AVR do Seaton parkrun

It was an early start for AVR on Saturday 22^nd July. We had to be on the Active Trowbridge minibus by 6:15am but luckily, it was to attend a wonderfully welcoming parkrun by the sea and despite the terrible weather, we all had a great time.

After a long drive with a couple of loo and car-sickness stops along the way, we arrived in Seaton with plenty of time to spare. We made ourselves known to the volunteering team and listened in on the informative run brief.

At the beginning, the weather wasn't too bad - just a little windy and our interest was focused on the unusual pebble beach start straight. It was amazing how loud they became when nearly 300 runners started moving across them in a Bambi-like fashion. Once off the pebbles and onto a more solid footing, it felt exactly the same as when you stop bouncing on a trampoline and walk along the floor! The esplanade was nice and flat for the majority but the pebbles at the opposite end were much smaller so they were a fun challenge to navigate a couple of times but it just made us smile every time because we were having so much fun! The weather became increasingly windy and rainy and was pretty awful when we all finally finished. A couple of us had planned on a dip in the sea but changed our minds when we saw how choppy it was but that didn't stop Nicola who dived straight in!

A thank you must go to all of the volunteers who stood out in the rain to cheer us on. It was a tough job for the first 2 along the esplanade who stood in the middle of the course with the tall direction arrows - that many runners running a them from both directions must be such a daunting sight! AVR all certainly appreciated them so that we could enjoy our trip.

Afterwards, we dried off and ate a delicious breakfast in the Pebbles Cafe nearby. It's just a shame that the weather was so rubbish as we may have stayed even longer but there are plenty of opportunities should anyone want to return another day when the sun is shining.

22/07/2023 | Avon Valley Runners |