Kingsbury #423 couldn't have asked for a better morning had it written to the weather gods at least 7 days in advance and requested perfect running conditions for 9am 22nd April 2023. Ideal for Race Director Steve to pop his RD cherry. His leadership, clarity and confidence relayed a calm assurance to us in the masses and, unlike the now ex whatever he was Dominic Raab (who knew a leading member of the government was a narcissistic bully?) instilled a 'run through walls' work ethic in his volunteer crew. A crew assembled to allow us to bust a gut each Saturday morning when the easy option is to stay in bed.
There's a pride, a joy, an overwhelming sense of wonderment when your offspring achieve. Their first steps, riding a bike without stabilisers, first detention for flicking elastic bands at Sandra Thopscott, first job and, of course, the heady mix of relief, happiness, sadness and crushing emptiness when they flee the nest and you realise, whilst you've done a good job, you're no longer needed. As it is today 10 Marvels, or Michlings, have taken the leap of faith from the safety of the couch to hit the ground a 5km runner. Graduating in the picturesque lake littered grounds of Kingsbury Manor to join the parkrunning throng of Saturday morning worshippers. I had to look it up but the collective noun for a group of parkrunners is a pickle. A pickle of parkrunners. Having joined the KWP pickle today, their trainers, still very much in their infancy, made it through the splosh of the muddy wood, stained forever, never to return to being the comfy ones for pottering in the garden. For no more shall they sidestep the wet and forevermore they will run, run free as nature intended. Until, of course, usually after about 300 miles, the toe pokes through the top and the heels wear and you have to go to a running store having secured the appropriate bank loan to buy a posh pair from a store that analyses you to tell you the expensive ones are best but they never quite sit right and you hark back to the days of cheap as chips pumps that never gave you any gyp.
As well as the graduates from Michy's Marvels the sharp eyed amongst you will have spotted a regular menace of Marvels in their blue tops, a cete of Badgers in black, a pinch of Peelers in black (with yellow trim), a bouquet of BPM in blue, a clash of Titans purple and green, a trellequent of Tamworth Athletics Club in green, a symphony of Sneyd Striders, a rush of Royal Sutton, a hustle of Hinckley AC and a nudge of Northcott AC. Rivals brought together for a common once a week goal akin to the opening scene of the 1978 classic The Warriors but without the shooting of Syrus. The only thing getting shot today was my thighs and some personal bests.
The winner (its not a race, I know, but when you finish before everyone else in a timed 5km run you've kinda come first and therefore, by default, you're the winner) blasted through in, well, no time at all. Literally. No time. Down as 'Unknown' in the results I can only guess at their finishing time and based on when he passed me on the back straight my best guess would be 17 mins 23 seconds. The two Thomas's, Maidment and Clowes, wrapped up second and third with a PB 18:17 & first time 18:55 respectively. Megan, off of first timer briefist crossed legs fingers on lips, led Ellie D and Bethan to top the female podium all coming in sub 25's.
Pb's were shot down by Maidment, Westhead, Spencer, Phipps, Bradburn, Savin-Baden, Magner, Satchwell, Miller, Shakespeare, Feasby, Rogers, Mandefield, Miller, Careless, Li, Atkins, Jenkins, Clarke, Wainman, Jepson and the other Wainman. It's a great measure for progress as we are only ever racing ourselves so give it up for the PB gongers.
Lots of love to the core crew that made it possible who's motto, 'Everything I do I do it for you', helps the world go round and the pickle thrive. Brian ADAMS, Richard BENHAM, Wendy BOWYER, William BROWNING, Hannah COOGAN, Paul DANIELS, Steve DARLASTON, Anne DEVENNEY, John DEVENNEY, Alison DOLPHIN, Margaret DOWNES, Gemma FOLLIS, Sarah FRENCH, Megan GRIFFITHS, Susan HANN, Ian JACKSON, Sharon JACKSON, Brian JONES, Ken JORDAN, Margaret JORDAN, Amanda LAWTON, Alison PERRY, Reuben PERRY, Steve PERRY, Robert Ian RAINSLEY
KWP's 423rd parkrun yielded the 17,806th finisher and 132,470th finish, the other Wainman was the 21,078th personal best and if we all pull our socks up we could get the 30:09 average finish time down into the 20's!
See you at the symmetrically comforting 424th KWP Parkrun. Kindest regards with a cup of tea warmth. Sid.
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