“A beautiful course that carries you through the trees at a blistering pace.”

This week members of Dacorum & Tring AC headed over to Black Park nr. Slough, a couple of miles off junction 16 of the M25, to celebrate Jim’s 50th parkrun in style. Black Park was a new course for me, but a favourite for Jim who had chosen it especially for the occasion.

The course itself is a speedy off-road figure of eight that takes you through the heart of the woodland with beautiful vistas of trees all the way around. It is relatively flat with two “bumps” along the route, so there is a great potential for a fast time.

The start was incredibly congested, close to 600 runners meant a lot of the first kilometre was spent trying to get to pace and through the crowds – placement would be key here if you were wanting to get a truly quick time. The running surface was excellent, especially after a week of very heavy rain; whilst there were a few large puddles, the majority of the mud/stone packed surface was still solid and my trail shoes weren’t called into action. Marshalls are positioned at the start and the end of the course with the route being signposted clearly. With so many runners there was a great atmosphere all the way around and the finish was well organised.

Black Park parkrun is a beautiful course that carries you through the trees at a blistering pace. It also has a high PB potential if you can get your placement at the start right. It’s wide enough for buggy running and dogs are welcome on short leads.

Facilities wise: ample parking charged at £2.70 (if you arrive before 9am) for which you need the correct change or a contactless card; busy toilets at the Visitor centre 50m from the start line; woodland play area; Go Ape(!); and Café San Remo/Kiosk where you can pick up a drink/food afterwards.

Find out more about Black Park at parkrun.org.uk

Personal Stats

PB – 24:49
Best Position – 144th
Times run – 1