Thanks to Sarah B for her report of Dereham parkrun. Event number 2:
I thought it might be useful to provide a run report following my attendance at the newly launched Dereham parkrun this morning, to give an insight for those who may venture there as a tourist in the future!
Dereham parkrun launched last Saturday, with 151 finishers at their inaugural event. Word had clearly spread as there appeared to be the best part of 400 people gathered at the start of today’s run (according to the ‘Results’ page, there were 365 finishers this week).
The start and finish are near the outdoor gym area north of Dereham Town FC. Parking is available at the Club, but I didn’t have to use this option, as I parked on the driveway of a family member who lives nearby, which also provided a nice little 1km warm up and cool down.
The start area was a bit chaotic, with runners trying to self-seed along a very narrow grassy track but we all managed to get ourselves into position and just after 9am, we were off!
The course comprises one anti-clockwise half lap followed by one anti-clockwise full lap on a mixture of grass paths and trail paths. These paths are very narrow in places especially at the beginning, so don’t expect to make a hasty getaway, unless you are near the front!
The route was well-signed and marshalled/supported. The nature of the paths means it is quite uneven in places and I can imagine that as soon as we get some rain, it’s going to be a pretty muddy undertaking! Aside from the surface undulations, it is a flat course.
I sense it will be a popular Parkrun, especially for those in the Dereham catchment who would otherwise head to one of the Norwich options.
My finish time was 28:18 and I was pleased to come 2nd in my age category. I would do it again but will probably stick to dry conditions like today!