Diary of a Parkrunner: Heaton Park parkrun

Heaton Park is my parkrun home, it's where parkrun all started for me. Luckily as somewhere I've been visiting for the last 37 years, it's also one of my favourite places to be.

The course at Heaton Park is challenging, it features multiple types of terrain and different gradients.

parkrunners flood across the park from the many entrances, the average attendance in decent weather is now over 400. It can be pretty busy as it gets towards 9am.

The gathering place is in front of the Lions at the front of Heaton Hall, Rick, Duncan, Bernie and Damien are the core event team who make sure it goes ahead. Barbara does a brief for any HP First timers at about 08:45 and then one of the core team does the Pre run brief.

From the collection point, we move 50 meters up towards the orangery, and with a GO! we're off. (1)

The course is approximately 87% on Tarmac (@parkrun_danny likes these kind of stats) and The first 90 degree corner (2) can be difficult with the number of runners jostling for position. Everyone then swings around the back of the hall and onto the long downhill stretch. We go past the stables on our right, (3) then the paddocks on the same side and after reaching the bottom of the hill (4), a slight uphill brings us the 1k marker.

After a wave to the Marshall stationed at this point (5), a sharp left gives us the beautiful view out across the lake to our right and we pass the cafe to our left (Where the run used to start and finish) as we head up the slight incline and cross the tram tracks, you can see those runners ahead who are climbing the bottom of Angina Hill for the first time. The road continues to wiggle left and right, past the gate from the back of the lake (6), trees and grass to the bottom of the aforementioned hill.

Many parkruns have hills, some are small, some large, some grassy, others disguise themselves, Angina Hill at Heaton Park is out on its own. It's not massively long, it's not massively steep, but it's a challenge every single time you face it and you face it one and a third times every time you tackle Heaton Park parkrun.

There's usually a big puddle at the bottom of Angina Hill (7) just as you come up to turn left onto it, so most runners take a slightly wider turn, but as you come around the bend, you know it's a hill, then as you get past the trees at the bottom of the hill the incline makes itself known. But it's not too bad, this time we're only running about a third of it. Another wave to another marshall, and we're turning left (8) down the hill and then back up the incline through the copse. Halfway through here there's a crossroads (9) with the 2k marker and usually someone with a stopwatch shouting out times and encouragement to runners.

Uphill out of the copse and then a steep downhill back to point 4 again, that slight incline again and back up to 5 but this time, instead of turning left, we bear right and commence our tour of the least well paved part of the route. there's Tarmac here on the route out to the furthest part of the course, but it's a little broken. There's usually a Marshall at the furthest point (10) cheering people on, but we turn left, leaving the Tarmac, and heading 'off road' onto a dirt track, this heads towards the lake and the 3k marker. (11)

At this point, you might not be aware, but you're rounding the lake, some runners head up and over the car park, but that's only because they obviously know something you don't. Unless it's been very, very sunny, there are going to be large puddles around the back of the lake, and you can either edge around the sides, or save some time and go straight through the middle.

Following the puddles, a leisurely jog under a canopy of trees is only tempered by the thought of the upcoming scaling of the entirety of Angina Hill,

When you reach the gate at point 6 again, you turn right and head past the puddle at 7 to the bottom of Angina Hill. I've seen many fit people end up walking on Angina Hill, New runners at Heaton find it to be one of the last parts they master, but the feeling when you've run all of the way up it is uplifting. The 4k marker is about 3/4 of the way up and there's usually a Marshall at the top (12) who is encouraging you for the last 900 metres.

The next section is a mixture of pleasure and pain. Pain because of the hill you've just suffered up, and the incline in front of you and pleasure because you're on the final stretch.

The next section (13) affords beautiful views over the Heaton Park Golf Course and Manchester as you round a few corners and crest the final hill (14) by the highest point of Manchester for a sprint to the finish in front of the lions. (15)

From here you join the queue to be scanned and take in the fantastic view out over Manchester.