When: November 17th 2019
Where: Fulham, London, UK
Course: Twisty turny on-road route around Waltham Green, Fulham and Parson’s Green including a loop of Stamford Bridge stadium. Start and end at Eel Brook Common.
Other routes touched: None
Finish time: 54 minutes
When: October 27th 2019
Where: Saltram National Trust, Plymouth, Devon, UK
Course: Figure of 8 around the grounds of the National Trust property including a stretch of the River Plym embankment.
Other routes touched (walk): None
Other routes touched (cycle): NCN 2,27
Finish time: 65 minutes (due to being massively hung over)
After 291 parkruns, including 154 different locations, I finally cracked the Alphabet challenge. This is the Holy Grail for many parkrun obsessives, especially those in the parkrun Tourist community. I’d heard about it since I started parkrun 6 years ago, but with a lot fewer events at the time it was really hard. By the time I’d done 100 different events, I’d ticked off 21 letters without any targeted Alphabet bagging. All that remained were I, J, Y and Z. As there’s no X anywhere in the world, it doesn’t count (yet).
With 4 left to go I was now on a mission. At the time there were only 2 "I" parkruns in the country: Inverness and Ipswich. I very nearly did Inverness on our LEJOG adventure but decided against a run that day as we had 105 miles to cycle. A parkrun would have added an extra 5 miles and have delayed our cycle for 2 hours. It wasn’t going to happen. By the time I was planning my trip to Ipswich, a new event called Isabel Trail popped up in Stafford and I pounced on that one.
A weekend trip to Jersey bagged me the J and I got the island’s Half Marathon in on the same weekend. If I’d waited a year I could have used the new Jersey Farm event for my J and avoided a flight. I’m glad I did it though. It gave us a great weekend away and also contributed to my Channel Islands Regionnaire. Y was a relatively easy one. I had the choice of York and Yeovil Montacute. I chose the latter as we were visiting friends in Somerset so Yeovil was a short drive from there.
Then there was Z. Scroll down for the end of the story ……
… that i had completed by the time I achieved my first alphabet.
Aberystwyth, Abingdon, Aldenham, Ally Pally, Armagh, Aylesbury
Ballincollig, Banbury, Banstead Woods, Barclay, Barking, Basingstoke, Beckenham Place, Beckton, Bedfont Lakes, Bedford, Bethlem Royal Hospital, Bexley, Bicester Black Park, Bracknell, Brockwell, Bromley, Brooklands, Bryn Bach, Buckingham, Burgess, Bushy Park
California Country, Cannon Hill, Canons Park, Cassiobury, Castle Park, Catford, Cheltenham, Clair, Clapham Common, Crane Park, Cranleigh, Crissy Field Crystal Palace
Dartford, Dartford Heath, Didcot, Dinton Pastures, Dolgellau, Dulwich, Dunstable Downs
Fell Foot, Finsbury Park, Foots Cray Meadows, Frimley Lodge, Fulham Palace,
Gadebridge, Gladstone, Great Denham, Greenwich, Grovelands, Guernsey, Guildford, Gunnersbury, Gunpowder
Hackney Marshes, Hampstead Heath, Hanworth, Harcourt Hill, Harrow, Harrow Lodge, Hazelwood, Heartwood Forest, Henley-on-Thames, Hereford, Higginson Marlow, Highbury Fields, Hilly Fields, Hoblingwell, Homewood, Horsham, Houghton Hall
Maidenhead, Mile End, Millennium Country, Milton Keynes, Mole Valley
Oak Hill, Old Deer Park, Ormeau, Orpington, Osterley, Oxford
Raphael, Reading, Reigate Priory, Richmond Park, Rickmansworth, Riddlesdown, Roding Valley, Roundshaw Downs, Rushmere, Rushmoor
Severn Bridge, Shrewsbury, South Norwood, South Oxhey, Southwark, Squerreys Winery, St Albans, Stevenage, Sunny Hill, Swindon
Tetbury Goods Shed, Thetford, Tilgate, Tooting Common, Tring
Walthamstow, Wanstead Flats, Warszawa-Praga, Wendover Woods, Westmill, Wimbledon Common, Witney, Woking, Woodley, Worcester, Wormwood Scrubs, Wycombe Rye
Note that Yeovil Montacute has been permanently cancelled. It was one of the events that didn’t come out of the other side of the Covid pause. York, Yarborough Leisure Centre, Y Promenâd parkrun, Aberhonddu, and Y Promenâd, Abermaw are now the UK’s 4 Ys
Completed: 19th October 2019
Time: 25:47
This was my second attempt at completing my Alphabet at Malbork. The first try was at the end of August. My parkrun mates and I had been trying to find a mutually convenient date all year. It looked like it wasn’t going to happen but then we found a date that would work as long as we were back by Saturday night before the wives had noticed we were missing.
This would be an especially important trip for Mark. He had come to parkun a bit later and had set himself the challenge of achieving the alphabet in his first 25 events. He claims that he was the first man and second human to have done this.
Shortly before the weekend came I had to make a last minute work trip to New Jersey. I had booked an overnight flight back to London to land at 10:00 on Friday morning. This would give me 3 hours before Neil would need to pick me up for our drive to Luton for the Wizz Air flight to Gdańsk.
After a nightmare trip out to New Jersey I decided that I needed a bit of extra contingency. I paid an extra £300 to get the earlier flight back which would give me another 3 hours. That was plenty of time to make the afternoon flight. What could go wrong?
Lots as it turned out. The combination of a broken plane, a storm and general ineptitude by United meant I was trapped in Newark Airport for 27 hours. I finally landed at Heathrow 23 hours late at 06:30 on Saturday morning. I’d long since missed my opportunity to get to Poland. The faint silver lining was that I didn’t have to miss parkrun altogether. I was still able to get home, get changed and get to Bedford to complete my Bedfordshire County collection.
Seeing how annoyed I was about missing my Malbork trip, Timea (wife) offered to come with me on my second attempt. This was a big deal as she has a general disinterest in running except that it gives her an extra few hours sleep on a Saturday. The following few weeks were a mixture of fighting with United for compensation and planning the return trip.
I’d lost faith in things going to plan after a Summer of flight delays and cancellations. I was checking the parkrun website every day for the 2 weeks leading up to it to make sure it wasn’t cancelled. As it happened all went to plan. The flight was on time, none of the usual nonsense from the rental car company and the hotel was just what we needed.
There were 43 parkrunners there that morning. 11 were locals and 32 were Brits like me who had flown over for the event. Any town with a park that begins with a Z (and definitely those with an X) will do very well from tourist income.
The run itself was great: a simple out and back course along the River Nogat next to the Castle. Once I was finished I popped back to the hotel to wake up the wife, have a quick shower then back to the castle for breakfast. The castle is also a UNESCO World Heritage site so it also gave me a tick on that list too.
There's a few options for a Z in Poland, and several in other countries too. Zamek w Malborku is a really great option for a relatively easy trip from the UK and plenty of other things to do for a weekend away.
parkruns are free, weekly, community 5k events all around the world. I started in December 2012 and have been obsessive about it ever since. See my parkrun Collection page for details.
Featured and popular parkrun posts:
There are currently 25 parkrun events in present-day Kent of which I have done 17. The first was Whitstable which started on November 6th 2010 and the newest is Dover Waterfront which started on September 9th 2023.
The Historic County of Kent has a further 14 events, totaling 39. These 14 are now part of Greater London. Both Bethlem Royal Hospital and Crystal Palace cross the Surrey/Kent border but are mostly in Historic Kent.
Completing all of the parkruns events in Kent is often called being “A Complete Kent”. “A Complete Kent +” would be completing all events in the Historic County of Kent, including those now in Greater London. For the absolute completists there’s also the “Complete Kent ++” which includes the 4 parkrun events in Essex and 2 in East Sussex whose Voronoi area extends into Kent. Scroll down for more on this. An alternative completion name is “Gar-Done of England”.
The interactive maps below take you to the approximate location for the course, typically the centre of the park. See the course instructions in the parkrun page for each event for specific directions to the start. Course maps show the route at the time that I ran it and may have changed since then.
I have not yet completed this event
Inaugural: October 26th 2013
Links: Event Home Page, Course Page, blog7t write-up
I completed this event on: January 22nd 2022 with a finish time of: 26:23
Other routes touched: Bedgebury Pinetum Mountain Bike Routes
Inaugural: March 19th 2016
Links: Event Home Page, Course Page, blog7t write-up
I have not yet completed this event
Inaugural: March 15th 2014
Links: Event Home Page, Course Page, blog7t write-up
I completed this event on: March 19th 2022 with a finish time of: 26:23
Other routes touched (Cycle): NCN 177
Inaugural: June 20th 2019
Links: Event Home Page, Course Page, blog7t write-up
I completed this event on: December 22nd 2018 with a finish time of: 29:06
Other routes touched (walk): Darent Valley Path
Other routes touched (cycle): NCN 125
This event is also part of LonDone +
Inaugural: June 26th 2014
Links: Event Home Page, Course Page, blog7t write-up
I completed this event on: December 15th 2018 with a finish time of: 29:02
Other routes touched: N/A
This event is also part of LonDone +
Inaugural: May 12th 2018
Links: Event Home Page, Course Page, blog7t write-up
I have not yet completed this event
Inaugural: September 9th 2023
Links: Event Home Page, Course Page, blog7t write-up
I have not yet completed this event
Inaugural: August 16th 2014
Links: Event Home Page, Course Page, blog7t write-up
I completed this event on: March 23rd 2024 with a finish time of: 28:44
Other routes touched: Saxon Shore Way
Inaugural: September 28th 2013
Links: Event Home Page, Course Page, blog7t write-up
I completed this event on: February 1st 2020 with a finish time of: 27:10
Other routes touched: N/A
Inaugural: April 27th 2019
Links: Event Home Page, Course Page, blog7t write-up
Formerly Malling parkun, but changed its name in October 2024 to avoid confusion with Malling Rec in Sussex.
I completed this event on: April 2nd 2022 with a finish time of: 25:29
Other routes touched: None
Inaugural: October 3rd 2015
Links: Event Home Page, Course Page, blog7t write-up
I completed this event on: November 2nd 2019 with a finish time of: 31:17
Other routes touched: N/A
Inaugural: April 11th 2015
Links: Event Home Page, Course Page, blog7t write-up
Formerly just called Maidstone parkrun
I completed this event on: April 9th 2022 with a finish time of: 25:46
Other routes touched (walk): KCC Centenary Walk
Inaugural: April 13th 2013
Links: Event Home Page, Course Page, blog7t write-up
I completed this event on: January 4th 2020 with a finish time of: 27:02
Other routes touched (cycle): NCN 15, Viking Coastal Trail
Inaugural: April 27th 2013
Links: Event Home Page, Course Page, blog7t write-up
I have not yet completed this event
Inaugural: June 4th 2022
Links: Event Home Page, Course Page, blog7t write-up
I have not yet completed this event
Inaugural: May 11th 2013
Links: Event Home Page, Course Page, blog7t write-up
I completed this event on: 29th January 2022 with a finish time of: 27:27
Other routes touched: None
Inaugural: April 26th 2014
Links: Event Home Page, Course Page, blog7t write-up
I completed this event on: March 26th 2022 with a finish time of: 26:14
Other routes touched: Several trails inside the country park
Inaugural: March 30th 2013
Links: Event Home Page, Course Page, blog7t write-up
I have not yet completed this event
Inaugural: February 27th 2016
Links: Event Home Page, Course Page, blog7t write-up
I completed this event on: October 12th 2019 with a finish time of: 26:55
Other routes touched: N/A
Inaugural: September 14th 2019
Links: Event Home Page, Course Page, blog7t write-up
I completed this event on: December 18th 2021 with a finish time of: 25:25
Other routes touched: None
This event is also part of LonDone +
Inaugural: October 23rd 2021
Links: Event Home Page, Course Page, blog7t write-up
I completed this event on: August 12th 2023 with a finish time of: 28:06
Other routes touched: England Coast Path
Inaugural: September 28th 2019
Links: Event Home Page, Course Page, blog7t write-up
I completed this event on: 15th January 2022 with a finish time of: 26:13
Other routes touched (walk): Weald Way, Eden Valley Walk, The Tudor Trail
Other routes touched (cycle): NCN 12
Inaugural: November 9th 2013
Links: Event Home Page, Course Page, blog7t write-up
I have not yet completed this event
Inaugural: September 15th 2019
Links: Event Home Page, Course Page, blog7t write-up
I completed this event on: 3rd August 2024 with a finish time of: 28:35
Other routes touched (Walk): Saxon Shore Way
Other routes touched (Cycle): NCN 15: Viking Way
Inaugural: November 6th 2010
Links: Event Home Page, Course Page, blog7t write-up
See the LonDone blog post for maps and stats for these:
* The Bethlem Royal Hospital Crystal Palace courses are partly in Historic Surrey and mostly in Historic Kent
Once you’ve completed all of the parkrun events in Historic Kent the icing on the cake is to complete the 4 parkrun events in Essex and 2 in East Sussex whose Voronoi area extends into Kent. Note that different parkrun apps have slightly different calculations for their Voronoi maps. For this page I’ve used the Voronoi map from the Running Challenges Chrome Extension.
In the images below the light blue polygon is the non-Kent parkrun event whose Voronoi area extends into Kent. The red line is the county border.
parkruns are free, weekly, community 5k events all around the world. I started in December 2012 and have been obsessive about it ever since. See my parkrun Collection page for details.
Featured and popular parkrun posts:
When: October 13th 2019
Where: Dorney Lake, Berkshire, UK
Course: Flat 2 laps of the main rowing lake. Also a Half Marathon option for 4 laps.
Other routes touched: None
Finish time: 53 minutes
There are currently 7 parkrun events in present-day Bedfordshire. The first was Bedford which started on June 11th 2011 and the newest is Henlow Bridge Lakes which started on September 25th 2021. The name for having completed all parkrun events in the county is “Made the Beds”
I first completed the county on August 24th 2019 at Bedford.
Note that the address for Rushmere parkrun is in Bedfordshire but the whole of the parkrun course is in Buckinghamshire so I have listed it there.
The interactive maps below take you to the approximate location for the course, typically the centre of the park. See the course instructions in the parkrun page for each event for specific directions to the start. Course maps show the route at the time that I ran it and may have changed since then.
I completed this event on: August 24th 2019 with a finish time of: 26:06
Other routes touched (walk): John Bunyan Trail
Inaugural: June 11th 2011
Links: Event Home Page, Course Page, blog7t write-up
I completed this event on: May 18th 2019 with a finish time of: 28:35
Other routes touched (walk): Icknield Way, Chiltern Way
Other routes touched (cycle): Icknield Way Trail
This event is also part of Chilterns parkrun
Inaugural: February 23rd 2019
Links: Event Home Page, Course Page, blog7t write-up
I completed this event on: July 27th 2019 with a finish time of: 25:50
Other routes touched (walk): Ouse Valley Way
Inaugural: February 17th 2018
Links: Event Home Page, Course Page, blog7t write-up
I completed this event on: November 6th 2021 with a finish time of: 26:47
Other routes touched (walk): Hicca Way, Kingfisher Way
Other routes touched (cycle): none but NCN 12 runs past the entrance.
Inaugural: September 18th 2021
Links: Event Home Page, Course Page, blog7t write-up
I completed this event on: New Year’s Day 2018 with a finish time of: 27:02
Other routes touched (cycle): NCN 6
This event is also part of Chilterns parkrun
Inaugural: December 23rd 2017
Links: Event Home Page, Course Page, blog7t write-up
I completed this event on: April 15th 2017 with a finish time of: 26:51
Other routes touched (walk): Lee Valley Trail
Other routes touched (cycle): N/A, but the Western edge of the course runs close to a parallel with NCN 6
This event is also part of Chilterns parkrun
Inaugural: April 18th 2015
Links: Event Home Page, Course Page, blog7t write-up
I completed this event on: July 16th 2019 with a finish time of: 26:09
Other routes touched (cycle): NCN 5
Inaugural: March 23rd 2019
Links: Event Home Page, Course Page, blog7t write-up
Actual course outlines for the parkrun events in present-day Bedfordshire.
parkruns are free, weekly, community 5k events all around the world. I started in December 2012 and have been obsessive about it ever since. See my parkrun Collection page for details.
Featured and popular parkrun posts:
There are currently 12 parkrun events in present-day Oxfordshire. The first was Abingdon which started on May 7th 2011 and the newest is University Parks which started on February 5th 2022.
Three events in present-day Oxfordshire: Harcourt Hill, Didcot and Grove Fields, were part of Historic Berkshire. Abingdon gets an honorable mention as, although it was in Historic Oxfordshire, there’s a small section by Abingdon Lock that was in Historic Berkshire.
I first completed the county on July 6th 2019 at Linford Wood.
The interactive maps below take you to the approximate location for the course, typically the centre of the park. See the course instructions in the parkrun page for each event for specific directions to the start. Course maps show the route at the time that I ran it and may have changed since then.
I completed this event on: March 16th 2019 with a finish time of: 25:38
Other routes touched (walk): Thames Path, Oxford Green Belt Way
A small section of the course at Abingdon Lock was in Historic Berkshire
Historic County: Oxfordshire
Inaugural: May 7th 2011
Links: Event Home Page, Course Page
I completed this event on: July 6th 2019 with a finish time of: 26:08
Other routes touched (walk): N/A, although the Western edge goes very to close, and parallel with, the Oxford Canal Walk
Historic County: Oxfordshire
Inaugural: September 27th 2014
Links: Event Home Page, Course Page
I completed this event on: January 27th 2018 with a finish time of: 25:15
Other routes touched (cycle): NCN 51
Historic County: Oxfordshire
Inaugural: April 16th 2016
Links: Event Home Page, Course Page
I completed this event on: December 14th 2019 with a finish time of: 28:13
Other routes touched (walk): Shakespeare’s Way
Historic County: Oxfordshire
Inaugural: December 14th 2019
Links: Event Home Page, Course Page
I completed this event on: February 9th 2019 with a finish time of: 24:48
Other routes touched (cycle): NCN 5
Historic County: Berkshire
Inaugural: February 21st 2015
Links: Event Home Page, Course Page
I completed this event on: September 11th 2021 with a finish time of: 24:53
Other routes touched (walk): Wilts and Berks Canal Towpath
Historic County: Berkshire
Inaugural: August 21st 2021
Links: Event Home Page, Course Page
I completed this event on: February 16th 2019 with a finish time of: 24:55
Other routes touched (walk): Ramblers’ Jubilee Circular Walk
Historic County: Berkshire
Inaugural: October 18th 2014
Links: Event Home Page, Course Page
I completed this event on: August 19th 2017 with a finish time of: 28:57
Other routes touched: N/A
This event is also part of Chilterns parkrun
Historic County: Oxfordshire
Inaugural: July 1st 2017
Links: Event Home Page, Course Page, blog7t write-up
I completed this event on: September 18th 2021 with a finish time of: 24:44
Other routes touched (cycle): None, however NCN 57 runs past the entrance and parallel to the southern edge of the course.
Historic County: Oxfordshire
Inaugural: August 14st 2021
Links: Event Home Page, Course Page
I first completed this event on: Christmas Day 2017 with a finish time of: 26:17
Other routes touched (cycle): NCN 51
Historic County: Oxfordshire
Inaugural: November 5th 2011
Links: Event Home Page, Course Page
I first completed this event on: March 5th 2022 with a finish time of: 25:18
Other routes touched: None, although NCN 51 runs parallel to the western edge of the route.
Historic County: Oxfordshire
Inaugural: February 5th 2022
Links: Event Home Page, Course Page
I completed this event on: June 29th 2019 with a finish time of: 25:56
Other routes touched (cycle): NCN 57
Historic County: Oxfordshire
Inaugural: March 10th 2018
Links: Event Home Page, Course Page
Actual course outlines for the parkrun events in present-day Oxfordshire.
parkruns are free, weekly, community 5k events all around the world. I started in December 2012 and have been obsessive about it ever since. See my parkrun Collection page for details.
Featured and popular parkrun posts:
When: June 30th 2019
Where: Eton Riverside, Berkshire, UK
Course: Out and back from The Brocas park at Eton with a large loop at Eton Wick and a small loop at the start and end.
Other routes touched: Thames Path, NCN 4
Finish time: 52 minutes
This was a fun 10k with a difference. The route was mainly along the Thames Path between Eton and Dorney chasing 1 of 5 pacer boats down the river. I was aiming for the 55 boat but I got overexcited when I overtook the 50 boat with 1 mile to go. I thought I'd smashed it but didn't realise that the final half km was a lap of the big field at the finish, so the 50 boat caught up. I still beat the 55 boat with 3 minutes to spare.
When: June 8th 2019
From: Bird In Hand Farm, Whiteshill, Stroud
To: Broadway Tower, Middle Hill, Broadway, WR12 7LB
Distance: 84.5 km (52.5 miles)
Elevation Change: +1,939m / -1,880m. Net +59m
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other routes touched (walk): Bruce Trail Friendship Trail, Wysis Way, Gustaf Holst Way, Gloucestershire Way, Cheltenham Circular Footpath, Wynchcombe Way, Isbourne Way, Warden’s Way, Wychavon Way (old), Windrush Way, Donnington Way, Wyche Way
Other routes touched (cycle): None
Maps: OS Explorer OL45 The Cotswold Map and OS Explorer 179 Gloucester, Cheltenham & Stroud
Guidebook: The Cotswold Way National Trail Guidebook & Map Booklet - Cicerone
Trig Pillars: The Ring Trig Pillar on Trigpointing, Haresfield Beacon Trig Pillar on Trigpointing
Finish time: 14 hours 47 minutes
Links: Cotswold Way, Cotswolds AONB, Stroud, Painswick, Great Witcombe, Cleeve Hill Common, Winchcombe, Broadway, Broadway Tower
I wasn’t really up for this one. On previous Ultras I’d been mentally in top form, over excited and raring to go. I’d done my usual zero training, so no change there. What was different this time was that I also didn’t feel that I’d got enough rest or nutrition. Those were both my “keys to success” and I’d done neither. The problem was that Tower is renowned as being the toughest of the Race To The series.
Race To The Tower is 10 miles shorter than the Race to the Stones but it's significantly hillier. I got a reminder of this as my train pulled into Stroud through a steep valley. It was raining too. Booking a hotel right next to the train station was too tempting. I could just get on the first train back in the morning and not worry about it.
The thing is: that’s not me. I love Ultras and I never give up. It was still drizzling in the morning, but I woke up with my normal sense of puppy-like excitement. This would be an awesome day.
It was.
In the taxi ride to the start line I remembered my first Ultra. Back then I had absolutely no idea whether I could go that distance. It didn’t help that everyone I spoke to was on their 5th or more Ultra. The biggest tip that one of them told me that day was to run your own race. Don't change your plan on the day just because you’ve heard that someone else does it differently. Don’t worry about how fast, slow or gracefully other people are running. Just do your thing. I’ve always remembered that and it always works.
I was feeling good that I was now one of those that had done 5 Ultras. Then I met Gobi Man. Not only was this one of a long chain of Ultras, he’d also done several multi-day runs abroad. He’d done Marathon de Sables, a Peruvian Amazon Rain Forest Run and this race was just a warm up for a seven day Gobi race. I made a note of the company that runs these events (don’t tell my wife).
Suddenly it was race time and I snuck into an earlier wave to get off 10 minutes earlier. As usual I’d prepared a spreadsheet with detailed minutes-per-mile and checkpoint locations. After a few years of over-optimistic planning I’d refined my pace and stuck to 12 minute miles for the first half-marathon distance. After that I would drop a minute per mile every 10 miles.
As with previous Ultras, Timi (the wife) and my mum were my Support Crew. They drove to the Cotswolds late morning to meet me half-way. By then I was already an hour ahead of plan so we met further along the route. By then the damp start and a few misjudged puddles had soaked my trainers so my feet needed some attention. As much as Timi complains about the madness of the big runs, she does an outstanding job of patching me up and feeding me. It’s always a massive motivation to see both of them in the tough final stages.
The Cotswolds Way is stunning. Ultras tend to be in interesting areas but this was exceptionally beautiful. I love the UK National Trails and an Ultra is a great way to fully experience them. The varying terrain keeps you focused and helps you to be fully present in the environment in a way that road running often can’t. I did listen to some podcasts along the way, but for the majority of the 15 hours out there I was in "The Zone", fully present in the race.
I was surprised to see Gobi Man when I overtook him at mile 40. He’d started in the Wave before me and I’d assumed that he’d already be a couple of hours ahead. It turned out that he’d taken a wrong junction and gone 2km in the wrong direction. After that he’d lost his mojo and was having a tougher race. I felt bad for him but it secretly made me feel good about my own efforts.
In stark contrast to the evening before I felt on top form throughout the race. Even the long lonely twilight stretches were fine. These are the bits that can wear you down. Runners are now well spaced-out and you can go for a long time without seeing anyone. The long flat section towards Broadway was actually a bit of a slog. I could see Broadway Tower in the far distance from about 8 miles out. It didn’t seem too far but the final part was a curve into the town so it didn’t get closer for a few miles.
By Broadway it was fully dark and running through the High Street was a highlight. It’s a pretty village in daylight and magical when lit up at night. It was a warm Summer evening and the outside dining areas were packed. The claps and cheers of encouragement were much needed.
Just past the High Street it got quiet and dark again. The route turned right off the road and into fields again. This was the final mile and it was a bastard. There was no gentle finish, just a seemingly endless climb up to the top of the hill. Timi and mum had been there for half an hour. I was still 45 minutes ahead of time but slowing down. Finally, at the top of the hill and through the trees, the Broadway Tower appeared, lit up in lime green and marking the end of the double marathon. Timi was there at the final 100 metres and joined me to cross the finish line.
It’s a very different feeling crossing finish lines now. I used to get a wave of emotion about finishing something I didn’t think I could do. Now it’s not about proving anything so the feeling is more about satisfaction, enjoyment, excitement and just a bit of being absolutely bloody knackered.
Related Posts:
When: June 2nd 2019
Where: West Wycombe, Buckinghamshire
Course: Very hilly trail route on the West Wycombe Park Estate
Other routes touched: River Wye, Wycombe Half Marathon Route
Finish time: 65 minutes
When: May 27th 2019
Where: London, UK
Course: Flat, on-road out and back (ish) from The Mall taking in Trafalgar Square, The Strand, Chancery Lane, St Pauls, Bank of England, Whitehall, Westminster Square and Birdcage Walk
Other routes touched (walk): Jubilee Walkway
Finish time: 52.5 minutes
When: May 4th 2019
Where: Santiago de Compostela, Galicia, Spain
Course: Road and cobbles meandering route. Start in the Old Town in front of the Convent of San Francisco, heading out North for a loop around the University, loop in the Parque Alameda and a final 3k in the Old Town to finish in front of the Cathedral.
Other routes touched: End points of all of the Caminos de Santiago
Finish time: 58 minutes
On April 6th 2019 I completed my 50th Half Marathon. Here’s what it looked like …
Last: Prague
Fastest: Oxford (1:46)
Slowest: Bledlow Ridge (2:46)
Average: 2:00
Average excluding hilly trails: 1:58
Flattest: Silverstone (+/-81 m)
Hilliest: Bledlow Ridge (+/- 603m)
Favourite: Prague
Least Favourite: Ealing
See the Run Index page for links to blog posts on all 50 courses.
Numbers by region
46 Half Marathons in South England
All 50 courses from #1: Broloppet top left to #50: Prague bottom right.
When: April 6th 2019
Where: Prague, Czech Republic
Course: Single circuit loop next to / near the river Vlatava starting and finishing at the Rudolfinum (Prague 1) extending South to Lihovar and North to Libeňský most.
Other routes touched: Svatojakubská Cesta, Česko střed, Cycle routes X1, VCC, A2, A13, A15, A24, A254
Finish time: 1 hour 57 minutes
The idea for "50 Half Marathons before I'm 50" came to me in 2015. I was on a year-long series of challenges to mark my 40th birthday and to raise money for charity in memory of my Dad. By the end of they year I'd racked up a total of 24 Halfs. It didn't take very complicated maths to work out I'd only need to do 3 more per year to reach 50 before my 50th birthday.
The rules were pretty simple. They had to be organised Half Marathon events and a different one every time. Now that I had a mission, I focused on finding mostly local ones on weekends when we didn't have much else planned. I'd got the routine down to a fine art: arrive an hour before the race; use the toilets before the queues formed and they got rancid; pick up my race number; buy a coffee; do a token 3 minutes of stretching and then we were off.
With a large number of races there were the inevitable mix of highs and lows. Some were fast, flat city courses like Bristol, Bath and Southampton. Some were boring: on forgettable residential streets like Ealing and [...so boring I forget the rest]. Others were fun, tough trail events like Marlborough and Dunstable Downs.
I've never been concerned about speed so my finish times were quite a mix. My fastest was Oxford at 1:46 and slowest was an hour slower on the muddy and hilly Bledlow Ridge. My average was around 1:55 but anything below 2 hours was something to be happy with.
By my 40th event at Harpenden I was starting to think about how to celebrate my 50th. I was doing far more than 3 per year so I would overachieve my target by 6 years. It needed to be something special. It needed to be Prague.
Prague will always have a special place in my heart. I lived there for 2 and a half years in my early twenties. I loved it. So much so that when I returned to the UK I had a real problem adjusting to normal life. I kept returning for 5 years to see friends and attempt to keep up my life there. Around 2007 I decided I needed a clean break from Prague so that I could move on. Twelve years went by and I rarely thought about the place.
When I realised that my 50th half would coincide with the 20th anniversary of my first time in Prague it was obvious to me that I had to return. The place that once gave me such a deep and mixed range of emotions now only gave me excitement about the prospect of returning.
I was woke up early on the day of the event. There had been a bit of confusion in the previous few weeks about whether I could pick up my race number on the day. After a few email exchanges with the organisers where it first appeared that I definitely couldn't pick it up, it turned out that I definitely could. The downside was that the pick up point was the Prague Exhibition Centre which was nowhere near the start line.
The extra adventure of finding the Exhibition Centre was a blessing in disguise. It was a beautiful morning and the walk there was the start of a flood of memories coming back to me. I got a bit emotional at the start line. Part of it was the prospect of being on the brink of completing a big challenge milestone. Mostly it was the overwhelming tide of positive memories. I'd spend months exploring the city in my early twenties and knew every inch of it. The main thing I noticed on the walk to the start line was that nothing had changed. It looked exactly the same.
The biggest emotional anchor for me was when they played Vltava by Smetana over the speaker system in the last few minutes before the start. Czech Airways used to play it as I landed at Prague airport on business trips. It was the track that told me that I was home and in my happy place.
The first 3 km followed the Vltava embankment South to Podskalí. My old apartment was in this district and this was a route I'd walked (staggered) many times, mostly drunk after a night out in the centre. The route first crossed the river at Palackého bridge, taking in a loop past the Staropramen Brewery at Smíchov. At 6 km the route doubled back on itself and headed North. Having taken nearly 8 minutes to cross the finish line I'd had the 2-hour pacers in my sights and overtook them on the bend. I worked out that I was only 4 minutes behind the 1:50 pacers and I was determined to catch them up.
The route passed close to the start/finish line at Rudofinum. Two minutes after I passed it the race winners were on the home straight. The winner, Benard Kimeli, completed the race in 59:05, twice as fast as my time. This was a tougher stretch for me. The sun had come out and it and there was the downer of running away from the finish line. The thoughts it had of a close-to PB time I had in the first half quickly vanished. I dug out my emergency Haribo and pushed on.
Despite being roasting hot, the second half was an interesting part of the route. Whereas the first half was on territory that I knew well from my previous life in Prague, I didn't know this part. At 15 km the route crossed back over the river and heading back South toward the finish. I'd already given up on trying to catch up with the 1:50 pacers but I hadn't expected to get overtaken by the 2-hour pacer in he final 1 km. I definitely wasn't that slow and I worked out that I was still well under 2 hours due to the time it took to cross the start line. Even so, I wasn't going to let the 2-hour guy overtake me. I found a bit of extra energy and sped up to pass him.
The end came suddenly. I was still concentrating on keeping ahead of the pacer and hadn't realised how close I was to the end after crossing the final bridge. After a sharp left turn at Jan Palach Square the finish line was right in front of me. I looked out for Timi who was watching from the VIP area but completely missed her. Suddenly it was over: both the best Half Marathon that I'd done and my complete set of 50 different ones. I loved it all.
With the race over we still had the rest of the weekend and a whole new adventure to rediscover my old memories of 20 years ago. That's a story for another time though. This won't be my last Half but I'm not in any rush to sign up for new ones right now. I've got at least six months of other adventures worked out anyway. If any interesting course comes up I'll give them a go. For now 50 is enough and to finish the set in Prague, my favourite city, was the perfect way to finish it.
When: March 17th 2019
Where: Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire, UK
Course: Out and back from Gosling Sports Park on residential streets and the Cole Green Way with a loop half way around Hertingfordbury and Cole Green
Other routes touched (walk): Cole Green Way, The Old Coach Road, Lea Valley Walk
Other routes touched (cycle): NCN 12, 57, 61
Finish time: 2 hours 6 minutes
When: February 17th 2019
Where: Chessington, Surrey, UK
Course: Single circuit on-road route from Chessington School & local roads.
Other routes touched (walk): Chessington Countryside Walk, Thames Down Link, Hogsmill Valley Walk,
Finish time: 53:41
When: February 3rd 2019
Where: Portsmouth, Hampshire, UK
Course: Out and back along the coast from Pyramids Leisure Centre / Southsea Castle to North-East corner of Portsea Island. Similar return route with some diversions. Nice muddy/icy beach section.
Other routes touched (walk): Solent Way, The Shipwrights Way,
Other routes touched (cycle): NCN 2, 222
Finish time: 1 hour 57 minutes
There are currently 15 active parkrun events in present-day Hertfordshire. The first was St Albans which started on January 9th 2012 and the newest is Oaklands College which started on January 18th 2025.
Heartwood Forest was also a Hertfordshire event but has now closed. Ellenbrook Fields and Tring parkrun were active until the Covid-19 parkrun pause and are now also permanently closed. The name for having completed all parkrun events in the county is “King of Herts” or “Queen of Herts”
The Historic County of Hertfordshire has 16 parkrun events. It includes Oak Hill which is now part of Greater London.
I first completed the county on February 2nd 2019 at Letchworth.
The interactive maps below take you to the approximate location for the course, typically the centre of the park. See the course instructions in the parkrun page for each event for specific directions to the start. Course maps show the route at the time that I ran it and may have changed since then.
I completed this event on: November 14th 2015 with a finish time of: 25:08
Other routes touched (Walk): London Loop
This event is also part of LonDone +
Inaugural: June 20th 2015
Links: Event Home Page, Course Page, blog7t write-up
I completed this event on: January 19th 2019 with a finish time of: 26:27
Other routes touched: N/A
Inaugural: June 6th 2015
Links: Event Home Page, Course Page, blog7t write-up
I completed this event on: Christmas Day 2015 with a finish time of: 25:00
Other routes touched: N/A
This event is also part of LonDone + and Chilterns parkrun
Inaugural: February 28th 2015
Links: Event Home Page, Course Page, blog7t write-up
I completed this event on: New Year’s Day 2019 with a finish time of: 25:11
Other routes touched: N/A
Inaugural: September 30th 2017
Links: Event Home Page, Course Page, blog7t write-up
***Ellenbrook Fields parkrun is now permanently cancelled ***
I completed this event on: June 17th 2017 with a finish time of: 25:52
Other routes touched: N/A
This event was also part of Chilterns parkrun
Inaugural: May 21st 2016
Links: Event Home Page, Course Page, blog7t write-up
I completed this event on: November 21st 2015 with a finish time of: 27:29
Other routes touched: N/A
This event is also part of Chilterns parkrun
Inaugural: May 2nd 2015
Links: Event Home Page, Course Page, blog7t write-up
***Heartwood Forest parkrun is now permanently cancelled ***
I completed this event on: January 20th 2018 with a finish time of: 28:00
Other routes touched: N/A
Inaugural: June 29th 2017
Final event: October 6th 2018
Links: Event Home Page, Course Page, blog7t write-up
I completed this event on: November 24th 2018 with a finish time of: 27:53
Other routes touched: N/A
This event is also part of LonDone ++ and Chilterns parkrun
Inaugural: November 10th 2018
Links: Event Home Page, Course Page, blog7t write-up
I completed this event on: January 21st 2023 with a finish time of: 26:16
Other routes touched: None
This event is also part of LonDone +
Inaugural: October 22nd 2022
Links: Event Home Page, Course Page, blog7t write-up
I completed this event on: February 2nd 2019 with a finish time of: 28:31
Other routes touched (walk): Letchworth Greenway
Inaugural: January 27th 2018
Links: Event Home Page, Course Page, blog7t write-up
I have not yet completed this event
Inaugural: January 18th 2025
Links: Event Home Page, Course Page
I completed this event on: New Year’s Day 2018 with a finish time of: 26:46
Other routes touched: N/A
Inaugural: October 11th 2014
Links: Event Home Page, Course Page, blog7t write-up
I completed this event on: April 1st 2017 with a finish time of: 26:24
Other routes touched (cycle): NCN 6, 61
This event is also part of LonDone + and Chilterns parkrun
Inaugural: March 4th 2017
Links: Event Home Page, Course Page, blog7t write-up
I completed this event on: January 31st 2015 with a finish time of: 27:14
Other routes touched: N/A
This event is also part of LonDone + and parkrun Compass Club
Inaugural: January 31st 2015
Links: Event Home Page, Course Page, blog7t write-up
I completed this event on: February 22nd 2014 with a finish time of: 25:17
Other routes touched: N/A
This event is also part of LonDone ++ and Chilterns parkrun
Inaugural: January 9th 2012
Links: Event Home Page, Course Page, blog7t write-up
I completed this event on: January 26th 2019 with a finish time of: 24:15
Other routes touched: N/A
Inaugural: May 28th 2016
Links: Event Home Page, Course Page, blog7t write-up
***Tring parkrun is now permanently cancelled ***
I completed this event on: November 22nd 2014 with a finish time of: 27:01
Other routes touched (walk): The Ridgeway
Other routes touched (walk): The Icknield Way Trail
This event was also part of Chilterns parkrun
Inaugural: November 1st 2014
Links: Event Home Page, Course Page, blog7t write-up
I completed this event on: New Year’s Day 2018 with a finish time of: 29:01
Other routes touched: N/A
This event is also part of parkrun Compass Club
Inaugural: July 22nd 2017
Links: Event Home Page, Course Page, blog7t write-up
Actual course outlines for the parkrun events in present-day Hertfordshire.
parkruns are free, weekly, community 5k events all around the world. I started in December 2012 and have been obsessive about it ever since. See my parkrun Collection page for details.
Featured and popular parkrun posts:
There are currently 11 parkrun events in present-day Buckinghamshire. The first was Black Park which started on July 18th 2009 and the newest is Church Mead which started on April 9th 2022. The name for having completed all parkrun events in the county is “Buck'ed Up”
The Historic County of Buckinghamshire has 12 parkrun events. It includes Upton Court which is now part of present-day Berkshire.
I first completed the county on Christmas Day 2018 at Linford Wood.
The interactive maps below take you to the approximate location for the course, typically the centre of the park. See the course instructions in the parkrun page for each event for specific directions to the start. Course maps show the route at the time that I ran it and may have changed since then.
I completed this event on: November 30th 2013 with a finish time of: 22:24 (My parkrun PB)
Other routes touched (walk): Round Aylesbury Walk
Inaugural: November 2nd 2013
Links: Event Home Page, Course Page, blog7t write-up
I first completed completed this event on December 26th 2012 (Freedom Run), December 29th 2012 (First recorded run) with a fastest Time of 22:32
Other routes touched (walk): Beeches Way
Other routes touched (cycle): The Beeches Cycleway starts from the car park
This event is also part of This event is also part of LonDone ++ and Chilterns parkrun
Inaugural: July 18th 2009
Links: Event Home Page, Course Page, blog7t write-up
I completed this event on: December 1st 2018 with a finish time of: 27:39
Other routes touched (walk): Ouse Valley Way
Inaugural: May 17th 2014
Links: Event Home Page, Course Page, blog7t write-up
I completed this event on: November 27th 2021 with a finish time of: 25:54
Other routes touched (walk): Ouse Valley Way
Inaugural: November 6th 2021
Links: Event Home Page, Course Page
I first completed this event on: April 16th 2022 with a finish time of: 27:35
Other routes touched (walk): Chiltern Heritage Trail
Other routes touched (cycle): Chiltern Heritage Trail Milton Route
This event is also part of Chilterns parkrun
Inaugural: April 9th 2022
Links: Event Home Page, Course Page, blog7t write-up
I completed this event on: September 1st 2018 with a finish time of: 28:18
Other routes touched (walk): Thames Path, Shakespeare’s Way
This event is also part of Chilterns parkrun
Inaugural: August 18th 2018
Links: Event Home Page, Course Page, blog7t write-up
I completed this event on: Christmas Day 2018 with a finish time of: 27:24
Other routes touched: N/A
Inaugural: July 16th 2016
Links: Event Home Page, Course Page, blog7t write-up
I completed this event on: September 24th 2016 with a finish time of: 24:29
Other routes touched (walk): Grand Union Canal Towpath
Other routes touched (walk): NCN 6, 50, 51
Inaugural: January 16th 2010
Links: Event Home Page, Course Page, blog7t write-up
I completed this event on: January 5th 2018 with a finish time of: 25:58
Other routes touched (walk): Greensand Ridge Walk
The address for Rushmere is actually in Bedfordshire but as whole course is on the Buckinghamshire side of the border, I’m including it here.
Inaugural: November 7th 2015
Links: Event Home Page, Course Page, blog7t write-up
I completed this event on: September 29th 2018 with a finish time of: 27:20
Other routes touched (walk): Hillfort Trail, Hilltop Trail, Firecrest Trail
This event is also part of Chilterns parkrun
Inaugural: September 15th 2018
Links: Event Home Page, Course Page, blog7t write-up
I completed this event on: February 2nd 2013 with a finish time of: 25:04
Other routes touched: N/A
This event is also part of Chilterns parkrun
Inaugural: August 4th 2012
Links: Event Home Page, Course Page, blog7t write-up
Actual course outlines for the parkrun events in present-day Buckinghamshire
parkruns are free, weekly, community 5k events all around the world. I started in December 2012 and have been obsessive about it ever since. See my parkrun Collection page for details.
Featured and popular parkrun posts:
After a New Year’s Day visit to Westmill, I’ve now earned the (unofficial) parkrun Compass Club badge. This comes from completing parkrun events that contain the words North, East, South and West. But how many parkrun compass points are there? What’s the actual most Northerly/Easterly/Southerly or Westerly parkrun in the UK? … or in the world? So, with a bit of extra time on my hands before New Year and inspired by a debate on the UK parkrun Tourists group I had to find out.
I update this page whenever I spot a new one pop up and do an annual check. Let me know if I’ve missed any or you spot any errors and I’ll donate £1 per update to parkrun Forever.
To be eligible for the Compass Club badge the event name must have the words north, south, east or west in the title. It counts even if the word is part of the name rather than a compass position (e.g loWESToft). Be careful about the long name as there’s an inconsistency were Henley Wood, OsWESTrey counts but Bangor, NORTHern Ireland doesn’t count. parkrun challenge apps tend to use the short name of the event so if the compass position is in the long name it might not count on the app that you’re using. For the purposes of this page I’ve included all compass positions in both the long and short names.
Local language spellings of the compass positions don’t count to the badge however I have noted them in the links below.
Graphics show parkrun events that are open to the public. Note that Mount Pleasant, the most southerly parkrun event in the world is a closed event on an MOD facility. Similarly, Ayios Nikolaos parkrun on the Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia on the island of Cyprus is the most easterly event in the UK parkrun region but is also a closed event on an MOD facility.
Russian parkrun events were suspended in early 2022 following the invasion of Ukraine. Prior to this Russia was home to the most northerly parkrun event in the world at Vorkuta Borodskoy Park and two events containing “north” in Russian language: Lesopark Severny and Severnoe Tushino.
The most northerly event in the world was Vorkuta Borodskoy Park, Russia prior to the 2022 suspension of parkrun events in Russia. The current most northerly event is Pokkinen parkrun, Finland
The most easterly event in the world is Gisborne, New Zealand
The most southerly public event in the world is Cape Pembroke Lighthouse, Falkland Islands. Mount Pleasant parkrun, Falkland Islands is further South than Cape Pembroke however it is in a closed MOD facility and not open to the public.
The most westerly event in the world is Shawnigan Hills, Canada
Excluding UK, Australia, South Africa and New Zealand (scroll down for these):
(local spelling) OOSTerhout, Netherlands
(local spelling) OOSTerplas, Netherlands
Excluding UK, Australia, South Africa and New Zealand (scroll down for these):
(local spelling) FukaKITAryokuchi, Japan (Deep North Green)
(local spelling) Milano NORD, Italy
(local spelling) NORDE Fælled parkrun, Randers, Denmark
(local spelling) Lesopark SEVERNY, Russia (event currently suspended)
(local spelling) SEVERNOE Tushino, Russia (event currently suspended)
Excluding UK, Australia, South Africa and New Zealand (scroll down for these):
Excluding UK, Australia, South Africa and New Zealand (scroll down for these):
(local spelling) Gdańsk POŁUDNIE, Poland
(local spelling) ZUIDERpark, Den Haag, Netherlands
(local spelling) ZUIDERpark, Hoogeveen, Netherlands
The Bill Thorpe Walking Bridge parkrun (Canada) was originally called SOUTH Riverfront Trail for the first few runs but then changed its name
Note, Akrotiri is the most easterly event in the UK region (in a British Overseas Territory). It is not shown above as it is not open to the public.
Most easterly event in the UK mainland is Lowestoft
Ayios Nikolaos is the most easterly event in the UK “region” but is on a closed facility
EAST Grinstead: Completed November 9th 2019
EASTleigh: Completed July 2nd 2016
There was an EAST Sutton Park parkun on a closed facility but it closed after just 9 events
Most northerly event in the UK is Bressay, Shetland Islands
Most northerly event on the UK Mainland is Thurso
NORTHala Fields: Completed July 26th 2014
NORTHampton: Completed December 25th 2021
Most westerly event on the UK Mainland is Land’s End
Most westerly event in the UK is Enniskillen
WESTmill: Completed 1st January 2019
Most southerly event on the UK Mainland is Land’s End
Most southerly event in the UK parkrun region is Jersey
SOUTHall: Completed February 12th 2022
SOUTH Norwood: Completed 23rd December 2017
SOUTH Oxhey: Completed 31st January 2015
SOUTHampton: Completed 8th January 2022
SOUTHsea: Completed April 22nd 2023
SOUTHwark: Completed 11th November 2017
The most easterly event in Australia is Kingscliff
The most northerly event in Australia is Nightcliff
The most westerly event in Australia is Baxter
The most southerly event in Australia is Geeveston
The most easterly event in New Zealand is Gisborne (also the most easterly in the world).
The most northerly event in New Zealand is Whangarei
The most westerly event in New Zealand is Lake2Lake Trail
The most southerly event in New Zealand is Invercargill
The most easterly event in South Africa is Hluhluwe
The most northerly event in South Africa is Louis Trichardt
(local spelling) NOORDwyk, South Africa
There was a parkun event at Aliwal NORTH, but it has now been permanently cancelled and replaced by Aliwal North Golf Club
The most westerly event in South Africa is Springbok
There were parkrun events at WESTbury and WESTonaria in South Africa but they are now permanently cancelled
The most southerly event in South Africa is Cape Agulhas
(local spelling) BeZUIDenhout, South Africa
*compass position is in the long form of the event name. This may not be counted in the Compass Club in some parkrun challenge apps.
parkruns are free, weekly, community 5k events all around the world. I started in December 2012 and have been obsessive about it ever since. See my parkrun Collection page for details.
Featured and popular parkrun posts:
