https://athleticsweekly.com/featured...ns-1039930710/
Seems Witton parkrun doesn't feature in the top 30 toughest. Does anyone know which is toughest by climb? Is there a cat BS parkrun?
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https://athleticsweekly.com/featured...ns-1039930710/
Seems Witton parkrun doesn't feature in the top 30 toughest. Does anyone know which is toughest by climb? Is there a cat BS parkrun?
Whinlatter parkrun has I think 600ft of climb. Only about 80 people have broke 20mins there
187'/ml, that makes cat B.
Here is the complete list
https://www.thepowerof10.info/conten...px?itemid=1704
and Whinlatter is 759 - out of 760
Interestingly my pb is on statistically the hardest out of the courses i've ran.
Lyme Park parkrun is damn hard. 400 ft of climbing? Covers some of the same ground as Boar's Head fell race I guess.
Can someone explain standard scratch score?
The VSS score is a difficulty rating used by Power Of 10/Run Britain, which produces a national ranking ladder for all club registered athletes. It is used to provide a consistency of ranking points over different courses.
A standard score should be something that is a "true" course, ie not affected by weather, hills, or being long/short.
However i have ran track races with a VSS of below -1, and also above 1......
SO in conclusion.... absolutely no idea...!
Likewise the National Rankings.... A very good athlete will have a negative score, and very decent club athletes at least below 1. The very elite will be several below zero.... (my best ranking has been about 3.5, although i'm above 4 at the moment as i haven't done a ranking race (road/xc/parkrun/track) since the early spring.
I think there might be a distortion of the stats, because Witton was originally a flatter, faster route and then in storms a bridge was washed away, so it changed to what they call "The Beast".
It was supposed to be a temporary change, but when thee bridge was fixed, the organisers decided to stick with it.
Parkrun couldn't scrap the old data, so Karl's record from 2015 still stands, but I don't think anyone has come within a minute of it since.
So I doubt it would make the top 10, but it should be somewhere in the top 30. It has around 370ft of acsent,4 climbs, quite twisty and technical in parts.
Well I've done 33 different parkruns and the Power of 10 list makes some sense, but there are some glaring anomalies. For example, Dolgellau is pan flat and really fast, but gets 2.7; Evesham is flat and fast and gets 2.2. Glossop at 2.8 and Horton Park at 2.5 are both really hilly and slow.
Fastest course I've run is York Racecourse and the hardest ones I've run are Flatts Lane, Lyme Park and Chevin Forest.
I suppose the rating depends on how many fast runners regularly turn up.
I've only got parkruns beginning with I, J, V, and Z to complete the parkrun alphabet - there is no X.
I may have planned a recent holiday to The Trossachs to include getting a Q and U!
Worry not though I'm still enjoying being at the back of Fell races.
Warwick Racecourse is the fastest course i've ran on (although not came close to my pb there yet).
On a still day it is fast.... but being open around a racecourse, when its windy (which it often is) it makes it very difficult.
Edgbaston Reservoir in Birmingham is pan flat but the dam can be very breezy. If there is no wind, then definitely PB potential.
Dishley parkrun in Loughborough is also flat, but PB potential is limited by the sharp corners, including one that provides the opportunity for a swim in the canal for those who try to take the corner too fast.
Cannot do Crowden Horseshoe tomorrow as planned so this morning:
3rd ever Parkrun
2nd at Bakewell
1st on new course now called Monsal Trail Parkrun
Sub 20 in 19min 54sec
Happy with that :)
Good effort Bob! I've done that one a couple of times, and as parkruns go - it's a good one. You are faster than me! never managed sub 20. Best at Monsal Trail was 24.30.
Dolgellau pr for me this morning in pissing rain! No view of Cadair for us, but the Mawddach was well up.
Monsal trail is 2.3, my local Bramley is 3.0 on the scores list, where I typically run 20.30 when fit. You are faster than me on the fells, no doubt about that, but there probably won't be a lot in it at 5k. That said, your age grading is way above mine, you're running very well.
[QUOTE=MattPo;684700]
Monsal trail is almost flat.
I can tell you I felt every inch of the 70 feet elevation!
I'm not sure I'm faster than you on the fells MrB. I do seem to be running OK at the moment and the body seems fine but the bit between my ears takes a lot of convincing to actually get out there. It is a real struggle at the moment, I've no motivation whatsoever and its a battle that I must win.
Today I parkran for the first time in over a year, and only the second time since the pandemic. All my previous 7 parkruns have been at Dishley, on the north side of Loughborough, but a parkrun was started at Beacon Hill in February this year, so I did that today. From the OS map, it has about 105 metres of climbing (and slightly more descent), so that's at least 100 metres more than at Dishley.
I used my usual race tactic of starting stupidly fast, but did get into a good rhythm once the pain had subsided. Finished in 24:27, which is 4 seconds faster than my last run at Dishley. First M65-69 (and I am ranked 4th of all M65's at the Beacon Hill parkrun), but didn't get above the 70% age-graded performance.
Not a bad time Anthony...
One of my coaches at the club is 72 (and a 2:20 marathon man in his prime) and is running an almost identical time to you (although that is at Coventry which would be a lot flatter than Beacon Hill, so i'd give you a minute on him on a flat course)
The only time I've ever run a level paced parkrun is when I've been on a go-slow and wearing a 25m pacing vest. Even then my breathing rate will up itself to 3 strides/breath from 4 at about 3k. I try to hold steady at 2 strides/breath for at least 2k and then hang on for grim death, starting this way is the best way not to start in O2 debt. After 1500-2k it's down to focus and leg speed, I try to imagine effortless turnover as if I were running on clouds in a dream.
My fastest parkrun actually occurred when i found myself a little hemmed in for the first couple of minutes and therefore ran more evenly, not flying out of the blocks for the first km.
Although my fastest actual 5km time was my usual tactic of pushing hard from the off, although i somewhat fell off in the final km.... i just happened to be very quick over the first four... i'm hoping towards the end of this build up to Brampton-Carlisle i might be somewhere near pb pace by running evenly.
Is Fountains Abbey the finest parkrun? I'm fairly sure it is of the 40ish venues I've done.
I have now definitely scheduled a parkrun attempt for next saturday.
Went through 5km today in 19:09 as part of a longer run.
I didn't do Bramley parkrun today, I had a tester outing in the woods on Thursday and I'm definitely not ready for 3 sessions a week. My rolled ankle feels great, but my soleus is not yet out of the woods.
Did the Parkrun at Warwick Racecourse this morning.... my first parkrun since (i think) July of last year.
18:37.... was very pleased with that given the heat... fastest time at Warwick by a long way, and only 3 seconds short of my quickest parkrun time....
Not sure how much time the heat cost, but surely 15-20 seconds, which would put me in 5km pb territory (18:14)
After a brief dalliance with the top 3, settled into 5th for the remainder... at the halfway hairpin i was rather alarmed to find about 5 runners within 10 yards just behind, poised for the kill... but the most pleasing aspect for me was how i held my pace in the 2nd half, and i must've finished 50-100 yards in front of them by the end.
Did a local parkrun this morning.
A significantly tougher course than last weekend at Warwick, and not a full 100% effort like last week... but i was still pushing fairly hard, probably 90% effort.
It was much cooler than last week which helped a great deal.
Was hoping vaguely for "around 19mins" so was fairly content with 19:08 and 4th place.... came under some pressure from a young whipper-snapper towards the end, but a well positioned hill gave me the cushion needed to see him off.
I volunteered at Chevin Forest parkrun this morning and was tail walker. Recorded my slowest ever time, but still managed to be first in my age group.
We had a parkrun based session today.
Coventry Parkrun, then straight into 8 x 150mtr hill reps.
Did the Parkrun in 18:40 which was quite pleasing considering there's been no let up in training this week. Also kept it consistent throughout.... at halfway i was on 18:45 pace, so ran similar for the 2nd half.
The hill reps were very tough.... i was the slowest guy in the group this morning, hung on as long as i could, but after 5 reps i was gone and i fell off the back of the group a bit.
9.5 miles for a very satisfactory session.
Surprised nobody has mentioned Cliffe Castle parkrun in Keighley - three times up 'The Cliffe' is bloody hard whether you're running hard or taking it easy.
Bramley will be back on the much favoured winter course soon, FYI.
New parkrun world record for a 9 year old! Pretty fast too.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cmj5l612080o
Another Parkrun based session this morning.
There was a bit of inter-club rivalry, as another of the endurance groups turned up for a similar Parkrun/reps session.... we showed them what time it was though, picking up 2nd/3rd/myself in 11th, with their first guy just in front of me in 10th.
I ran 18:50.... suffered a little through going out a bit hard, chasing the Godiva guy from the other group... held onto him for 2km but he pulled away slowly and probably beat me by 20-30secs.... that said, my 2nd lap was only 10secs slower than the first lap.
Then 8 x 150mtr hill reps... this was actually more unpleasant than the parkrun... really tough on tired legs.
Overall another pleasing session at the back end of a tough week. 9.5 miles.
526 people at Roberts Park parkrun this morning, on a shortened winter course of 3 laps. There is a ginnel from the nature trail back to the park which is chocka with people on their 2nd lap as you're coming in to finish, it was a very congested last 200. The park is very nice with many Victorian features, and a cafe opening at 8am that has some good ornate period tile work. Have to do the longer summer route some time.
Roberts is a lovely park and parkrun. My son and his fiancé were there this morning too - you beat them Mr B. The summer course is much less congested at the pinch point.
I was ploughing through the mud at Chevin Forest, no congestion and a pleasing 26.59.