Crewe parkrun – Event Number 28 – 2024

Yet again, due to an oversight by me, I had to change my plans the week before a parkrun. (Just before writing last week’s post)

A while ago, I was invited to go and celebrate a friend’s wedding in North Wales, and I’d completely failed to count that into my plans. Travelling more than 125 miles up to Talkin Tarn, and then 175 miles to Wales before 80 miles home seemed a bit extreme, even for me.

Looking at the planned events for the rest of the year, the obvious candidates were either Chester or Crewe, but there are plans for Chester (hopefully with companions), so Crewe it was.

I set off a little early and pootled my way to Queens Park in Crewe without Luna.

You can park on the road just by the park and after pasing the Finish

And cross a bridge, I easily found the start by the Cafe.

Park Life Cafe, that sounds familiar

The area slowly filled up, and the weather was brilliant making the park look even more beautiful, and there were some big smiles on show.

I spoke to a lady who looked a little familiar, and she said that she recognised me too. Later that day, thanks to the 5K app I could see (from the results) that we ran at the same events at Heaton parkrun in 2023, at Greenfield Valley back in early January, and now at Crewe.

The first timer’s welcome was useful. Describing the 3 lap course as a Duck, and covering all of the bases.

Three laps of the course, and then the 4th time you get to the “beak”, you carry straight on to the finish instead of cropping into the Valley a 4th time.

There was an effective PA system in use to get the message to the participants for the pre-run briefing and then were were walked down to the start.

When the whistle sounded, what looked like a decent sized field set off.

Not quite a duck

The course was easy to follow with lots of volunteers in place. One of the features I loved was the Valley. On the way into the park, I passed the Finish and then crossed over a bridge which had a large curved metal support which ran at an angle to the bridge and was pretty striking (I should have taken a photo) the Valley passed under that bridge and went down to the lake where the bird poop was a plenty.

Thank goodness Heaton parkrun’s birds aren’t quite so liberal

There were also Swans on the course, they were very tame and didn’t even move as I walked past them.

From here it was past the bandstand, around the lake and up the steep hill, before a left turn and the start of the lap again past the Cafe and the Monument

The course feels a little more hilly than the elevation map suggests.

Bird poop aside, the whole course is on Tarmac, and it was easy to follow, with more than 300 runners and walkers, there was plenty of space for passing.

If you want to run a duck course, through bird poo in a beautiful park with friendly people, this is the one.

Challenges Progressed

• parkruns completed in 2024 – 26/26 UK runs available
• parkruns completed in 2024 – 28
• Cowell Club – 97th Event out of 100
• The South of the North West (North West Events south of Kirby Lonsdale) – 59/60 (98%)
• North West Region – 60/76

Next 4 planned parkruns

• 29th June – Carlisle
• 6th July – Roundhay
• 13th July – Chester
• 20th July – Potternewton