After one month away it was great to be back touring again today at Hazelwood, Sunbury-on-Thames, Surrey on the start of new mini adventure to regain my record of running all the parkrun events inside the M25.

The current total stands at 64 events and after Hazelwood I have only 4 to go, hopefully though they won’t add a few more in the meantime 🙂

A Sporting Complex

The base for this weeks parkrun is London Irish Rugby Club £12 million state of the art 63 acres Hazelwood Training centre that was officially opened on the 1st July 2014

The site includes 17 rugby pitches 5 of which are full sized and everything about this centre is to give the modern rugby player the facilities they require to be the best they can in preparation for match day game!!

 

Tourist legends

The beauty of touring is it always a pleasure to bump into fellow kindred spirts and at Hazelwood I met again two legends of the fraternity!!!!

First up is Chris Cowell (red top above) who was the first park-runner ever to complete 100 different parkrun events on 18th August 2012 and in his honour anyone who reaches this goal now becomes a member of the unofficial but brilliant tourist Cowell Club!!

For the record his wife Linda was the first woman soon after to complete the same feat and Chris now has run 193 different after Hazelwood!!!!

Next up is Mike Bristow (blue top above) run director at Wanstead Flats that I first met on my parkrun capital adventure on 15/04/2017 and he has now run 206 different events!

Can I say these guys were true gents and it was all my pleasure to chat with them in the cafeteria afterwards at Hazelwood!!!

Course

The course is 2 and a half laps around the parameter of Hazelwood rugby pitches that surface is almost exclusively run on grass apart from a small gravel section.

Points to Note

• The terrain was very flat and fast
•  After a long period of rain this is definitely a trial running shoe course
• Love the fact that London Irish lend the parkrun core team a motorised buggy to set up the course, I am completely jealous 🙂

My time was 36:53 very happy with that under the circumstances!

Facilities

There is ample free parking at Hazelwood Sat Nav TW16 6QU and toilets are available inside the centre before the start of the parkrun that is always welcome!

For the post run coffee we retired to Hazelwood cafeteria where there was a wide range of cooked breakfast available to tuck into afterwards 🙂

This outstanding venue is there also for the local community to enjoy in addition to the rugby from Fireworks display’s, Film nights and of course venue hiring!

Final verdict

I would like to thank the run director Matthew Sartin and his team of volunteers for making us feel all extremley welcome, top stuff guys!!!!!

Also I must give a special mention to the London Irish Rugby Club for opening their world class facilities to allow parkrun to use them every Saturday morning. Outstanding community spirt that should be rightly applauded!!!!!!!

Finally hopefully be back one day to enjoy your hospitality and please let me have a go on that marvellous buggy guy’s 🙂

Best

Mark aka Silent Runner