Goffert parkrun, Nijmegen
I thought I had the pronunciation of this city down, but my attempts to tell a Dutchman where I was headed proved it isn't the case. At least you can't tell on the page, and I learnt my lesson and didn't tell anyone else where I was. I travelled to Nijmegen from Arnhem, which is under 20 minutes on the train, though I had a couple of miles to walk either side so had an early start. It's a straightforward walk, so long as you don't head straight up the elevated road you see when you turn right out of the station - it's exactly where you want to go, but there's no walkway, so just trust the maps app when it takes you on a slight detour from the shortest route.
I was in Nijmegen in March 2020, ready to parkrun here before Covid shut it down. I had it planned for December 2021, too, and again Covid shut it down - those coincidences made superstitious enough not to tell anyone I was coming here till the night before (I may even have said out loud "hmm, maybe I'll get the train to Utrecht" despite knowing I had no intention of doing so). I was very glad when early morning rain stopped, the trains ran and my legs didn't fall off or anything on my way to Goffertpark.
The event starts at the top right of Goffertpark, next to the pavilion. The course page suggests the pavilion is named on Google maps, but it doesn't seem to be any more - so long as you're at the top right, and the structure above is near, you're in the right place. There's a pin for Goffert parkrun in Google maps, and that'll see you right. There were plenty of other exercise groups around the place, including a group running up the hill on the grass, so I felt like I was in the right place for some effort.
I arrived at 8:40, which was just a bit ahead of the event team - they were in the park, just not at the start/finish. I could see a few arrows off in the distance, though, so was pretty sure everything was happening. People arrived - on bikes, of course - over the next 20 minutes. Only 11 of us ran the course, the lowest attendance since June, which made for a nice peaceful run for most of us. Two chatted all the way round, and as soon as they had our attention in the finishing straight, started leapfrogging each other and generally cavorting joyfully, which was very entertaining.
The course is fairly flat, so Strava tells me - it reckons on 2m of elevation. Yet there's a distinct, cruel and short hill part way round the loop, and the finish is definitely uphill. Amsterdam was the same - 2m of elevation despite it definitely finishing uphill. I'm sure there's a little more here, because of that cruel hill and then an uphill finish, too. You have the benefit of a downhill stretch after the cruel hill, at least, and none of the turns are taxing.
Afterwards we went to Buuv, a cafe very near to the park, though a little walk away. I mention the walk only because the others were kind enough to stroll with me despite having their bikes to hand, not because it was particularly long - it felt a smidge longer because of the mild guilt. Breakfast was delicious; avocado on toast for me, which means I can't afford a house, or something. On the way I'd also looked at my kindle and decided not to read a couple of books before I chose one, which is enough to make front page news in the UK these days, so I had a morning of provoking the older generation.
The team at Goffert aren't big on social media so there isn't often a reminder on Facebook or Instagram that this event will be happening. But it will! They're committed and were happily organising who was in charge for the next few events over breakfast. I was made very welcome and enjoyed the tour of the park that the route gives you - there is more to see, with events often held in the part of the park the route doesn't cross. In a year without drought and a weird warm weather early autumnal leaf drop, there'd be lush grass to enjoy, too, but the place is pretty enough whatever the conditions. If you can stay in Nijmegen, it's a lovely city with a relaxed atmosphere. Arnhem is, too, and The Netherlands very easy to criss-cross by rail, so you can cast your net pretty wide for somewhere to stay. It's less expensive outside August - which you'd expect, but the difference for me between Germany and here was pretty stark, albeit totally worth it.
Results from Goffert parkrun event 52, 20/8/22; 11 finishers.