Druridge Bay parkrun

Saturday 8th June

In hindsight, or technically midsight considering the parkrun challenge blog is not yet actually complete, blogging about the north east parkrun challenge wasn’t the best of ideas. Writing doesn’t come naturally to me and it is taking a frigging age to muster up the energy/creative juices to write these blogs. Most of the time I feel like I’ve actually ran out of wit (it’s questionable whether I had it in the first place). I guess I’d describe myself as, well witless. But in the words of Magnus Magnussen (yes he was a little before my time, yes I know who he was, and yes he did say it first), “I’ve started so I’ll finish”.

Only a week after parkrunathon, on June 8th, Becca and I embarked on a journey up to Druridge Bay. We actually decided on this one as there was a Saturn Running event following the parkrun which Becca signed us both up to volunteer for. Anyone who is familiar with the 9th of June will know this was the day before the infamous Blaydon Race. And with plans to go for a PB at Blaydon, I decided to run at a super easy pace at the parkrun. Thankfully, I came across a lovely lady at the start line who was aiming for a sub-31 time. Enter Rosie the pacer. I usually get carried away when I tell myself to take it easy, so this made sure that I actually took it at a steadier pace. So my stats do look a bit different than usual.

My stats

• Time: 31:01 minutes*
• Position: 113 / 170
• Female position: 35th
• Age category position (SW25-29): 2nd
• Age-graded score: 47.72%

*my watch did record 30:59 so I consider that to be a pacing success!

Course location: 4/5

Thankfully I had been to Druridge Bay before for the north Eastern cross country harrier league, so I knew the area relatively well. But even with the postcode and the trusty satnav, we made it safely to the main car park adjacent to the visitor centre. Unfortunately, the closest parkrun filled up quickly so we had to park in the over flow car park. TOP TIP: if you put a spare barcode in the window of the car, you do get free parking. We did pay for the parking, but that was only because we were staying for the full day for the Saturn Running Event.

A quick warm-up jog from the carpark to the visitor centre and a nervous pee later, we were there for the route debrief and milestone announcements. The route doesn’t start exactly at the visitor centre but just a couple hundred yards down the path, and you’re walked down there by the friendly marshals. And when in doubt, just follow the crowd of runners.

The route is two large laps of Ladyburn lake, finishing at the visitor centre. The day we chose to do this parkrun was horribly wet and dreary, but on a good day, it would be a very beautiful parkrun. And in close vicinity to the beach, you could tie this parkrun in with a beach-day (if you check out the weather forecast beforehand).

Difficulty: 2/5

With a total of 59ft elevation gain, it’s another beautifully flat course. I think that 59 feet is in just one hill (can we even call it that?) about 2/3rds of the way around the lap, which is up and around a sharp corner, and (obviously) run up twice. The only reason I didn’t give this a 1/5 is the terrain….it’s a very mixed terrain with mixture of tarmac and trail paths. The trail paths can be a little tough on the ankles at times, but I would recommend road shoes over trail shoes for this one.

I know I have already discussed laps before, but I have recently spoken to another runner who starts further back than me and it has slightly changed my perspective on them a little. They definitely have their down-sides, but they also have some benefits. More than 2 laps, and it feels like a mentally tough run, but only 1 large lap can feel a little lonely for people who start at the back of the pack. And parkrun is all about community. With 2 laps, you know exactly what you’ve got left to do, you can pace yourself accordingly, and you know when it is time to speed up for your sprint finish. So my personal consensus (it’s like an internal argument sometimes!), is that 2 laps is a very happy medium.

Enjoyability: 4/5

I really loved the route of this parkrun; Ladyburn Lake is a really picturesque lake so it does make for a very pleasant run. There are some twists and turns in the woods which give you a lovely sense of freedom, even though you’re on a specified route. The bridge across part of the lake also adds a little variety too. There’s not much more I can say about the enjoyability of this one, it’s just a very nice parkrun!  

Overall rating: 4/5

Druridge Bay is a bit out of the way for a lot of people, but if you’re looking for a flat, picturesque and interesting parkrun, it’s worth travelling to. It’s definitely on my favourite parkrun tourism list. With it being so close to the beach, it would be lovely to come back to this one and spend some time by the sea. Maybe with a post-parkrun picnic. Maybe you could have a dip in the North Sea (if you’re into that sort of thing!).