Another Place and another parkrun

 Crosby parkrun has been on my wish list for a long time.  I've been fascinated by Antony Gormley's 'Another Place', 100 iron sculptures dotted along the beach, looking out to sea and I couldn't wait to see them and photograph them.  The idea of also being able to run past them was incredibly cool, so we planned an overnight trip to Merseyside.

After fueling up with a particularly fabulous Chinese meal on Friday night at the Nine Dragons in Aintree, and with the promise of glorious spring weather, I was really excited and couldn't wait for Saturday morning to come.  We drove the short distance from our Premier Inn to the Crosby Leisure Centre, allowing plenty of time because the traffic had been so heavy the day before.  We didn't want to take any chances and risk being late, but we arrived with plenty of time to spare. 

The weather was lovely.  The sun was out and there was the gentlest of breezes.  This surprised me as I had expected to be battered by the winds, as is usually the case whenever I visit a beach.  Never having done a beach run before (except for a few seconds on West Wittering beach many years ago, when we quickly abandoned the idea) I wasn't sure what to expect.  One of the cheery volunteers told us (rather proudly) that Crosby was ranked the 7th toughest parkrun in the country.  I didn't let this worry me, however. I told myself that no amount of sand could be worse than that infamous hill at Barnsley.   

On to the sands we went, where I was delighted to get up close to my first iron man statue on the start line.  A selfie was obviously required.  After the briefing, we were off, heading over the sands in the direction of the docks.  Fortunately, it felt relatively firm underfoot and I was able to keep a decent pace.  Eventually we reached an iron man statue kitted out in high viz, affectionately known as 'Bing', and this was the turnaround point.  We headed back along the beach and just as I was thinking, "Sand's easy.  What's all the fuss about?" we hit the trickiest part of the run, a mercifully short section of soft, powdery sand which you have to cross as you leave the beach to join the promenade.  It must have looked quite comical to see all these quite speedy runners slow down to a wobble.  There was absolutely no grip to be had and it was so hard to propel yourself forward.  I have since learned that running on sand requires 6.1 times more energy expenditure than running on a hard surface.  Who would have thought it?

Once we were on the tarmac path, things were much easier underfoot and I began to relax and enjoy the beach views.  At the coastguard station we turned and it was time for yet another terrain, grass this time, all the way to the finish line.  I am not a big fan of grass and in some ways the grass was trickier than the sand.  We had been warned about rabbit holes and my foot very nearly found one.  (The hazard was clearly marked with a flag but that didn't stop clumsy clot here from coming dangerously close to it.)  No harm done though and I finished safely in a respectable time of 26.56,  not too far off the times I've been getting lately on courses that don't involve sand.  (The average finish time at Crosby parkrun is 30.27)  It certainly wasn't a day for going at breakneck speed and I am always a little more cautious when I'm unfamiliar with a route, so I was perfectly happy with my time. 

So, with a new tick on the parkrun wish list, we couldn't resist returning to the beach after breakfast to explore the iron men a bit more.  The beach has such an unusual vibe.  It's peaceful and yet there's something eerie about it too.  The statues are both emotionless and emotional.  They imply loneliness but also the beauty that can come from being alone. I would have loved to see them at sunset.  Crosby parkrun is certainly one of the most interesting running routes I have done and I feel so fortunate that we had the chance to join in this weekend.  It did make me wonder what it would be like on a winter's day, however, with punishing headwinds and lashing rain.  Somehow, I don't think it would be quite as enjoyable although in some ways I do fancy trying it again in more dramatic weather conditions.  Maybe then I would understand why it is rated as the 7th toughest parkrun.  

We followed our parkrun tourism with a more conventional bit of tourism, heading into Liverpool for a ride on an open top bus, taking in Strawberry Field and Penny Lane and singing along to Beatles songs as we discovered what an incredibly beautiful, green city this is.  We had a great time.  I saw a lot of runners in the various parks and leafy lanes as we toured along and I envied them having such a glorious place to run.  I hope we'll be back.