Inaugural runs: Eastbourne parkrun (28 January 2012)

Eastbourne parkrun started today, with a turnout of 120 people. Several experienced parkrunners had made the journey to Eastbourne to greet the dawning of a new event, though probably none quite as mad as @n0rm, fellow parkrun tourist and ironman-in-training, who got up at 3.57am to cycle down from London.

The route is a route of three parts:

1. a short anti-clockwise lap on grass


2. a long clockwise lap on tarmac


3. a short clockwise lap on grass (the reverse of part 1).

My top tip: "Remember part three".

Because at the end of part two, you can see the finishing funnel with lots of people standing around cheering. More than one person sprinted past me to the line...only to find out that there was still one bit left to run. If you know that, and don't sprint, then the cheering crowds of the already-finished will give you a wonderful lift to take you round the final part. But I imagine that if you don't know that, the last little bit seems to go on and on and on.

Thanks to two runners, Eastleigh regular Robert Spencer and parkrun first timer Victoria Heaysman, both of whom (unwittingly) paced me round and spurred me on to a sort-of-sprint finish.

And thank you, as ever, to all the volunteers who put on such a slick first event. It a great, flat course with a touch of variety to keep it interesting. Definitely one to try, if you're passing by.