This course reminds me a little bit of Buckingham parkrun, largely because of the shape and style of the course. Flatter than Buckingham, but essentially it's another Lollipop course, an out and back with a two lap loop in the middle. Something to bear in mind for timekeeping purposes is that the briefing is held at the finish area (next to a playground) before there is a group walk to the starting point at 08:50. I didn't realise this and as a result missed the briefing, but was still able to jog to the starting point and not miss the start of the actual run. To hear the briefing I think you need to aim to be at the playground for 8:45 at the latest, and probably 08:40 if you want to hear the first timer and visitor briefing. [I visited this course on 25th August 2018]
Difficulty
I would rate this parkrun as a 1 out of 5 for difficulty, With good terrain, no elevation to speak of and a fairly straightforward course layout there is nothing here to trouble anyone. A bit exposed in places so if you arrive on a windy day then in might be a bit more difficult.
The Course
After the briefing at a playground (which I presume takes place, I don't know for sure) you head out along a footpath through some woods to reach the starting point surrounded by open fields. After the start it's back along the footpath, through the trees and then a sharpish left back past the playground on your right, which you can't really see because of the trees, you stay under these trees for a few hundred meters before the treeline opens up to your right and you're out in the open again. Keep going, trees will remain on your left. Before too much longer you'll reach the start of the loop section, you'll know you're on this when you pass a footpath on your left, a Marshal will direct you straight on, a bit further along you'll reach the main road (the A413). Turn left, over a bridge and immediate left again, and you're now running parallel to the path you were just on. After 350m turn left over the bridge, and left again to start the second loop. When you reach the bridge again, don't forget to turn right and head back towards the start at the playground. My watch was playing up when I did this parkrun and the finish took me by surprise, as I didn't realise that you don't go all the way back to the start on this course.
Elevation
Another flat course, I can't think of anything here which causes any particular upset, although there must be some slight ups and downs as the elevation is approx 10 meters (or 34ft), this makes it the 94th flattest course out of the 519 ranked on https://jegmar.com/stats-hq/fastest-races/parkrun/
Parking, Facilities & Coffee
There is a free car park which can be found fairly close to postcode HP19 9HH. There is a community centre close by. Please do NOT park in the community centre car park, please use the car park opposite the Community Centre, which is next to the meadow itself and has a football pitch next to it. Apparently there are toilet facilities adjacent to the car park (I can't vouch for them as I did not use them). The post parkrun coffee is at Table Table, also known as The Charter, which can be found at 2 Rimmington Way, HP19 8AW.
This is an enjoyable friendly, flat and fairly fast parkrun, well worth a visit, especially on a nice day as it is quite scenic!
Link to the Aylesbury parkrun website:
Link to a Youtube video (not mine) of the course can be found here:
Comments