A few more first-timers at Eastbourne parkrun today, including yours truly, not as a first-time runner mind, but someone who has been signed up by Event Director, Stuart Pelling, to write a few round-ups.

He told me he wanted the very best report writers for the site.

“And, naturally, you came to me” I replied.

“Well yes’” he said, “you see, all the best report writers said no”.

Of course, the conversation didn’t really happen like that, but I am delighted to bring you my first round-up of this week’s event and thank you to Stuart for giving me the opportunity.

If you don’t know who I am, I was the chap who finished 26^th today. Yes, that was me, finishing just ahead of the 27^th placed person and someway behind the 25^th.… Still not sure? Then you might recognise the photo at the top. I always think it's nice to put a face to a name.

My name? Oh yes, it's Martin! 

Right then, it’s time for this week’s news.

Sit back, imagine I’m Fiona Bruce and let’s proceed.

In the news today….

Bong...

                Strange yellow sphere seen in Eastbourne sky

Bong...

                Chris Thomson leads parkrunners home in new course record

Bong...

                New PB for first female finisher

Bong...

                Impressive run by first-time junior.

Parkrunners were greeted by a muggy and, early on, overcast morning for the 17^th Eastbourne parkrun. But, as the race unfolded, a strange yellow illusion magically appeared in the sky.  Officials are quoted as saying this was not a passing UFO, but the return of something called ‘the sun’, a meteorological phenomenon that hadn’t been spotted in these parts since 1976.  One witness was even heard to say: “It’s quite warm today”.

At the start, 69 men, women, children and dogs lined up at 9:00am prompt, for a brief briefing, a three, a two, a one and a sharp blast on the whistle.

The run developed into a two horse race, with debutant Swansea Harrier, Christopher Thomson ultimately coming out on top, in a very impressive and envious time of 16:28. This bettered the previous course record of 16:36 set by Kristofer Everett, on frozen ground, at the beginning of February. Christopher has run 13 parkruns to date (12 of them at Brighton) and has finished first in almost all of them (his worst position is 2nd!). This was also his first parkrun since January 2011. Quite an achievement.

Thirty-three seconds behind Christopher was previous first-placer, Craig Neal. It was a new personal best for him, but this might be tinged with a soupçon of grrrrr-ness, as he missed the sub-17 minute barrier by an agonising 2 seconds (17:01). It’s there for the taking next time, Craig.

There was a significant gap back to the rest of the field, led home by Hastings Runner, Danny Blackman. This was his first attempt over the Eastbourne course, having also switched from Brighton. As a Hastings’ athlete, let’s hope the proximity of Eastbourne can lure him back next time for a crack at the top two places.

18 ladies took to parkrun this week with Johanna Dowle setting a new personal best in 17^th place, with a time of 22:27; a fantastic result. Congratulations also go to Anne Canby and Victoria Waite, second and third ladies home. They too set new personal bests. I was running close to Anne for most of the way and we had a good tussle in the run for home as five of us bunched up with 200 metres to go.  Anne was barely 3 seconds behind me at the finish and I know I was sprinting a 4:30 min/mile finish at the end, so that was some sprint finish by her too.

I would like to give a special mention to Thomas Lambert, a young boy with a big talent, whose inspirational run in 8^th place, with a time of 21:03, was simply awesome.  He overtook me after 50 metres and I never saw him after that! I was also in complete awe of a little guy, no more than 8 or 9 years old, from Hastings AC who I managed to keep with for about 400 metres, before he tore away. I believe he didn't have a barcode today, so no name mention this time, but he was simply amazing. I think he was the unknown runner in 23rd place. It’s great to see juniors doing phenomenally well and this performance blew me away (in all ways). They should  both be rightly proud of their runs today.

And on that note, a really big pat on the back must go to junior parkrun regulars, Zac, Luke and Solomon Adlam who all ran PB’s today. What on earth did you guys have for breakfast this morning?

All in all, there were 31 personal best performances today, 12 first-timers and one birthday-boy. Matthew Stephens celebrated his big day with 6^th place, a new personal best … and probably a hangover tomorrow morning.

News just in…

Do you have a spare bicycle that you no longer require? Eastbourne parkrun is hoping someone may have a bike that they could generously donate, to help administer the run each week. It doesn’t need to be special, but it does need to be working! If anyone is able to offer up an old bike – (steady now!), please email Stuart at EastbourneOffice@parkrun.com

And finally….

Remember, Eastbourne parkrun cannot operate without volunteers and, as the blurb on the main website indicates, your parkrun relies on you volunteering three times throughout the year. If you have excellent arm control, a nice smile and a willingness to help others, please send a quick email to EastbourneHelpers@parkrun.com

I’m off to write my Eastbourne parkrun blog, a tongue-in-cheek take on my personal performance this week and which you can access towards the bottom of the links page of this website.

That’s all the news for today. Have a wonderful week and we will see you back at Shinewater Park, Eastbourne, next Saturday. Good bye.

[shakes papers on newsdesk and types mysteriously on laptop]

 And then the sun came out.

Hurrah! We finally got the sunshine we've all been waiting for. A little too late to dry up all the boggy sections of the course, but very welcome nonetheless.A last minute decision to alter the course slightly to avoid the worst of the mud was probably a good one, even though the first and last kilometres were a little more 'convoluted' than usual.

74 runners lined up at the start this week, a significant increase on last week's numbers, thanks in part surely due to the better weather. No less than 17 of those runners were first-timers. Set on their way by Stuart, we soon saw two runners getting away from the rest of the pack. A tumble on the loose gravel did little to deter Craig Neal (Central AC) as he and Jago Leckie (Hailsham Harriers) disappeared from sight on their way around the lake, and it was Craig who reappeared first, having built up a lead of just a few seconds with a kilometre to go. He maintained his lead to come home in 17:08, just a second outside his pb. Jago duly came in second in a time of 17:19, ahead of Eastbourne regular Paul Mealling who recorded a pb of 18:14 (one of 18 pbs recorded today).

For the ladies; another first-timer, Natalie McCreath (Seaford Striders) produced a very respectable time of 23:21, finishing 14th. overall. And 14 places behind her came Alexandra Wesker in 25:07. Third lady home, with a superb age grading of 79.88% (the best performance today) was Shelagh Adkins who travelled all the way from her home Parkrun of Newport (Wales) to record a time of 25:46.

Special mentions this week must go to Linda and Chris Cowell who travelled all the way from Farnborough, Hants. to be with us in Eastbourne. They are possibly the first 'Parkrun Tourists', Linda having completed 73 different courses nationwide, and Chris 87; in the process both earning their 100 vests and chalking up no less than 293 runs between them. A splendid effort! Perhaps one day we shall see the introduction of a 'Parkrun Passport' to be stamped at every different Parkrun? I expect, however, it would be difficult to get a full set of stamps from every Parkrun - I imagine Camp Bastion could prove difficult for most!

So, let's hope that this is the start of summer, and all our Saturdays are blessed with sunshine. Thanks as usual go to all the willing volunteers who help to make Parkrun a success, and without whose help it just would not happen. And if anyone else fancies a go at writing a report, please let the organisers know. I'm sure there are plenty of budding 'journalists' out there who are just itching to have a go!

See you all next week. Same time, same place, (possibly a slightly different course)!

 And you thought last week was wet!

Definately a case of 'deja vu' on Saturday morning. It was grey, cold and wet. Pretty much the same as last week then! Can't wait for Eastbourne to start living up to it's proud boast of being the sunniest town on the South Coast. Surely it must happen soon? We need those muddy, boggy sections to dry out, asap. I don't think Parkrun was ever meant to be a cross country event, but it has felt  a bit like one lately.

Anyway - apologies for the late appearance of this news report. It's been a busy Bank Holiday weekend one way or another. As I write (Monday evening) the sun is shining and I've just returned home from visiting the BUCS outdoor championships at the new Olympic Stadium - very impressive it was too. Today was the last day of these annual University Championships, and so we were treated to plenty of 'Finals'. There were some cracking performances, both on the track as well as in the field, with a good handful of Championship Best performances (see the BUCS website if you'd like to read more). Included in today's events was the men's 5K final which turned out to be a great race with a sprint battle down the home straight to determine the medal positions. If my memory serves me correctly the first six finishers were all under 15 minutes, with the winner clocking 14min. 18.92 secs. I wonder how he'd have done on our course?

Well, no less than 54 of you (or should I say 'us') turned out to give it a go this week, slightly up on last week's numbers. It is very pleasing and encouraging to see that there are still several newcomers attending each week. Obviously you regulars are still spreading the Parkrun word. And despite the conditions there were many PB's too (though alas not from yours truly)!

Special mention this week goes to Craig Tester who asked our paceman Russ to pace 24 minutes, only to race ahead at the start and romp home in 23:09, thereby recording a huge PB by 68 seconds. What will he do when the course gets faster? Well done Craig.Did mum buy you that chocolate bar like she promised to?

Also worthy of a mention is Femi Etti, who at one point was breathing down my neck on the far side of the lake. An Eastbourne veteran of eight Parkruns, Femi has improved his time by 3 minutes and 20 seconds in a matter of just three months. Great stuff.

I'm also mentioning Ed Dodd (again), as he managed this week to remember the course (though he can't remember much about Sunday evening - or so I'm told). He was first man across the finish line. Unfortunately we can't tell how far ahead of the second man he was as that position went to 'Unknown'. By the time I crossed the line I think he must have disappeared, so he must remain 'unknown'.

The results show that third and fourth place shared the same time. Did they cross the line hand-in-hand (as happened in the first London Marathon way back in 1981) or was there a sprint finish? I don't know, as I wasn't there! At what point do we invest in photo-finish hardware I wonder......................Anyway - well done to both David Perry and Mark Cage.

And just so that they don't feel left out: our ladies this week accounted for 25% of the field. First lady home was Johanna Dowle  whose record of consistency rivals that of a metronome! Also a veteran of eight Parkruns, just 60 seconds covers Johanna's runs from best to worst (though I hesitate to call her slowest time 'worst' - I'd love to get round in 23:35)! And her last six runs are covered by a timespan of just 19 seconds. Remarkable. Fenella Maloney was second lady this week (and also a first-timer), and Hannah Perry (related to David?) ducked under 27 minutes for the first time - well done.

Let us hope that next week will see some better weather. And if you know someone who's been before but not been for a while, give them a nudge. Oh, and don't forget that all are welcome to come along to the post-run coffee/breakfast session at the nearby Toby Inn, where you can dissect your performance and work out how you're going to improve next time out! There is a small, regular group who go there each week, and we'd love to see some new faces around the table. Go on - treat yourself - after all you've deserved and earned it!

Vote Eastbourne Parkrun!!!

 A not-so-sunny Sunshine Coast Parkrun!

Yes, your roving reporter is back after an adventurous holiday at the other end of the British Isles, namely Orkney, where it rained. And rained again. That is, when it wasn't snowing. Oh -  it was also very windy. Did I mention the rain? 'You don't go to Orkney for wall-to-wall sunshine' I hear you say. That's true. And there wasn't even a Parkrun in this beautiful archipelago, though there were plenty of runners to be seen pounding the streets of Kirkwall. Any volunteers to go and set it up? How about you two, Victoria and Alice, (two of today's volunteers), who tell me they have Orkney connections? 

Anyway, I felt quite at home when I opened the bedroom curtains on Saturday morning. It was raining! Well, the weather forecast said it would, so I guess our runners today were lucky that it was only a heavy drizzle that accompanied them around the course. As I write (Sunday morning) the rain is being lashed against the window pane and I have cowarded out of my Sunday morning run. Shame on me! Later maybe.......................

For those of you who like a bit of trivia: Saturday was the anniversary of the day when Lieutenant William Bligh was cast adrift with 18 of his crew, from the good ship 'The Bounty'. Fortunately there was no mutiny from today's volunteers who set up and marshalled the course, and our runners were 'set adrift' at 9am sharp(ish) by Graham. Our participants could have been forgiven if they thought they were afloat, as there was a lot of standing water on some parts of the course, but in the event only one runner ended up all-at-sea (see later)!

So having successfully negotiated the muddy field a group of three runners (Paul Mealling, Iuean Handley and Ed Dodd) had created a bit of a gap between themselves and the chasing pack. Surely the medals (if this was a race - which it isn't, and if we awarded them - which we don't) would go to these three. But how would they share them? Unfortunately, those waiting at the finish are unable to see the events unfolding out on the course, and everyone waits with eager anticipation for the leading runner to cross the footbridge and start the last lap of the field. It was in fact Paul who appeared first - and with a healthy lead too. Second man to appear was Ieuan - also with daylight between himself and third place man, who must be Ed. But NO - Dale Martin was next to appear. Where was Wally - oops, I mean Ed?

His poor old dad, (yours truly, your roving reporter) thought he must at least have slipped and broken a leg. Or maybe two. After all, the formbook said he should be up there near the front. Then news began to filter through that, whilst in the lead, Ed had taken a wrong turn at the far end of the lakes, and only realised when no-one was following him! Chase as he might, he could only catch so many, and he came in fourth. No place on the podium this week then. Good job it wasn't an Olympic final!!! 

I'll not bother you with listing the results - they are there for all to see on the website and you've probably seen them already. Well done to all 48 runners who rolled out of bed and competed today, both 'newbies' and seasoned Parkrunners. Roll on the drier weather when hopefully numbers will increase and times will get quicker. Tell your friends. You know you enjoy it!

See you all - and more - next week, when hopefully the sun will shine and I might even get a run myself! (Just follow me round Ed, I know the way)!!!

Steve Dodd.

Ok well maybe it was just our little warm up for the following days London Marathon but it got the excitement building and it showed with another good turn out dispite it being a very busy time of year to be a runner. The sun wasn't shining but conditions were favourable and the rain held off long enought to get good times and again plenty of PB's.

First across the line for the men was Paul Mealling (18:28) in only his third run and getting himself a new PB, following him was Paul Boyland (19:57) which was also his third run and producing a new PB. The third runner across the line was Matthew Stephens (20:24) who had a great solid run and was too far away from his best time.

First across the line for the female runners was Johanne Dowle (22:35) which was a great new PB. Second was Anne Canby (25:02) from team bodyworks who are producing some good runs. In third place was first timer Carol Maccrum (25:49) a great run from Carol and is encouraging for future weeks, well done.

I have to mention some of our younger runners also who are putting in some amazing performances week by week and working just as hard as our adult runners. Its very encouraging to see and can only help our event grow. Well done guys keep it up!

A massive thanks goes out to all our volunteers hope make this happen on a weekly basis, thank you!

Look forward to seeing everyone on Saturday, it will be the perfect way to recover if any of you have done a few longer runs recently!