‘THE DEAD PORPOISE IS NO LONGER THERE. It has been removed.’ So begins the briefing for marshals at Great Yarmouth North Beach parkrun – perhaps an unusual message for most parkruns, but not for this one.
Great Yarmouth shares the rarity of being run entirely on the beach. Hafan Pwllheli and Portrush are others that do this. Newborough Forest, Crosby and Seaton have sandy sections, too. Other key briefing points are to deter running in the dunes; avoid tangling with anglers on the shore (‘Don’t run in front of them,’ the starter advises me); and ensure no one cheats on the back stretch by running along the promenade. That would get you off the beach and on to familiar concrete, which is tempting – especially on the second lap – but not in the spirit of this event.
Great Yarmouth has a reputation as the toughest parkrun in the country because of the surface underfoot. Let’s call it a sandicap. Facts speak for themselves: in 185 editions, only three winners have finished in under 20 minutes. Average finishing time down the years is 38 minutes and 33 seconds. When I participated in overcast February, 47 people completed the course. Most are tourists: regulars are greeted on a first-name basis. Meanwhile, on the same day just two miles down the Norfolk coast at Gorleston Cliffs parkrun, 341 people finished. Average finishing time over the years for Gorleston is just over 29 minutes. It is also a seaside event but mostly along the promenade. No need to worry about porpoises or dune grasses. ‘It’s fast but it is boring,’ one of the regulars of the Great Yarmouth parkrun confided.
Herein lies the crux of running on the beach rather than concrete: you don’t know what you’re going to get week from week. Club runners reckon the surface at Great Yarmouth can make a difference to their 5K time by up to five minutes. ‘It’s unique; it’s challenging,’ says Karen Peck, a trail runner from Lowestoft. Summer is the worst. The sand is dry like powder snow and the wind can whip it into new shapes. In winter, wetter weather compacts the sand and gives more stability. Peck says the best condition for faster times is the freezing cold: ‘We all broke PBs in early January.’
But Great Yarmouth is not pure sand. On the back stretch, flanking that tempting promenade, grass is knitting together to form a firmer surface and give some respite to weary ankles. On the shoreline, meanwhile, gravel gets washed up and drawn back down by the sea in unknown quantities. I was lucky enough to experience low tide, so I had the wide choice of wet sand or a mix of sand and gravel. But tides change and at high tide, you get what the sea gives you on this long stretch.
In terms of footwear, Mark Ollett, from the specialist running shop A complete guide to parkrun, recommends wide trainers with more than 200m of elevation, this is the hilliest parkrun in the UK Altra and Topo, with smooth soles to cover as much surface area as possible. For this parkrun, elements such as shoes can be decided in advance. But the real appeal of Great Yarmouth North Beach are all the natural elements that get thrown at you on the day. Message to all promenade parkrunners: get off the concrete and enjoy a real outdoor experience.
Three toughest parkruns in the UK
1/Great Yarmouth North Beach: there’s a reason why only three people have run under 20 minutes in its history.
2/ Whinlatter Forest: taking place in the Lake District on a course usually frequented by mountain bikers. Need we say any more?
3/ Durlston Country Park: With an average finish time of over 38 minutes, this is not a 5k for those seeking a PB.
