Hello Runners!
Do I say the same thing every week?: What a fun week it has been! It was cold, but we lucked out with bright sunshine each running morning. And it was great to see runners mixing it up a little amongst the pace groups– it seemed like all week pace groups kept overtaking each other and getting great photos together, and some people opted to try running with a different group one day. It is so rewarding and fun to get to know runners from all across WRW. You can see more highlights from our colourful week in this 3-minute slideshow (thanks, Jen Iannazzo!).
Running this Week. Monday we are doing a destination route with hills, to Finsbury Park. Sometimes when we don’t get our hills in on Friday (we did Borough last week, and this Friday will also be a generally flat run), we like to throw in a hill or two on a different day. It’s a great run, taking in the beautiful Parkland Walk, which may still have some colourful foliage and gives us the chance to visit the ‘Spriggan’ (Cornish fairy) sculpture embedded in the walls of an old railway arch. Supposedly, this sculpture and the Parkland Walk itself, provided the inspiration for Stephen King’s short story “Crouch End”. If you’re not up for the full 7 miles yet, you could exit the run at Highgate Station, or perhaps take transport to start the run at Swiss Cottage or Hampstead. On Wednesday we have a brand new route brought to you by Paola Di Meo, who has created a fresh way to get to Victoria, where we can take our pick of coffee spots before jumping on the tube to get back to SJW. Or if you need a looped run on Wednesday, you can run with your group to Hyde Park, then meander back for the distance of your choice.
And finally, on Friday, we have the annual Remembrance Run. This amazing run tour was created a few years ago by route-master Erin Roth, and it is a meaningful and fascinating way to observe Remembrance Day and take in some of the history on our local streets. Please take the time to look at Erin’s guide (attached below), which tells the story of the landmarks we pass. I promise you will be moved and inspired by it– this is no ordinary run! There are plenty of places to exit if you need to keep it shorter, but it also begs for many stops to check out the landmarks, so you may find it a good run for extending your mileage. Enormous thanks to Erin for this special contribution to the WRW running repertoire!
Announcements and Shoutouts. Sending big cheers out for Kelly Willis, who is running the New York City Marathon Sunday. Good luck, Kelly! And though we aren’t always able to keep up with all that our alums are doing, it did cross my chats this week that Becka Goldberg and Mariya Treisman are running the Newburyport half marathon in Massachusetts tomorrow. So a good luck shoutout to these ladies as well!
Do let us know if you take on a race– or if you know a shy WRW runner who is doing so– so we can add cheers and kudos for them.
Christine Wilt is part of the organising group for the kids’ version of the Park Run series. These 2k runs take place every Sunday morning at 9am at Paddington Recreation Ground for kids aged 4-14. It is a fun, no-pressure environment for kids to try out running. The organisation needs volunteers every week to help make the event work. Find more information on the event here, and more on volunteering here!
Save the Date. We have some great runs coming up, including the Hampton Court Adventure Run, next Monday, November 15. Don’t forget to block off the whole morning for this ‘adventure run,’ and be sure to save time on your calendar for these extra-special runs:
Mon., Nov. 15 – Hampton Court Adventure Run– Block off the full morning for this twice-yearly favourite route. Take the Overground to Richmond for the 7-mile run to Hampton Court Palace (hopefully with coffee in the Tiltyard Cafe on palace grounds!), then take the train back via Waterloo.
Wed., Nov. 17 – The Wednesday Scramble— A new WRW social running event designed to mix it up a little bit! Stay tuned for details!
Wed., Dec. 1 – The Christmas Lights Run— Kick off the holiday season with an early start to run to central London and view the holiday lights before dawn (and before the crowd descend!) A WRW tradition!
Enjoy your Sunday, everyone! It’s going to be a great week for running together. Can’t wait to see you in the park and on the pavements!
xx Micki
ROUTES
Monday, 8 November – Finsbury Park via Highgate and Parkland Walk (7 miles)
RunGo: https://routes.rungoapp.com/route/OqSvoVYSBa
For this run we start up Fitzjohn’s as if we’re going to the Heath, but pass the Heath entrance and continue up Spaniards/Hampstead Lane into Highgate. Bear right onto Highgate High Street. Turn left down Southwood Lane (the road next to Gail’s) and go down the hill, then veer to the right (not a hard right turn!) onto Jackson’s Lane. Continue down Jackson’s to Archway Road and make a right, then a relatively quick left onto Holmesdale Road. Run a short distance on Holmesdale and the entrance to Parkland Walk will be on your left. Follow the path to Finsbury Park, cross over the train tracks, turn right and run along the western edge of the park and exit onto Seven Sisters Road. Happening Bagel is across the street, Costa is to the right, and Finsbury Park Station is further down on the right (on the Piccadilly and Victoria tube lines).
This route is a little trickier than most to cut short for less mileage, but the Highgate tube stop (Northern Line) is around the 5-mile mark on this run, so it is possible to catch the tube back to St Johns Wood.
Wednesday, 10 November – Hyde Park/Belgravia/Victoria (5.67 miles)
RunGo: https://routes.rungoapp.com/route/qB5iJAnbET
Head out to Hyde Park, taking the usual route. At the silver orb turn right on N Carriage drive. Follow the path straight all the way and then turn left to W Carriage Drive. Keep following the path crossing the bridge reaching the exit of the park. Exit the park crossing Kensington road and enter Exibition Road (you’ll pass the London Imperial College on your left and the V&A Museum on you right).
At the end of Exhibition Road turn left onto Cromwell road. Cross at the traffic light to change side of the road and continue on Cromwell Road. Turn left to Beauchamp place, go straight until you’ ll see on your right Pavillon road. Follow Pavillon road until the end and turn left to Sloane Square. Cross the square and head to Lower Sloane Street. Turn left on Pimlico Road and keep going straight until reaching Orange Square. Then turn left to Ebury Street. Go straight until Grosvenor Gardens. With the Grosvenor Gardens on your right turn right and cross the road and then cross again to the left. Head inside the Nova food Complex if you are up for a coffee at Ole and Steen or a doughnut from Crosstown. Victoria tube station is on your right. To make it 6 miles, take Buckingham Palace Road to Green Park tube station.
Friday, 12 November – Remembrance Day Run (9 miles, with stops)
RunGo: https://routes.rungoapp.com/route/7qQw1Iwo3X
Don’t forget to look at the attached guide that accompanies this run and tells you about the sights we will be passing!
Head down Circus Road and cross Grove End Rd to Hall Rd. Remember Davies the dental surgeon at the corner of Hamilton Terrace. Run down the hill to the Sutherland roundabout, taking the left after the Warrington Pub onto Warrington Crescent. Keep an eye out to the left for the five tudor style houses on your left — this is the site of the WW1 bombing. Carry on down Warrington Crescent, past the Warwick Avenue Tube Station until you reach the bridge over the canal — and picture those incredible “Idle Women” making their way in narrowboats carrying crucial war supplies from London to the industrial north and back again. Straight on to the tunnel that goes under the Westway, then over the curving metal pedestrian bridge to run alongside Paddington Station. You’ll pass a Paddington Bear statue on your right — a reminder of those young evacuees. Keep Paddington Station to your right as you leave the canal area, cross Praed St, cross Sussex Gardens and continue straight down London St until you come to a small roundabout with a Fuller’s pub ahead on the left. Turn left in front of the pub onto Strathearn Pl, right onto Clarendon Pl, and cross at the zebra crossing into Hyde Park, which would have had a very different feel during the two wars. Cross N Carriage Dr, the sandy horse trail and the hard path paralleling it, and then take the SECOND angled path to the left to head towards the eastern edge of Hyde Park — the goal is to get to the corner we always exit the park from onto Hyde Park Corner. There are a few path options but as long as you angle left here you will eventually end up in familiar territory. Cross into Hyde Park Corner with its four war memorials. After taking a look, cross at the traffic light as normal to Green Park, but turn left in the park to get to the Bomber Command Memorial inside its columned portico. Continue for a very short distance past the memorial and the path forks to the right — it is signposted “Buckingham Palace”. Follow this path towards the palace. At the open area where many paths meet and a large Victorian lamppost stands, turn right towards the palace. You’ll pass a modern, low-built Canadian war memorial in the grass to your the left — it isn’t in the write-up but is something to visit sometime. Continue towards the palace, across the top of St James Park and left on Birdcage Walk. There is a long iron fence that runs along the right side of the road. Just after the gate marked with the “Wellington Barracks” sign in blue you will see the side of the rebuilt Guards’ Chapel with its low bell tower. Continue to Parliament Square with the statue of Churchill, then turn left onto Whitehall. The Cenotaph is in the center of the road and shortly after that you will come to the Women of World War Two Memorial. Continue up Whitehall to Trafalgar Sq and stay on the right side of the road while edging around the right side of Trafalgar Square. Shortly after St Martin-in-the-Fields you will see the Edith Cavell Memorial, opposite the National Portrait Gallery. Use the crossings to get across to the Portrait Gallery, go around to the right of the Portrait Gallery onto the angled Irving St that becomes a pedestrian way into Leicester Square. Cross Leicester Sq on the diagonal and take a right after the big clock and M&M World onto Wardour St. Follow Wardour St all the way up to Oxford St. This will likely be a very busy stretch of the run…be careful of pedestrians and cars! At Oxford St, look across at the Next store, housed in the grand Bourne & Hollingsworth department store building with its handsome green window panels. Continue straight across Oxford St onto Berners St, left on Mortimer St, right on Langham Pl, right on Park Crescent, across Marylebone and into Regent’s Park. Follow along the right side of Regent’s Park and emerge onto the Broad Walk. The ‘Home Depot’ would have been nearby buzzing with mail distribution 101 years ago. Cross the Outer Circle at the traffic light, across the canal, left to Primrose Hill. Run across Primrose Hill to the gate at St Edmund’s Terrace, and proceed to Starbucks as normal.
