Thames Path parkrun, Woolwich

My planner had Sutcliffe for today, but last week we had a new baby parkrun in London, Thames Path, Woolwich: the new curly wurly parkrun?. How could I miss the chance to try a new course, while at the same time enjoying a route that proved to be quite scenic along the Thames and offer a nice surprise at its mid point? Also, I liked the idea of crossing town to come back to the 3 miles point of the London Marathon (kind of) after the experience a few weeks ago.

If I want to make a dent into the remaining events to achieve Lond-Done, I also need to start picking events that are more convenient to reach by public transport, so this was my first test. And it worked… I admit my laziness meant that I only used public transport on the way back but, hey, baby steps.

Sutcliffe, sorry for missing you. I will be back soon, I promise!

Trip to Thames Path parkrun and parking

The event takes place on the Thames Path, between Woolwich Arsenal Heritage site and Gallions Reach park.

The area is well served by public transport, with Woolwich and Woolwich Arsenal stations a short walk from the start and offering Elizabeth line and DLR services, respectively. I had never been around here, at least not since the development of the new residential and leisure hub has been completed and I have to say as far as new built area redevelopments are concerned, this is actually quite beautiful and it does not break too much with the historical looks of the riverside.

If you are coming by car, the official webpage lists a few options for parking with postcodes. Some free, some for a fee.

Start and briefings at Thames Path parkrun

The meeting point is in James Clavell Square, where volunteers congregate and the First Timers briefing happen. It is a nice, scenic and pretty open square in the focal point of the new development and straight in front of a Thames Clippers stop (if you want to go back home by boat in summer).

It is a pretty location, but the cafe offering the only option for a pre-run toilet break does not open until 10am (9am for the month of May as a test to see if they can justify opening earlier for parkrunners). The openness that makes it scenic also helps it to turn into a very windy location though, since it is straight on the Thames: winter might be interesting here 🙂

After the First timers briefing, the herd starts walking Eastward on the Thames Path to reach the real start location. It’s a 5-minutes walk getting after one of few bends along the path: good choice to avoid getting through that before the herd thins out. Both briefings and anything involving the Pink-Vest heroes was extremely well prepared and enthusiastic: you can see the excitement for finally getting going after a successful quiet start. Well, you had 3x more people on your second event and everything went flawlessly!

Course review – star ratings

Thames Path parkrun course review – curly wurly parkrun route highlights

A rare and very welcome 1-lapper and, even if it is essentially an out-and-back one, the funny and challenging feature at the turnaround point makes extremely interesting and the returns being flat on a very slight descent gradient is surprisingly pleasant.

You start on tarmac just around the corner from the main path. It’s cramped and slow and you risk bumping on each other at the initial turn, but then things thin out very very fast and the main Thames Path section is actually fairly wide, so dogs and prams are allowed and overtaking is never an issue. Also, if you are a middle of the pack runner like me, most of the two-way action will be on the Mound of Doom, where there shouldn’t be too much overtaking anyway.

After a bit less than 1K along the river, the course goes slightly inland and there are a few hundred metres of run along a three-line path which shelters runners from the wind and might also offer some cover from the sun during the 10 days of real summer we usually get in London.

Then you turn right and enter Gallions Reach park where, roughly around the 1-mile point, you see the Curly Wurly of Doom and start climbing. It’s a large mount with a spiral all around it reaching the top. It’s not steep, but it is long: I wouldn’t be surprised if you spend around one mile combining ascent and descent.

When you reach the top, you run around a volunteer that has taken up the new role as Beacon and then back down. The way down is fun and fast, so I am sure you will pretty much recover the time lost going up. I don’t this is a PB venue, but it going to be a fairly fast one.

Ironically, last week I wrote that Brooklands is the London Curly Wurly: clearly, there is a new one now, a real Curly Wurly.

After the mound, you go back along the same route you have already run, but when you get to the start there are probably still 500 metres to go before the finish funnel, which is at the square where the First Timers briefing had happened. Convenient for the cafe that is now open or for the short walk to the tube stations.

Even with 400+ runners and just at the second event, the team managed the funnel and scanning flawlessly and results were sent within a couple of hours. Impressive!

Facilities at Thames Path parkrun

There are no public toilets at the start locations before 9am. When you arrive, Woolwich Works will be available for a toilet break and a cake, less than 1 minute away from the barcode scanners.

Thames Path parkrun video highlights

As usual, I’ve taken a few video snippets during the run to give an idea of the course. If you like it, please subscribe, it’s a fun past time for me 🙂

The other parkrun videos on my YouTube channel are all listed on the course review and video highlights summary page.

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Achievements and performance

Conclusions

Fun course, beautiful views and a challenging but enjoyable hill. I’d love to do it again, eventually, even if it is kind of far from where I live and I still have most East London events to get through.

I am impressed by the flawless organisation for such an early event, big congratulations and a huge thanks to the volunteers. You were not fazed by the horde of tourists that descended on you today!