My ‘regular’ is Whinlatter at 704. That’s my excuse for not being fast sorted 🤣.
The fastest on the list I’ve done is The Wammy, however I’ve run faster at Keswick / Workington / Whitehaven / Bedford? Curious. Must just have been having a lazy day 🤷♂️
I've done four of the top twenty most difficult but none of the top twenty easiest.
Though I'm surprised that of all the ones I've done, Torbay Velopark is supposedly the quickest. I would have thought promenade runs like Exmouth, Hove Promenade and Hastings would be higher up.
And Tring has disappeared, I'm sure that would be quite high on the difficulty rating.
I've done Victoria Dock (#1) 3 times - it's been a different course each time, and I'd say they vary a little in difficulty (my favourite was the original route)
My other 'bookend' is Whinlatter Forest (#704) - it's certainly a tough one, but IMHO not as hard as Flatts Lane (#701). FL also has the distinction of being my best finishing position - despite my being tail walker that. (It's also the nearest event to my MiL, so I've done several freedom runs there)
My fastest ever 5k (and mile) was at Hartlepool (#32). Hackney Marshes used to be all tarmac and hence much quicker, but the post-covid route includes a lot of grass which slows it down considerably.
My bookends are the five Scottish runs on 1.6; and Drumchapel. A bit of chinny reckon on some ratings, not least Springburn's 1.6. Although it's nearly my fastest post-restart run, no way is it as easy as the other four.
My local events in Nottingham are all tough but Great Yarmouth North Beach is a step up in difficulty from anything else i’ve run. After 30 odd events nobody has gone under 20 minutes.
Possibly also related to the bit in the Covid Framework that talks about allowing courses to be stretched a bit if necessary
It could be but then it wouldn’t be described as an alternative course. The Covid framework just allows for the start and/or finish area to be moved to facilitate distancing. That’s different from an alternative course which is used when the main course is unavailable.
We are using an alternative course at West Links just now because of flooding in part of our route. Similarly Montrose have storm damage in the wooded part of their route so they are on an alternative as well. Both these alternatives are about 5.2k and have had their own risk assessment submitted to parkrun HQ. As has been said it’s normal practice and actually expected that approved alternate courses should be slightly long.
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Jan 2024