Parkrun de Rouen
We're staying at my sister's house in northern France and the nearest parkrun is Parkrun de Rouen. Rouen is a lovely city on the River Seine and the parkrun takes place on the southern stretch of the river.
A 70-mile drive meant an early start through the beautiful rolling French countryside. It was only when I entered Rouen itself that I realised it's a far bigger city than I realised; the city centre rises up the hillsides away from the river with multiple bridges criss-crossing over the Seine. I was aiming for Quai (dock) 106; a former dockyard area that's been gentrified and is now a very smart and welcoming area. The start of the parkrun is relatively easy to find, even with the roadworks currently in place. There's a large free carpark right next to the start.
So, on a warm June morning, around thirty people gathered at the start beneath the large yellow crane on the dockside. A fellow runner walked over to me; I immediately spotted his Blackburn Road Runners vest...a fellow Brit! Michael introduced himself; he'd recently moved to France and this was his second time running Rouen. We chatted about the course and about our respective upcoming races (he's got Berlin and Paris lined up...far more glamorous than Chester and Manchester!). A friendly member of the parkrun team came over and asked us if we knew the course. I never got the chap's name, but he was very friendly and made us feel very welcome.
With a trois, deux, un we were off. The course follows a new route, apparently, east towards a large bridge where you take a small loop, and then under the bridge for two larger loops. There's virtually no incline on the course, so it's a quick one. I noticed there was a quick chap breathing down my neck for the first mile; I managed to put a bit of space between us midway through, extending this even further towards the end. On the final stretch I turned around and noticed there was no one near me; it was a great feeling to know I was going to come first. At the end the volunteers all congratulated me in French and then in English, patting me on the back and offering me water. Merci! I kept exclaiming as I gasped for air. It was only when the second-placed runner approached that I realised it was Michael. I shook his hand at the end and we promised to stay in touch via Strava.
So, a first-place outside the UK. Very happy. Please do try to get to Rouen if you can; it's very easy to park and it's a nailed-on PB course. What's more, it's very small and I think the regulars really appreciate getting new people running it. So, to Parkrun de Rouen and all its volunteers, merci beaucoup, à bientôt!
