting youngsters is through a....Running Club.

So club membership adds to the enjoyment of running and promotes the talent within our current and future running generations.  In short Running Clubs can build confidence and cultivate the next Mo Farah, Liz Yelling, Paula Radcliffe or Daley Thompson.  Picture a not too far off world with the heady days of a [more good natured] Seb Coe/Steve Ovett rivalry. 

So finally, my advice is simple, no matter what ability or perception you have, Running Clubs are for you.  Ask the Run director next week at Bushy, check out the results page and the link for Club List, from there you can find a link to their home page.  Enjoy!

Friends, Romans and parkrunners

So, to finally bring this parkrun propaganda to an end, I will leave you with this snippet.  Bushy is a really special place to me and I am sure to many of you and the volume of the pack of runners means that all abilities are represented. 

Whether you are gasping for that last bit of oxygen that your neighbour is stealing from you on the stretch of grass just beyond the recreation playground, or you are wondering why your nemesis with their leg strapped up is pulling away from you on Chestnut Avenue, take time to look around.  Appreciate the beauty of Bushy that we may otherwise take for granted and also switch on your running radar.

Your running radar senses those people around you during a parkrun, without it you may not appreciate who is in your immediate running surroundings.  I spent around a year running in a small pack of evenly paced runners at Bushy, one of whom has since become a running buddy, someone to share a joke with in the Pheasantry and the rest is now parkrun friendship history.

So my conclusion is that parkrun is a wonderful community in which Bushy not only provides the beautiful backdrop but also the large field that adds to parkruns properties as an inclusive environment. 

The 411^th Bushy parkrun results

First man home was Will Cockerell of Belgrave Harriers, in 16:38, finished ahead of Matthew Wyatt (16:59) and Andrius Jaksevicius (17:32).

The ladies were led home for the second time in two weeks by Elise Forster-Brown (19:55). Julie Murphy was just behind in 20:01 with Liz Killip third in 20:32.

The junior boys event saw second place overall Matthew Wyatt (16:59) lead the field home, ahead of Bushy regular Ben Gibbons (18:16) and Max Frost (18:45).

Whilst the girls event saw Kate Llewellyn (23:47) and Maddie Boyles (24:01) finish behind the first placed Elise Forster-Brown (19:55).

The Stats

• 872 runners
• Of whom 62 chose not to register a finish leaving a known field of 810!

Who were they?

• 530 male and 280 female runners
• 132 juniors, 177 seniors and 501 vets
  

How experienced?

• 75 were Bushy First Timers (9%)
• With 59 of those new to parkrun as a whole (7%)

• 249 have 50 runs or more (31%)
• 106 have 100 runs or more (13%)
• 5 have 250 runs or more (1%)
• Meaning the average runner has 43.6 parkruns to their name!

How fast?

• 105 runners recorded a PB!

Thanks to all of you for making it special and see you next week.

Hayden

Note from the ‘editor’ (Andy W)

Well done to Stewart Holmes who ran his 200^th run last weekend. His wife came to see him complete his 201^st this week and we got chatting on the startline.

Stewart first started parkrunning in Oct 2007 and since then has seen his times falls from around 29 minutes to Bushy PB of 22:32. He has run 200 times out of 246 and so has some impressive dedication to parkrun – this year there have been 35 Bushy parkruns and Stewart has run 34 of them, only missing a single edition - where were you on the 18^th Feb?. He has also run Kingston and Wimbledon Common parkruns along with 20 laps of Richmond – however sensibly he chooses Bushy as his home! Well done, Stewart only a year to go for the bling bling 250 shirt!

 Both Julie Papworth and Rodney McCullock, both part of the bushy parkrun reporting team, were hoping for good weather in their recent run reports, there wishes for good weather were answered, which made the wonderful free 5km event on Saturday morning more enjoyable

• There were 872 finishers
• There was an average of 75 finishers per minute in the five minute period 23:xx to 27:xx  
• . . . 43% of the field finished in this period
• There were 86 finishers in the minute 23:xx, 72 in 24:xx 80 in 25:xx, 50 in 26:xx and 80 in minute 27

• There were 51 Bushy First Timers (6% of identified runners) . . .
• 66% of the field was male, 34% female. 

• There were 190 PB’s (about 22% of identified runners). 
• There were 69 finishers in under 20 minutes (8% of the total field)

After the wettest April on record, (or at the very least since 1874 when the paper records were washed away) there was relief all round as glorious warm sunshine greeted 822 eager runners by the blooming chestnut trees along Chestnut Tree Avenue in blooming marvellous May for Bushy parkrun 409. Ok, at least half of that sentence was factually correct, I’ll let you decide which half!

Congratulations to Nick!

We'd like to thank Sweatshop for their generosity and to congratulate Nick on his achievement. His prize is a new pair of running shoes fitted at the Teddington Sweatshop.

http://www.sweatshop.co.uk
http://twitter.com/sweatshoponline

Congratulations to Stefan!

We'd like to thank Sweatshop for their generosity and to congratulate Stefan on his achievement. His prize is a new pair of running shoes fitted at the Teddington Sweatshop.

http://www.sweatshop.co.uk
http://twitter.com/sweatshoponline