parkrun Poznań
Poznań, Poland
I ran parkrun Poznań a couple of weeks ago, so this isn’t totally fresh in my memory. As a result there the photos take up more space than the words, and the email may cut it short. Feel free to click through to see the full post if you’re interested in more autumnal views.
The parkrun route, in Park Cytadela, is easily walked from town, particularly if you’re staying to the North as I was. It was under a mile’s walk, and almost as soon as I’d walked up the hill from the main road to the South, I could see the parkrun flag across the other side of the field. It’s in the picture below on the left, though you might have to take my word for it. It’s very reassuring, and there’s loads of room to warm up.
This event coincided with National Independence Day, so we were invited to run in as much white and red as we liked. That wasn’t an option with my light-travel, but plenty of people were in the kit, and some even carried the flag with them as they went.
This is a long-standing event, having started in July 2012, so the team were as slick as it’s possible to be. There were a few English tourists there, but most didn’t attend the first-timers’ briefing which was in Polish. It was still useful to get a view of the course, though it isn’t one you’ll need to remember. It looks a little complicated on the course page, but it follows paths and is well marked when you need to turn. One long loop, early on it cuts across a path you’ll use at the finish, and there’s a section at the top where you run on an elevated section above the path below, which heads to a loop round a sunken garden. So it gives the chance to see others ahead and behind, without any chance of running across each other or being lapped.
This was a pretty cold day. I’d packed light, small hand luggage allowing me shorts and a long-sleeved top, and that was just about enough to stand around in, much as I’d hoped November temperatures back in a cold country would stay in double digits. 4 degrees, I got, instead. It was quite a contrast to the 34 from Belize, a few weeks before; my advice is, bring more clothes for Poland in Autumn, let alone Winter.
There were marshals on course, but most of the directions are done with signs and chalk on the ground. It works really well, and where to head is always obvious. The only part that needed a little thought was through the grounds of the museum - the only event where I’ve had to think “left or right, round this tank?”
There are a few undulations on the course, a couple of noticeably up and down hill sections but nothing that adds up to a lot of hilly effort. The surface is good throughout, and the turns taken mean you get to see the course from different directions. Plus the paths are wide, so there’s room for loads of people. The event is easy to find, straightforward to complete whether walking or running, and well-organised.
Results from Poznan parkrun #528, 11/11/23; 102 finishers