Flast, fast, and fun… but is this really a parkrun?

Parkrun 5: Lake Mac Parkrun

Location: Lake Macquarie, NSW

Position: 237

Time: 31:44

Ambitiously, I set out this morning with the idea that it would be nice to hit sub-30 for the first time this year. What I didn’t realise was that Lake Mac parkrun is likely the busiest in the Newcastle/Hunter region; today was a cast of 467.

With a field that large, getting off to a solid start was always going to be a challenge. Indeed today it took a good 400-500 meters to settle down. The run takes place on a path that follows the western banks of Lake Macquarie, but about 800 meters in, the route takes a sharp right turn and and essentially tracks the road up to Speers Point Park which is the turnaround point.

And it’s this road section that makes me think a little less of the course as a parkrun, I’m almost embarassed to say.

I’ve been fortunate to run at the first Parkrun in Australia at Main Beach on the Gold Coast when I was living in Queensland and the difference between Main Beach and Lake Mac is huge. And I know that I’m really nitpicking, but the fact that the run shadows a major arterial road doesn’t ‘feel’ like a parkrun.

Anyway, with my sub-30 shot within the first three minutes, I pretty much spent the rest of the run just trying to enjoy it. Which wasn’t too difficult.

For the trip along the road section to the turnaround point, it still felt very busy with a lot of run/walkers meaning a lot of overtaking. Add into that equation a lot of kids doing what kids do (sprint ahead, then have to stop), and yes, lots of overtaking other runners for the first half of the run.

By the turnaround point, things were starting to thin out and I tucked in behind a couple of other runners which, given their pace, probably wasn’t my best idea. But by this stage, I wasn’t really thinking about pace.

Within a few hundred meters, I’d overtaken this group and set my sights on the next one a few meters up the road. Earlier in the run, I’d noticed in front of me a tall, 50-something, runner with the weirdest arm placement I’d ever seen – I hold my arms up high, limit my swing range, and have my elbows tucked in. This guy had his arms swinging low, probably about a 60 degree angle from the shoulder, and kept things pretty loose. To each their own, naturally, but it gave me someone to target to keep in touch with.

Unfortunately for me, whilst trying to moderate my pace to keep myself with various groups before deciding ultimately to overtake them, I’d lost track with this bloke. I felt I could see him in the distance, but there was no way I was going to catch him.

Before long, and after several more overtaking moves, the now sharp left came up and I made my turn for the last 800 meters back to the start/finish line. As is the norm with me once I make that mental switch, my gate stretched out and my pace quickened a little as I pushed for home.

This week’s run felt pretty good, and a bit easier than it has been of late, but knowing that I’m not doing any training during the week means I’m still a long way from being my best. So by the end of the run I’m pretty spent.

Which brings a close to January. 5 Parkruns possible, 5 parkruns completed and a good start to 2025.