I’d been saving up my local Hampstead Heath parkrun for the whole year in case a hangover some disaster held me back from going further afield one week. As luck would have it, no disasters occurred, and I was able to use it for the grand finale – parkrun 52.
I spent the week preparing, by baking 52 cakes and some spares around various Christmas parties (including one in which I managed to get a coveted selfie with Sadiq Khan).
The course is very hilly, and seems to have got more hilly since I ran it last in 2015. (Genuinely more hilly. As in the course has changed. Not just that I’ve got more lazy.) I particularly like a new section that wiggles round the side of the Highgate ponds, which have been extended to act as a flood defence into Hampstead. The start and finish area is worryingly squelchy, but most of the course is on proper (non-squelchy) paths.
It was fantastic to be joined by so many friends on the day. Thanks to Dashing Dave, the Edwards family, Ben, Paul, Caroline, Patrick and the Lazy Girl Runners for coming along
Although the 52 is up, there are three more parkruns to end the year (thanks to bonus events on Christmas and New Year’s Day, and an extra Saturday because of how the weeks fall this year). I’d initially thought I’d need them as contingency, but will now use them as an extended victory lap!
I’m running a different parkrun each week of the year. Please head over to my JustGiving page if you’re able to help out.
52 parkruns, 52 weeks, 52 places 