parkrun: Not running in the rain

I just finished a 4.95km cycling that lasted about 0hh:29mm:30.0ss !

You may notice I did not run this 5k. That was my cycle ride to Letchworth parkrun. I left the app running for a while after I got there as I was having issues with my lock. An announcement went out early in the week that they thought they might be short of volunteers due to England playing in the rugby world cup in Japan this morning. I thought it was about time I helped out to give something back. It takes twenty or more people to make it happen. You need some to set up the course markers and then marshals at various points. Then there are the timekeepers and barcode scanners. I was assigned to the latter job.

Numbers were down due to the match and the weather. It was just windy as they started, but it turned to driving rain. At the exposed finish area we got pretty wet, but for the runners it was grueling. The first guy did a very respectable sub-20 minute run and even he said it was hard work up the hill into the rain. The course may not get a chance to dry out for months.

I was soon busy scanning barcodes as people finished. This could be tricky as the scanner does not always want to read them and working it with cold hands did not help. It is worth getting a wristband or plastic barcode tag to avoid having to deal with damp paper ones. People were very grateful to the volunteers, but I can respect anyone who was out in that weather.

It took about half an hour for everyone to finish. By that time I was cold and damp, but my new coat kept my upper body dry. I cycled home, but it was hard to even get on the bike with wet jeans. I should have taken gloves as my hands were really cold. Luckily the rain had eased by then. I was glad to get home for a hot shower and a coffee.

I may well volunteer again. You have to respect those people who do it most weeks in all weathers. Laura the run director today has done it fifty times! I respect the runners too. There was a blind lady who needed a guide runner and another lady with a shirt showing she had done over 500 events. parkrun is almost like a cult, but only in good ways.

Run free!

The geeky guitarist and facilitator of the 10K Minnows Project.