My runner’s eye view of some of the parkruns I’ve visited, with some general information and event overview for any prospective first time visitors. All information correct at time of writing and is subject to local change.
Bushy Park
Teddington, London
https://www.parkrun.org.uk/bushy
On October 2nd 2004, a West London running enthusiast called Paul Sinton-Hewitt saw the culmination of a little project he’d been planning for a few months.
Unable to run due to injury, he’d been keen to stay involved with his friends in the Ranelagh Harriers running community and planned the ‘Bushy Park Time Trial’, inspired by similar events he’d taken part in whilst growing up in South Africa. The premise was simple. It would take place every Saturday, at 9am. No need to check a calendar to see when it was on, just the same time and day every week.
The location would be Bushy Park, vast enough to accommodate a course, easy to get to, flat and fast, and a popular well known running venue for recreational joggers and Olympians alike.
Poster for the inaugural ‘Bushy Park Time Trial’
Nice and early at 9am so the event could take place, and they’d be out and gone long before the park got busy. Free of charge, no need to enter, just show up 15 minutes before the start. 5km run, long enough to be a challenge, short enough to make it a quick event. The plan was to hold it every week, so local club runners could use it as a way of monitoring progress should they wish.
Using some basic registration, participants could get a time presented to them each and every week.
On that autumnal morning, 13 local participants set off from the Diana fountain carpark for the first ever ‘Bushy Park Time Trial’. The event carried on as promised, every Saturday at 9am, attracting double figures until the first anniversary, when an incredible 155 people showed up. Over the next couple of years, triple figure attendees became the norm, and in January 2007, a second Time Trial was started at Wimbledon Common. The simple nature of the event made it possible to start up a new event and implement the same format, and the friendly, informal nature of the event was gradually attracting friends and spouses of club runners, and even those outside of the running club community. Maybe in time it could even spread across London?
Over the next few years a total of ten Time Trials were created in locations across the UK before the events became known as parkrun, and in the decades since the phenomenon has grown to thousands of events worldwide, millions of registered participants and an event that for many has grown into a staple of Saturday mornings.
And yet through all that, Bushy Park remains a constant. The course layout has changed over the years to accommodate the number of participants, and from those heady early days of getting over 100 participants, the event now attracts well over 1200 participants each week, with attendances of over 1500 not uncommon. Indeed the landmark 1000th running of the event attracted a world record crowd of 6204, something that required huge amounts of organisation, days to get the results published and as something that pushed the boundaries of a sustainable volunteer-led event, looks unlikely to be repeated.
Still, Bushy Park is something of a ‘pilgrimage’ for parkrunners, an event that many are determined to visit at least once. It’s where it all started and now having staged over 1000 events, traces its lineage right back to the very origins of parkrun.
Every week, a huge army of volunteers organise the event with slick precision. The huge task of avoiding backlogs at the finish and ensuring everyone gets a result is a sight to behold as it operates like clockwork.
The sea of participants at the start, ranging from top athletes to people out to enjoy a 5k walk in the park is something to behold, the crowd quite unlike most parkruns with people sporting running jerseys from locations across the UK, and more than a few foreign accents as international visitors look to travel over to the leafy London suburbs to tick off the parkrun where it all began.
So what’s it like as a first time visitor?
Firstly the early morning itself. Questions of accommodation for Bushy parkrun often appear on parkrun social media pages, and a common recommendation is the Travelodge at Teddington, which seems to have become a hallowed parkrun haunt. And perhaps with good reason, the rather anonymous concrete building converted from a sixties office block is around 20 minutes’ walk to the start, is away from the Central London tourist trail so generally quite cheap, is easy to drive to, and is practically next door to the Teddington railway station with easy access into London.
Could this be parkrun’s most well-known hotel?
Perhaps it’s worth pausing here to note a couple of points. Firstly, if you do choose to drive to the Travelodge, bear in mind the sixties car park was built when everyone drove a Hillman Imp… so it’s pretty tight, especially if leaving the upper level. My first visit there was in my old Volvo S60 saloon car which had a turning circle of the Dover-Calais ferry, getting it out of the upper car park unscathed remains one of my proudest driving achievements!
Lower car park. Probably best if you have a larger vehicle but it’s still quite tight!
I’m probably exaggerating here, but if you have a larger vehicle it is something to be mindul of. There are private parking options nearby on sites like JustPark if you’re after an alternative.
Secondly, if you’re looking to arrive at the parkrun by public transport, it’s worth bearing in mind that the London Underground is not a constant across London and it doesn’t really cover this part of the city. Look for trains that stop at Teddington, Hampton Wick or Hampton Court, alternatively plenty of buses in the areas of Teddingon (north) or Hampton Court (south).
The TfL app is a great tool for planning public transport journeys around London. Within London, public transport may well be the way to go. If you’re staying elsewhere in the city and planning to drive across, bear in mind that even that early in the morning, internet route planners may be somewhat optimistic in the times they give for cross-town driving!
Anyway, back to Teddington Travelodge. Having had a quick coffee and a bit of breakfast, you don your running gear and head out in good time. Most guests are still in their bed as you quietly head down the corridors, but you might encounter a few runners making their way down the stairs or lift, no prizes for guessing where you’re all going!
The suburban London streets are largely deserted as you make your way to Bushy, you might encounter a few more familiar milestone parkrun t-shirts being worn by fellow pedestrians. Possibly even asking if this is the right way to Bushy Park?
Soon enough, you leave the Teddington sidestreets and the see the huge gates of Bushy Park. In front of you is Chestnut Avenue, a long straight road, the Diana Fountain far away in the distance. You’ve still got a good 10-15 minutes of walking through the park before you reach the start area, but it’s at this point where the atmosphere starts to build. More and more parkrunners are with you now, some strolling along, others utilising it as a warm up jog.
Cyclists head along the road to the start, and a steady stream of vehicles gradually make their way to the recommended parking spaces at the Pheasantry car park. The crowds get bigger and you don’t need to ask where the start is. If you’ve never been before it’s worth getting there early to really get a sense of the event building and the pre-parkrun atmosphere. This takes place every single Saturday yet each one feels like a massive national event when you’re there.
The First Timers’ welcome attracts a big crowd before the participants organise themselves in a huge line around 4-5 deep, like some kind of Roman army about to charge. Due to the sheer numbers, the organisers utilise a speaker system to brief the participants. Volunteers in high-viz vests position themselves strategically in front of the crowds to keep the crowds away from the park furniture and trees!
The start of Bushy parkrun is something to behold. For all but the very fastest runners, a huge crowd stretches out in front of you, before funnelling into the gravel path that takes you almost in a straight line along the first kilometre. Considering the huge numbers it’s not as crowded as you might think, any bottlenecks are not too severe and soon sort themselves out once people find their pace.
The end of the straight sees a sharp left turn as the course loops around a cricket pitch, once you’ve taken the left turn it’s well worth taking a quick glance around and get an impression of just how many people you’re out with. Especially if you’re someone who classes themselves as a ‘mid-pack’ runner, you’ll see a huge crowd in front of you, yet a quick glance over the shoulder will reveal a sea of people behind you, still making their way down the straight. This is in contrast to the feeling you get whilst making your way around the course, although there’s always people around you, it doesn’t feel like you’re with 1500 others.
The course gradually winds its way along the gravel paths, with a brief diversion into the common land where the course makes a butterfly layout, before going back to the outer perimeter of the path back onto gravel paths (road shoes are OK)
A left turning back to Chestnut Avenue sees you on the route you initially took to the parkrun (if you entered on the Teddington side) and the only real incline on the course, although this isn’t noticeable.
A left turn and a run along some tarmac paths takes you back to the centre of the course in that butterfly layout, before turning sharp right and a route along some dirt / gravel paths towards the finish. For all but the very fastest runners, you’ll know where the finish is from the huge throng of people in the finish funnel!
The queue for tokens after the finish line. It runs like clockwork and is far more orderly and organised than it looks!
As for the finish funnel, this is a credit to good organisation! To prevent finishers queuing onto the course a ‘triple funnel’ system is used, where runners are assigned one of three funnels to queue in, with the lines constantly being filled up as and when they begin to empty. During the bulk finishing times this area gets very busy and you can expect to be waiting in the queue for quite a few minutes, but it all works exceptionally well. Just stay in position and do what the marshals ask you. It may be the case that you see finishers from behind you moving past in another funnel but don’t worry – the volunteers know what they’re doing and you will get the correct token for your time.
As the event slowly draws to a close, the park gradually returns to its sedate suburban norm, it’s a very popular location but it’s so large this still feels quiet. By 10am, the event suddenly feels a lot quieter as people start to dissipate. The last few finishers are receiving their tokens, there may be a few groups still congregating around the iconic Bushy Park pop up sign for a photograph. As the time moves later past 10am, the herds of deer that are usually quite reticent whilst the parkrun takes place start to migrate back across the fields as the herds of parkrunners move on, maybe for morning coffee at the Pheasantry café or Teddington, head back to London or start to wind their way further afield to home.
As for Teddington, there’s several places where you can go for post-run coffee and breakfast, many visit the ‘Gail’s’ bakery chain and there’s also a fairly large branch of the ‘Up and Running’ store that’s well worth a look. Whilst heading towards the main street in Teddington, you may see a rather anonymous looking office doorway with ‘Pace Sports Management’ on the front… this is actually one of the world’s leading sports management agencies with many of the world’s leading distance runners and track athletes on its books. Yet another link the area has to running, with Mo Farah along with many of the Kenyan matathon runners often using Bushy Park as a training venue over the years.
Bushy parkrun is certainly one event not to be missed, but quite apart from the whole ‘pilgrimage’ thing, it’s well worth visiting in its own right. It’s a relatively flat, fast course and something of a rarity having a single lap course in the middle of a city. If you’ve never been before, I hope this article is informative and helpful ahead of your trip. Enjoy it!
VENUE INFO
Location: Bushy Park, Teddington, London
Surface: Gravel, soil, grass, mostly flat
Shoes: Road shoes tend to be the favoured choice
Dogs allowed: Yes
Buggies allowed: Yes.
Parking: Organisers suggest Hampton Court Station (KT8 9AE), Hampton Court Green car park (KT8 9BP), approx. 1km from start. Both have a small charge. From the northern Teddington side, park in Bushy Park at the Pheasantry car park, accessed via Chestnut Avenue (TW11 0BS).
Organisers request people do not park at the Diana Fountain car park next to the start / finish. This is a busy car park with narrow access, and busy with other park users (…it always looks a bunfight afterwards as people try to leave).
Free car park available at Chipperstile car park (TW11 0BQ) which is 2km from start, some local street parking may be available in the nearby suburbs at weekends, approx. 20 minute walk from start. Check for roadside restrictions.
Toilets: Toilet block available near start. Bear in mind this can get very busy close to start time.
Public Transport: Teddington, Hampton Court and Hampton Wick are the nearest railway stations. There are no Tube stations in the nearby vicinity. Buses do not travel through the park, but there are numerous routes in the Teddington / Kingston / Hampton Court areas that run near Bushy Park. TfL app is a great resource for route planning.
The park is easily accessible via foot and cycle, cycle parking available near start at the Diana Fountain car park.
Food / Drink: Pheasantry Café in Bushy Park is the main local meeting point, plenty of local eateries in Teddington.
Accommodation: Teddington Travelodge is approx. 20 minutes from the start and is a popular budget choice. ‘The Park Hotel’ is also nearby in Teddington and offers more ‘boutique’ accommodation in a Grade 2 listed building. Premier Inn / Travelodge also located at nearby Kingston. For those staying in London, Bushy Park is also easily accessed by rail from Waterloo via Hampton Court, Hampton Wick or Teddington stations
Chris Czora 
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