Babbs Mill parkrun

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Date of Visit

11 June 2022

Number of runners

132

Event Number

78

Visit Number

6

This is my most visited tourist location!

Results

https://www.parkrun.org.uk/babbsmill/results/78

parkrun Link

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

Facebook Page

https://www.facebook.com/Babbs-Mill-parkrun-105110807507725

Strava Segment

https://www.strava.com/segments/32003830

Weather

It was a really lovely morning, to start with at least! Clear blue skies on arrival and it was nice and warm. By the time we left the cafe though the wind had picked up, sky went grey and it started to rain! Thankfully it held off for the run but it felt weird considering 20 minutes before that we were discussing the effects hot weather has on running performance!

Getting There

Main car park is at Tudor Grange Academy Kingshurst (Cooks Lane, Kingshurst, Solihull, B37 6NU)

5min walk over the road to the start. Turn right out of the school and it’s on the left. Easy to find as there is a zebra crossing directly outside the park entrance.

There is a small car park directly next to the start if you get there early enough. It’s just off Chester Road.

Facilities

No toilets at the park itself but there is a large garage just up the road which you could drop into beforehand. Post event drinks and food is at Connection Church Centre cafe over the road and their waffles and crepes are legendary. Despite having visited this event several times I’ve never made it here. I changed that on this visit and had this banana split crepe!

Briefings and Volunteers

First timers briefing revealed a visitor from New Zealand doing their first ever parkrun! Was a fair chunk of milestones during the main briefing too.

They also have a map of the route for the first timers briefing which I always like to see.

Every time I’ve done this one there has always been a volunteer at various turning points on the course and there are always really encouraging. This week was no different!

Start line and finish funnel

Start line is on the path coming into the park and then takes an immediate left. Usual thing about narrow paths and a procession to get over the start line applies here. The path is long enough to accommodate everyone easily though. I think a marshal on that first left turn would have been useful. There is a sign and cones to help the runners but if another park user approached that bend just as everyone started there is the potential for a collision.

Finish funnel is good. Finish line straddles the path and the grass but the funnel itself goes onto the grass so there is plenty of space for people to hang around and cheer other people on.

Course

This is a really nice route. Starts on the path near the entrance of the park, follows the path towards the lake, over the bridge then it’s two laps of the lake before coming back. There is a small section that goes off that loop and up and across a small grass section to make up the distance. That part does get a touch slippy in the winter but it is only a short section. Pavements are in really good condition all the way round and it’s a lovely view of the lake as you go round. Only thing that can be a problem is the path on the outward part is a bit narrow which can be a problem with faster runners on their second lap overtaking people still on their first.

It’s reasonably flat aside from the small climb up to the grass section so while it’s not quick enough to set any world records it does have PB potential (I have run a PB here a couple of times)

Shoes

Road. The grass section will get your trainers muddy in the winter but you’re not really going to need trails shoes for it.

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

Neither! When the event came back following the covid shutdown they adjusted they route a little to make the start better but it also meant they remeasured. My watch was 3.11 as were many of the others I looked at.

Andy Stats

parkrun number:

55

Tourist event number:

26

Official time:

19.29

Position:  

2 (70.57% age grade)

Bryony Stats

Bryony wasn’t with me this week. She was touristing somewhere else while visiting friends! Including her stats anyway though. She said that she ran ok but didn’t like how warm it was.

parkrun number:

44

Tourist event number:

21

Official time:

36:24

Position:  

253 (42.03 % age grade) 106 Female.

How did it go?

I love this parkrun, it’s why I keep coming back to it. It’s a gorgeous route round the lake and is still quick enough you can give it a blast if you’re that way inclined. It’s one of the smaller parkruns around Birmingham but I think they get just the right amount of people for the size. Everyone is very friendly!

Aside from that. It was time for another outing for my running club so a group of us all made our way over (partly because I’ve been banging on about how much I enjoy this parkrun)

We managed some good results too including club members making up the first three finishers! I also ran my fastest time at Babbs Mill so I was very pleased about that. Everyone reported they’d had a good time so I’m calling that a successful morning out!

Return Visit Likely?

Yes. As I said before I love this one and I’ll be back at some point. Bryony needs to try the Crepes!

Pictures and that.