Burnage is a small (I know they won’t mind me saying this!)
off-road parkrun near Stockport quite close to the M60 (more on that later!)
making it easy for tourists from Yorkshire to get to. With 8 signed up from
Leeds, one from Oldham and an indeterminate number of the Huddersfield Running
Bunnies scheduled to go I thought it only fair to warn the event organisers who
were very helpful and keen to see us and forewarned us of the need for trail
shoes and about the “puddle”. The team at Burnage consist mainly of non-runners from the rugby club who do a great job of organising the event each week!
Meeting up at mine just after 7am (I live next to the
motorway so it’s logistically beneficial not selfish!) we set off in 2 cars
with Nicky driving one, me the other including parkrun royalty Nicola Forwood
(aka SWMNBN, please listen to the parkrun show if you have no
idea what I am banging on about!). I had a detour over Saddleworth moor into
Oldham to pick up Simon Bruce Lake (aka Simon Bruce Lee) but still managed to
get there before Nicky, which should have warned me of things to come…
Ample parking at the rugby club, toilets and changing
facilities made a welcome change, especially as I had over-estimated the time
needed to get there mainly due to the fact that I have a 7 year old and am
usually late for everything! With Bunnies arriving all the
time it looked like a good turn out. 2 last minute arrivals from Leeds of
course but we were all there in time, 25 in total!
The run briefing was done in great spirit making much of our
“Sister Wendy”, aka Matthew Kelly on the front row after we’d made sure
everybody knew he was there for the “win” (sorry Danny, but I can’t keep saying
1st place finish!)! In a biting northerly wind we set off along the
Mersey for the small loop before heading round the rugby club and round the
corner to face the “puddle”. It was about 2 degrees when we started running and
it was knee deep in places and very cold! Apart from the smell it is best described
in pictures…
That last one is Nicky- it may look like he can walk on water but.....
2 laps, and 2 visits to the “puddle” and subsequent 26 step climb later and we were back in the field for a slight uphill finish. With a 2nd
and 3rd finish (well done Matthew and James) as well as the 1st
lady (Hannah) results-wise it went well- the main fun as always was further
down the field! Kerry Bunny (aka The Boss) had the kids with as did Nicky, all
of whom gamely tackled the freezing smelly water with good humour- young James
even said it was the best course he has ever done!! Everyone piled in and I
would have loved to have been that photographer who must have seen some right
expressions when people realised it was knee deep! Some brilliant pictures
though….
So post run, and into the clubhouse bar (with clean trainers
on of course!) and I have never seen a room full of smiling laughing
parkrunners making so much noise!
The bacon butties were excellent (cannot comment on the
price as someone kindly paid the driver in coffee and a sarnie!). Most notable
was the mickey taking of Sister Wendy after 24 of us had gone all that way to see
him take the win – and fail! In general though our hosts seemed to really enjoy
having a roomful for an hour afterwards entertaining them and chatting with
them whilst they processed the results! We are no longer surprised by the
hospitality of the volunteer teams at any parkrun, but I would like to say thanks
to Rachael and the team for making this one fantastic!
Then onto the motorway – or not as the case may be. For
those who do not know the geography from Burnage you turn right at the top of
the road and a mile and a quarter later you hit the M60. This leads to M62 and
home. From the clubhouse to my front door you can describe the route with 8
turns, most of them after leaving the M62.
The other car from Leeds with Nicky driving left about half
an hour before us – I took the same detour on the way back through Oldham and
over the moors to drop off Simon and soon we were home. Except Rick’s car was
still on my drive, and as he was with Nicky and they should have been long
gone! A quick phone call later and I was rolling about in the middle of the
road with tears streaming down my face- somehow the sat nav had got stuck on
“avoid motorways” and a complete lack of common sense had prevailed! Even
realising this but sticking to his guns Nicky proceeded to take the group on a
tour of Cheshire and north Derbyshire! Fortunately the others all have a great
sense of humour (and were in no rush!) and we awaited their arrival petty much
in hysterics, with coffee.
A few more coffees later after Rick recounted the entire
misadventure we were done for the day, though all phones pinged simultaneously
as the results came through before we had done! Good work team – and we were
done for the day.
Except we weren’t – Nicky first returned with Rick’s phone
which he’d left in the car then I find out that Nicky once ended up from Leeds
at Manchester Airport, when he’d been aiming for Scunthorpe! Completely the
opposite direction in case you need a map! Thanks to Mrs Nicky (aka Toni for
sharing that gem with me!). I do have to add that he was only 18 at the time and obviously that was in the days before sat nav but even so...
The day ended with the publication of the pictures – a
fantastic job done by Mark Alwyne who’s complete set can be viewed here causing the
hilarity to go on long into the night.
Full results can be found here, most of
the first timers were us!!
Here’s to many more parkrun tours if they are all going to be
like this- thanks guys both tourists, hosts, photographers and navigators for a
fantastic day! Next stop Dublin for Malahide parkrun, to find out more look us up on Facebook and feel free to use the page to organise your own tours!!
Only one last picture can truly sum up what a great time we all
had, despite the puddle, and it has to be…..
