Ian Runs

My plan for this week was to find a relatively flat, fast course that I can push myself at before running at The Big Half next week, and looking at my options, I saw several events which matched the bill, but I ultimately chose Maldon Prom ahead of the others because I haven't run many Essex-based events recently. The area Despite being the site of several battles during Saxon invasions, Maldon has tended to be a quiet parish throughout the years, with its most significant industry perhaps coming from the salt industry, which took off in the area after the creation of the Maldon Sea Salt company in 1882. Promenade Park, the location of today's parkrun, is a hive of activity in the town, and boasts a wide range of facilities, including a BMX track, a splash park, mini golf, and a skate park amongst many others! Similar to how Mersea Island parkrun , located only a few miles east, is only accessible by crossing the link road at low tide, Maldon is home to a number of other ...

Having spent a number of weeks focussed on events in the north of the East of England, I decided that this week I would pay some attention to the south of the region and visit Markshall Estate parkrun while still in the best time of the year to visit an arboretum. The area The Markshall Estate (interchangably the "Marks Hall" Estate) is the remains of a former country estate located in Coggeshall, between Colchester and Braintree. The hall itself was demolished in 1950, leaving its grounds to be converted into an arboretum, featuring trees from around the world. Coggeshall has been a settled area since at least the Saxon area, and was later served by Stane Street; a Roman road stretching from modern day Colchester to near St Albans. The course The route follows just under two laps of the arboretum, starting at the top of a hill, and finishing at the bottom, meaning this is a net down-hill course. The course is run on a mixture of tarmac, concrete, gravel, trail an...

This week I decided it was finally time to complete the last of the current Norwich parkruns, having ran at Norwich parkrun , Catton parkrun , and Sloughbottom parkrun already. The area Located in the west of Norwich, the Colney Lane area forms part of the the University of East Anglia, as well as the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital. The sports fields form part of the main campus with university buildings located on all sides. The main campus is situated on the former Earlham Estate, which now survives in the form of Earlham Park, as well as the original Earlham Hall building now houing the Business School for the university. The vast estate extends to border Eaton Park; home of Norwich parkrun, making this some of the closest events to each other in England (the start lines are approximately 2km from each other). The course Starting near the pavilion, the route largely follows two laps of the playing fields and woodlands, with a short section connecting the start/...

This week I wanted to take advantage of the warm, still weather, and so looking at the coastal events still to explore, I decided this week I would visit Holkham's event! The area The area now part of the Holkham Estate was first bought in the 1700s by Thomas Coke; son of one of the most prominant barristers and judges of the 1600s, Edward Coke. In a very similar fashion to Sheringham parkrun , Holkham parkrun is set on a country estate a short distance from the beach, although Holkham is much more palacial, perhaps surpassing Blickling parkrun in grandeousity, and challenging Wimpole Estate parkrun . Holkham Hall is a lived-in home, and is still owned privately by the family who built it; the Coke family of Norfolk. The course Runners follow a lollipop route from the start, heading south from the house along the main 2-mile long avenue, around a loop of farmland, before returning along the avenue to the start, taking in sights of the Obelisk, the Ice House, the Great B...