The London parkrun odyssey continued as we made the relatively short car journey to Oak Hill parkrun. No science behind our choice this week. I scanned the list of parkruns still to run and picked it on distance, time to get there, and that it had the word Oak in the title.
We sat in the car park because it was raining (ok… drizzle… we’re a pair of wusses) and watched the parkrun event team setup the finish funnel as the runners started to congregate.
The BMF team were setting up in front of us so we played our new game of ‘guess which colour bib the person will wear’ game. It seems the level of pain you’re willing to endure matches up to a particular colour. The BMF awesome ninja level means you get to drag a large tyre around as well. Not sure if that’s a reward or a punishment. It does look kinda cool though.
As the clock slowly ticked towards 9am, we exited the car safety blanket and joined all the runners making their way down to the start line, which is a 5 minute or so walk from the finish area. Other Dan had run here before as part of the North London Longest parkrun. Apparently the course was different then. That didn’t count as a proper parkrun so this would be the final Longest parkrun event completed properly for Other Dan.
The course is a two and a bit lapper around the park, all on tarmac. This was my first run back after surgery and I was under orders to take it easy by my doctor. So I jogged round slowly with Other Dan having bit of a chat as the front-runners lapped us and we eventually crossed the finish line together. I thought it might inject some excitement for the timekeeper. It must have proved too exciting though because I was officially credited with 13 seconds on Other Dan. Not sure what went on with their results for the day but no matter.
Oak Hill parkrun had a lovely community feel to it and it was a shame that we had to get going rather than joining everyone for a post run drink and snack. The Son has a science tutor on Saturday morning and I had to get home to make sure he’s not a serial killer masquerading as a science teacher. Not that I’d be any help against a serial killer armed with science as his superpower but Mrs Dan feels safer if I am there while she’s at her gym class.
