Richmond Park parkrun (#103)

Two reasons brought me to Richmond Park parkrun this week, interrupting a long series of fun and fulfilling explorations: I have guests for the weekend so I needed to go nearby and I really wanted to start covering my many beloved locals again. So here we are, back to one of the oldest venues in one of the most beautiful green spaces in London.

Added bonus is keeping the unique venues down to 49 until I have a chance to reach the coveted 50 at a special, unusual place: it’s just a silly number, but silly numbers are part of what make parkrun challenges fun. More on that soon.

I originally was leaning towards Clapham, but the event was cancelled there today. Luckily for me, being in SW London I have a roster of 6 or 7 great venues right by my front door, so I could opt for a hilly one-lapper in a wonderful park as a second best. Enviable position to be in.

Richmond Park parkrun holds a special place in my heart: it is where I ran my first half marathon before Covid and I spent a few Saturdays here at parkrun to train on the unusual elevation profile. Also, when I was still in a shape to chase parkrun PBS this was my litmus test: not a PB, but an event PB would tell me I could go to a fast course to try the biggie.

So here we go: a later lie in and hop on my car in what it seemed to be a glorious sunny day. Great setting for the sprawling views Richmond Park offers

Trip to Richmond Park parkrun and parking

As the crow flies, this is probably 3/4Ks from where I live, but crows don’t drive flying Ubers yet, so it is not really within walking distance nor is an easy one to get to by public transport for me… and in general.

I had promised I would be more environmentally conscious, and I will be, but for the Richmond Park, the car was the best option.

If you are driving to Richmond Park, be aware some of the restrictions to car routes that were instituted during the first Covid lockdown ended up becoming permanent, so trust your GPS only if it is up to date. Sheen Gate, for example, is only open to reach the parking, not to get to the main loop anymore.

The event page recommends Pembroke Lodge and Sheen Gate for parking: I warmly recommend the former. It is bigger, it has a cafe and toilets (only after your run) and it is closer to the start. Also, 7/8 minutes walk to the start is virtually flat, while from Sheen you will have to climb your way to the briefing.

Pembroke lodge parking is free and there will be plenty of space available if you get there by 8:40ish. Also, bear in mind it is probably 6/700 metres away from the briefing location and the briefing is 5 minutes walk away from the actual start. Don’t be late.

Richmond Park parkrun: start and briefings

The meeting point is just by Richmond Gate and there are toilets within walking distance by the Gate. In theory, they require coins to get in, but they are usually busy with people walking in and out. I would have no problem paying if there was a way to do it electronically, at the end of the day someone has to keep them clean and they need to be paid… but I can’t remember when I had coins on me last. Plenty of times I found myself in Richmond Park hoping I had some.

The meeting location is on a large, wide meadow and runners tend to spread out quite a lot so you don’t immediately get a clear feeling for how busy it is. Well, this is usually a busy one, with easily more than 400 people each week. You will notice by the time you are stuck in the funnel at the proper start location.

One thing I had noticed on most of my previous visits to Richmond Park parkrun was that briefings here tended to start late, they were usually ‘flexible’ in their script and they were often pretty funny. Mature venues develop their own habits and you can see the confidence in the team, I guess. The former was not respected, it was actually very early, but the latter was: funny and engaging run director who delivered an efficient briefing.

Then you get walking towards Sheen Gate, opposite the direction you will be running, similar to the way they do it at my local, Wimbledon Common parkrun.

When you reach the starting location, you see there is a funnel: unusual, but I guess it is useful to avoid a large front starting in the grass like a herd of buffalos. We are guest of the wildlife here and you wouldn’t want to annoy a stag early in the morning. Try to position yourself by time. You will waste some time in a slow start, just a few seconds, not potentially minutes like in Fulham, but still… it takes a bit to get going.

Richmond Park parkrun course review – star ratings

Richmond Park parkrun course review – route highlights

If you ignore the first few 100s metres from the start to the briefing location, which doubles up as the finish funnel spot so you will run it twice, Richmond Park parkrun as one of those rare, welcome one-lappers. It is hilly and in winter the second half can get moderately muddy. Also, if it is windy, here it can be very windy since there are were wide open spaces.

When you manage to get out of the start funnel, you will be running for a few 100 metres along a wide, tree-covered hard path. It thins out pretty well quickly until you get to the first turn left when you need to climb up to the area where the finish funnel will be. The path narrows significantly here and you might have to slow down a bit again. Nothing major, but keep in mind and dont get too enthusiastic trying to overtake: this is not a easy route, save your energy.

At the top of this small climb, which is essentially the left side of a wonky rectangle, you turn left again and start running on a good, fast paved path. This is a long straight towards Roehampton Gate. The straight is ondulating, but it is pretty consistent in its negative gradient and the temptation to go all out can be very strong. I would recommend to let gravity do its thing and accept a pace that is faster than your usual average, but don’t overdo it. Trust me, you will need to preserve energy.

This area offers beautiful views, with the City skyscrapers visible in front of you on a clear day and groups of deer grazing around you more often than not. On the day I was there, we met a group half way and I would swear it looked like they were watching all those people with a puzzled expression: what are you all doing this early in the morning, humans??? Well, besides that, these are hardcore Bamby-cousins: 450 people run by them and they were unfazed: grass was fresh, why move?

At the end of the long straight, you turn left again, for the second ‘short side’ of the rectangle. Here, in the past you used to have a section of grass in a slight ascent that got you to the Sheen Gate area. Now that cars are not allowed to go on the road here anymore, they have moved the route 3/4 metres further out and let you do this bit on the road. Silver lining of the changes left from Covid lockdown days, I always hated this part on grass All in all, the course have just become very marginally longer, but similarly ‘easier’.

At the end of this section you turn left yet again and you go through the flat, tree covered area on the side of the Sheen Gate car park. This is where you would have left your car had you picked that parking option, 1.5km away from the start area. From here, it is all hard path and the gradient changes from descent to ascent. There wont be hard hills, but it is a long mixed section that feels mostly climbing.

It’s beautiful, further out from the road, so the feel is more ‘rural’, but you will need that energy I hope you saved during the ‘fun’ section. When you get through the Sheen Gate area, you will enjoy a mix of open areas and wooded areas, with a couple of steep short hills and a couple of long climb section, until you reach the start area again.

A short run down from the start to the last turn left and a sharp left shows you the last climb to the funnel. You did it!

Special mention to the volunteers who processed results on the day… I got the SMS when it was not even 10.30 and I was still enjoying the sun around Pembroke Lodge. I guess timekeepers had been very good and no one ‘funnel dodgers’ created issues, but I was still surprised by how fast it was with a 400+ strong field. Well done!

Facilities at Richmond Park parkrun

The cafe, with male and female toilets, that will be open when you get there after your run, is a 10 minutes slow post run walk from the finish area. If you need the toilets before the run, as said there are facilities near Richmond Gate, but the ones at Pembroke Lodge have been closed the last few times I was there. They used to be open in the past, but I guess the Visitor Centre, which shares the building they are in, started opening later sometime during the last couple of years.

The cafe is pretty basic nice, but it has 2 sitting areas that can be very pleasant if it’s a nice day. One to the right of it, under the sun and one to the left of it, tucked away under tree cover, with longer permanent wooden tables. I usually pick the latter.

As a new equivalent to the McDonald’s index, I am now starting the parkbreakfast index: how much is breakfast at each location? The nice lemon viennese cake, Diet Coke and single espresse were £6.40, which is decently honest for the location London.

Richmond Park 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 linked on the course review and video highlights summary page.

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Achievements and performance

Conclusions

This is one my locals, so I will certainly be back. It is also going to remain my ‘hilly benchmark’. Richmond Park is a great 1 lap parkrun in one of the most beautiful locations in London: it is a bit out of the way if you are staying central or East, but it is worth the trip.

If you are a tourist in the capital and have already gone through the obligatory trip to Bushy, I think is one for the priority list and you can make a nice day out of it in the park and, afterwards, strolling around the beautiful riverside and town centre in Richmond itself.

It’s not a PB course, but it is a beautiful, enjoyable and challenging one and the Bamby and his family will often be there to cheer on you.