Gibside parkun

Saturday 20th July

Over half way through the year now and we’re over half way to reaching our target of running all of the parkruns in the North East of England (provided they don’t add substantially more that is!). Number 18 on the list was Gibside parkrun. There’s no real order to these parkruns, when we’re not racing and worrying about parkrun elevations and overexertion, we tend to make our minds up on which one we’ll do next by spinning around and blindly pointing to somewhere on the map (a bit like pin the tail on the donkey!).  Me and Becca were joined at Gibside parkrun by the third member of our newly formed running team currently known as “The perspiring Elizabeths”… because the sweaty betty’s were already taken.

 We turned up to a glorious morning at Gibside to find that it isn’t a particularly popular one. It seemed that the sun had brought a few more people out than usual, but at 73, it’s still far off what we have experienced at other parkruns. There is a reason for this, but I’ll touch on that in the course difficulty section. For those who’ve been to Gibside, you’ll know exactly what I am referring to.

My stats:

• Time: 27:57
• Overall position: 22/73
• Female position: 2nd
• Category position (SW30-34): 1st
• Age graded score: 52.95%

Course location: 4/5

You can’t really go wrong finding Gibside parkrun. With it being a National Trust property, you can simply follow the sign posts to the carpark. A satnav would equally get you exactly to the point where you can park and walk up to the start.

There is a bit of a hike up a hill from the carpark to the start, but I guess that is good to warm up your glutes and it also kind of prepares you for what is to come. Most people seem to just gather around the café before the newbies debrief at the map and then taken down to the official start.

Gibside are absolutely beautiful grounds to walk around let alone run around. There are some really lovely trails to lose yourself in.  Mentally of course. I’d worry if I actually got physically lost in the woods there. Probably wouldn’t know how to get out. Thankfully, I was in the middle of the field so I just had to follow the others.

Course difficulty: 5/5

Good Lord! I don’t think I’ve ran up hills like that since I did the North East Harrier League, and even then I don’t think they were as bad as this! According to my trusty elevation profile website (https://jegmar.com/stats-hq/fastest-races/parkrun/), it is the 14th hilliest parkrun in the UK, and 2nd in the North East (I am even less looking forward to Flatt’s Lane now!).

It’s a bit of an odd route, there’s no laps as such. It’s pretty much an out, a loop around the top with its own little out and back and then back the way you came. The garmin map above might explain that one a little better.

It’s mainly trail paths, which is not too bad on the ankles. I’ll take it over cross-country, but I imagine it could get a little tougher in the winter months. Makes me wonder if there are any parkruns that end on a track…? Would be lovely for a bouncy sprint finish.

Enjoyability: 3.5/5

I mean, it’s a really beautiful parkrun, and it’s fun running through the trails around the grounds. But the hills absolutely take it out of you. They’re hellish, I even walked up a small portion of the last hill! I don’t think I’ve ever wanted to see a turning point cone so much!

But what goes up, must come down and with the final mile entirely down-hill, you really do feel like flying.

The mini-out and back at the top does seem to go on for forever too. You do start seeing people coming back down the route and you think you must be close to the top of the hill and the turning point, but it does feel a lot further away than it probably is.

I am definitely glad for the lack of laps on this one. If anyone asked me to run up that hill more than once, I think I may bat them across the head with my new running trainers! It is an interesting route, and the grounds are lovely to walk around after the run.

Overall experience: 3.5/5

It’s really hard to not give this one a 4/5 when the hills are as beastly as they are. But you can’t take away from the fact that you’re in a beautiful national trust property and you’re taking on some really lovely trails. Take 100ft off the total elevation and I’d be happier haha!

We did get to enjoy some drinks/food at the café after the run too. But do be warned, get your order in quick, as we did have to wait close to 45 minutes for a sausage butty.