Beacon Parkrun

Introduction / List of reviews

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Date of Visit

7 April 2022

Number of runners

214

Event Number

45

Visit Number

1

Results

https://www.parkrun.org.uk/beacon/results/45/

parkrun Link

https://www.parkrun.org.uk/beacon/

Facebook Page

https://www.facebook.com/Beaconparkrun

Strava Segment

https://www.strava.com/segments/21183639

Weather

Superb. Was about 11 degrees when I got in the car. Sun was out so warmed up really quickly and skies were blue throughout. Just cool enough to not impact the running but warm up for it to be nice. T-shirt and shorts weather, no need for jackets and the like.

Getting There

Beacon park is right in the middle of Lichfield which means it’s easy to find and very accessible. Lichfield city train station is less than a mile away so easily walkable. Be careful to make sure you get the right station as there is also Lichfield Trent valley which is slightly further away. It is potentially walkable if you’re able to get there early enough. There are loads of bus routes from nearby towns that terminate at the bus station which is opposite the train station.

Couple of routes to get in by car, sat nav won’t have any trouble getting you there. There are two car parks nearby. Greenhough car park and shaw lane. I parked at Greenhough which is right on top of the start line. 50p for two hours parking. Cash or payment via the RingGo app (no card/contactless)

Once you’re at the park it’s easy enough to find the start as it’s next to the childrens play area.

Facilities

Decent toilet block a short walk from the start line which is also near to the Lakeside bistro where I had a very nice cup of tea and sausage sandwich afterwards from some very friendly staff. If you go to the bistro make sure you walk around to find the entrance. There is an ice cream booth on the side which isn’t open that early in the morning. When I looked in that direction from the finish line I thought it was the bistro and it was closed. I’m glad I checked!

Briefings and Volunteers

First time and main briefing was done by the RD today. Her enthusiasm and energy were amazing and really infectious. Even when faced with the possibility of cancelling as there was an event setting up in the park they hadn’t been aware of so were worried about safety. She kept her composure throughout. All was fine though as the event decided to stop setup while parkrun was going on.

Start line and finish funnel

Start was on the path around the park which was pretty narrow. As per my previous write ups this makes for a bit of a queue if busy. Finish funnel was perfect. Really well signposted and coned so no danger of missing it and it’s in a bit open space so would be easy to extend if needed.

Course

Really pretty! Two laps through and around the park. Primarily on pavement. Small trail section through some trees and the finish funnel is on grass. Trail shoes potentially needed if particularly muddy or wet but road shoes should generally be fine. Mostly flat. There is a bit of a climb that then comes down half way through the lap but it’s not a horrible one. There are a couple of tight turns too but there a lots of straight sections which can help with speed so while it’s not the fastest it has PB potential. (More on that shortly!)

Shoes

Short or Long? (based on our watches and checking out other Strava profiles)

Short on this occasion I think. Read on to see why!

Andy Stats

parkrun number:

51

First outing for my new 50 milestone shirt!

Tourist event number:

23

Official time:

18:54 PB!

Position: 

5 (72.75% age grade)

Bryony Stats

Bryony didn’t make it this week so I was flying solo.

How did it go?

Having run a PB at Walsall last week I wasn’t quite sure about this. I knew this course wasn’t anywhere near as fast as Walsall but was keen to see how close I could get so I knew it wasn’t a fluke. I ended up knocking three seconds off last weeks time!

However…..

This course seemed to run short this week (for me at least). Just based on my run I know I didn’t go as fast as I did last week. The hill and trail sections as well some of the turns slowed me down and my second and third mile splits reflect the drop in pace. But your parkrun records don’t care about the slight differences in each event so I have a brand new parkrun PB!

I also really enjoyed this just because of the park. It was really nice to run round and there was lots of different types of scenery.

Return Visit Likely?

Yes. I am certain this is one Bryony would like. We’ve also got friends in Lichfield and it’s not too far from my parents either so can tie it in with a visit somewhere too!

Pictures and that.