On a warm September Saturday with a poignant sadness in the air, 235 runners and walkers bowed their heads at Penrith parkrun to mark the passing of Her Majesty the Queen with a minute’s silence. Not a whisper or movement from this respectful bunch.
My journey from Cheam, Surrey to the West Coast of Scotland brought me via Penrith for a triathlon event at Pooley Bridge, so what better way to spend a Saturday morning than with the jovial Penrith parkrun team?
The welcome briefing was wonderful, with practiced audience participation and a beautifully delivered line at the end: ‘Rest in peace your majesty. Long live the king’.
And in the usual way, we all trotted off, running, walking, smiling, panting, on the two-lap flat course, dotted with supportive marshals shouting encouragement.
It’s a nice course. A combination of tarmacadam, gravel and grass, and enough twists and turns to be interesting. Chris Jeal from Rugby was also visiting and heading to Scotland so we exchanged a few excited words before losing the ability to speak and run at the same time!
Once finished, I had also volunteered to token sort. That’s when I met Harry, fondly nicknamed the Token Man. We had a lovely chat. Meeting new people and sharing stories, that’s the beauty of volunteering at parkrun. If you haven’t yet, you should soon.
After the run we cycled into the pretty town of Penrith and had a well-deserved full English breakfast at Traymon’s Cafe.
Congratulations to Craig Bottomley from Ambleside, who was the first male home in 18:54, and Lisa Clarkson, from Barnsley, who took first female, at 19:43, a well-deserved PB! A special mention too to the awesome little runner in a number 10 Maradona shirt. You rock.
