At the beginning of the year, I set myself the challenge of completing all of the Essex parkruns.
There are 24 different parkruns in Essex and I’d ran a few of them before this year. I enjoyed the occasional tourist run, but wasn’t consistent every Saturday morning as I’d usually prioritised swimming and cycling. However, this year I shifted my focus to running.
I’m pleased to say I completed the challenge on 2nd December with Maldon Prom being my last event. It’s been a fun goal to work towards, I’ve really enjoyed visiting new places and the diversity of the different parkruns across the county. There are hilly runs in forests, flat runs along seafronts, small quiet events, and big busy events.
Some of my top tips for parkrun tourism are:
- Check in advance whether the event is going ahead that weekend. Sometimes there are cancellations due to the weather or other events in the park.
- Half of the challenge with parkrun tourism is the logistics of getting there. Plan your route in advance and check where the nearest car park or train station is. It’s no fun arriving late and having to search for a parking spot, then almost missing the start of the run!
- Arrive in time for the first-timers/tourists briefing to get an idea of the course you’ll be running
- Check the course description to help decide which trainers to wear. Some of the Essex parkruns are on rough trails so I wore trail shoes, but some are on smooth tarmac, so I wore road shoes.
- Lay out your kit the night before so it’s easy to get up and go on Saturday morning
- Introduce yourself as a tourist to get a shout-out at the briefing!
- Remember to give back to parkrun by volunteering at your local event
I’m always asked which is my favourite Essex parkrun, but I honestly loved them all! Here’s the full list, with the dates I completed them (some were prior to this year):
- Basildon- 18th February 2024
- Billericay- 24th December 2022
- Brentwood- 19th October 2019
- Burnham-on-Crouch- 8th July 2024
- Chalkwell Beach- 10th December 2022
- Chelmsford Central- 3rd June 2024
- Clacton Seafront- 8th September 2024
- Colchester Castle- 12th August 2024
- Great Dunmow- 28th January 2024
- Great Notley- 26th August 2024
- Gunpowder- 29th April 2024
- Hadleigh- 22nd October 2016
- Harlow- 16th September 2024
- Harwich- 1st July 2024
- Highwoods- 13th May 2024
- Hockley Woods- 20th May 2024
- Maldon Prom- 2nd December 2024
- Markshall Estate- 9th September 2024
- Mersea Island- 15th July 2024
- Roding Valley- 22nd April 2024
- South Woodham Ferrers- 31st December 2022
- Southend- 10th June 2024
- Thurrock- 23rd December 2017
- Wickford Memorial- 7th January 2024
What’s my next parkrun challenge? I’m aiming to get to 100 events by my 40th birthday in April, and to complete the Alphabet challenge.
All trainers worn were gifted by adidas, but all opinions are my own.