Hi Everyone,
It’s been nice to be back running in the London sunshine. I know that this time of year gets very busy, but try to block the time to run with the group. I’m sure that you’ll be glad you did. We’ve planned some fun runs for the spring including a few new routes – see a list upcoming runs below. This week on Monday we’re running to the Whole Foods in Piccadilly. We head out the canal and then through Farringdon to the Embankment. Farringdon can be a bit crowded, but it’s worth it to get to the Embankment and then end for a nice coffee at Whole Foods. There is seating upstairs and also lots of tables outside if it’s nice day. Wednesday is the Notting Hill route and Friday we’re trying a new Heath route. We’re heading to the West Heath to see the amazing Pergola. If you haven’t seen it, it’s worth the run up the hill! Take a look at the map, most of the route will be familiar from our standard Heath routes. As always, you can choose a different route if you prefer.
Good Luck Marathon Runners!
Good luck to Stephanie Gladis and Mandeep Rai who are running the London Marathon on Sunday. We hope you have a great race!
Well done racers!
Congratulations to Dinae Norris who completed the Philadelphia half marathon and to Shan Mercer who completed the Yorkshire half marathon. You are awesome!
Save The Date – Sights of London Run and Leaver’s Coffee Friday 19 May
Please mark your calendar for Friday 19 May for our annual Sights of London run and afterwards our coffee gathering to say “good-bye and best wishes on the next adventure” to some of our dear friends. (Sigh, I hate saying good-bye.) For anyone who is new to this, we run to Big Ben and stop along the way for some group photos at key London landmarks. Then we take the tube home to St. John’s Wood for coffee upstairs at Richoux. If you are leaving, can you let us know?
London Landmarks half marathon
London has announced it is hosting a new half marathon on 25 March 2018. Just so you know, that is one of our top choices for a date for our WRW race next year. Most European races won’t announce their spring 2018 dates until the summer so we don’t know for certain the date of the 2018 WRW race. Unfortunately, we can’t choose the London race because it will likely fill quickly and we need a race that has plenty of available space in the fall so that all our new runners and new beginners can join.
Save the Date
Mark your calendars for some great runs that we have planned at the end of year. Especially note the Adventure Run to Hampton Court Palace on 8 May – you’ll need to plan extra time that day because we take the train both ways. This is an amazing run, so it is worth the time!
Monday 24 April – Whole Food Piccadilly
Friday 28 April – West Heath and the Pergola – New Route!
Monday 8 May – ADVENTURE RUN – Richmond to Hampton Court Palace
Friday 12 May – Borough Market
Monday 15 May – Happening Bagel in Finsbury Park
Friday 19 May – Sights of London and Leaver’s Coffee
Wednesday 31 May – Sloane Square, Embankment, Westminster
Monday 5 June – Tower Bridge – New Route!
Monday 12 June – One last run to Big Ben!
Wednesday 14 June – Last official day of WRW for 2016-2017
One last Half Zip available
I keep forgetting to make the announcement, but we have one last WRW long-sleeved Half Zip top available in size Extra-Small. The cost is £50. The first person to email me, gets it. Thanks so much!
Keep running,
Jane
ROUTES
Monday, 24 April – Whole Foods Piccadilly (6.5 miles)
This is fun destination route. How can you resist a fun run that ends up with delicious and healthy food options to bring home? Don’t forget your cash and tube card! We start out heading east on the canal and run to the Wall. We’ll exit the canal there and turn right onto Rodney, which will turn into Penton Rise, then King’s Cross Road, and eventually Farringdon, which we will stay on until we reach the embankment. We then turn right and run along Victoria Embankment to Northumberland (just past Embankment Tube Station). Turn Right onto Northumberland and run through Trafalgar Square onto Cockspur and then turn right onto Haymarket. Take Haymarket into Piccadilly Circus and turn left onto Coventry. Run through Piccadilly Circus, across the street and onto Glasshouse Street, where you will see Whole Foods Market.
Wednesday, 26 April – Notting Hill (6 miles)
Start out by heading west on Circus Road, turn left on Grove End to St John’s Wood Road and go west, working your way to the canal entrance on Blomfield. Enter the canal and run to the Ladbroke Grove exit then run down Ladbroke Grove to Elgin Crescent and make a left. Cross Portobello Road and continue on what is now Colville Terrace until it meets Ledbury Road where we turn right and then left at Westbourne Grove. Run down Westbourne Grove to the top of Bishop’s Bridge, then left down the steps into Sheldon Square (across from the Paddington Station entrance). Stay along the canal to where you entered, then run back on Blomfield to SJW and Starbucks.
Friday, 28 April – Heath Pergola (6 miles)
So, a new addition to our Heath repertoire this week! We’ll first head to the very cool Pergola in the West Heath, then double back slightly to enter the East Heath and run a variation of our standard run.
Head out from Barclays to Avenue Road, then up Fitzjohn’s per all the Heath routes. Continue past Hampstead Tube Station all the way to the roundabout just beyond Whitestone Pond. At the roundabout, use the pedestrian crossings to cross over to New End Way to Jack Straws Castle (now a personal training gym) and continue past the parking lot entrance and past the bus stop to turn left into a wide trail entrance. This trail will take you to the edge of the Pergola. It is worth your time to walk up and see the views from the Pergola, which can also be a rest break since it isn’t very cool to run the Pergola if others are also viewing from it (you’ll understand when you see it). When you are finished with your Pergola time (or if you choose not to climb it), head back out the way you came, running the wide trail back to New End Road, turning right to run by Jack Straws Castle (the gym) and then crossing left at the pedestrian crosswalks by the roundabout to put you back on the standard Heath route. Turn left from the crosswalk and then right to enter the Heath. Run the wide path as usual but don’t turn left to run up Parliament Hill. Instead, veer right at that juncture and follow the trail across the ponds. After the ponds, the trail veers left and shortly after there is an opportunity to take a right turn on the intersecting trail that heads towards E. Heath Rd (taking you next to the fields used for the Art Fair, parking etc at different times of the year.). Cross E. Heath Rd at the pedestrian crossing, then run on Downshire Hill Rd to Haverstock Hill Rd. Turn Left on Haverstock Hill, running home the usual way (turn right on Belsize Ave, left on Lancaster Grove, right on Crossfield, right on Adamson, then cut through the Swiss Cottage public area by the Hampstead Theatre, turning onto Fitzjohns to St Johns Wood Park Rd to St Johns Wood Terrace and then to Starbucks).
NOTES: 1. You can lengthen this run to 6.6 miles by choosing to run up Parliament Hill and then run by the usual Royal Free route. 2. You can always take Belsize Ave directly to Fitzjohns and bypass the several turns though this route has more traffic fumes.
