Event 34 - Clontarf to Mosman Parkrun, Manly Scenic Walkway

My first event outside of the UK and boy this one was spectacular! I’m currently in Australia to visit my niece and nephew (with a cheeky detour to the Great Barrier Reef to fulfil a lifelong ambition and it didn’t disappoint - stunning, awesome, inspiring. I feel so lucky to have had the chance to experience and see the GBR, I definitely left wanting more!) I’m now in Sydney and following the terrible fires and then torrential rain and floods, I’ve been pretty lucky with the weather. It’s not as warm and sunny as it usually is this time of year but it’s perfect conditions for running. 

I wanted to do some Parkrun touring so found the nearest Parkrun to where I was staying in Clontarf and lucky for me the route to get to Mosman Parkrun on Spit Bridge is along the Manly Scenic Walkway. What luck! So I combined Parkrun with the journey there and back and voila! Event 34 of Raquels 40 Race Challenge was born. Beautiful rocks, stone steps, waterfalls and beaches along the route. This is quite likely the most picturesque of all my challenges. 

The steps and terrain were an unexpected challenge but as you know I quite like the element of surprise. I was also slightly worried I’d misjudged the time it would take me to get to Parkrun due to the steps so I couldn’t really enjoy the scenery too much on the way there, but I definitely soaked it all up on the way home. My Grassroots vest attracted some attention from fellow Parkrunners and I got chatting to Ben and Paul who introduced me to Walk n Talk for Life Dee Why and I was invited to join them on their fortnightly walk on Dee Why Beach the following morning. Their aim is to bring people together to support one another, lend an ear and to share compassion and understanding that is often missing in our communities, through a fortnightly walk. You don’t have to have been affected by suicide to attend the events but it has been a fantastic support to many people who have. I took them up on the offer and had some enlightening and pragmatic conversations. What a welcoming group. I feel quite sad I don’t live here to develop these friendships! Thank you to everyone I met for being so friendly and open with me.  

I also chatted to a few other ‘Brits abroad’ along the Parkrun route - there are clearly a lot of us this side of the world! The Parkrun route was mostly flat but with a very steep hill which has to be conquered three times. I didn’t go for any sort of Parkrun PB as I had the steps to contend with on the way back so I just enjoyed the chats and scenery, it was great. On the route back I was taking photos and admiring the lizards and other wildlife. You really have to see it in person to appreciate how spectacular it is here, my photos don’t do it justice. I have to be completely honest, this event wasn’t the most taxing I’ve done but when you’re in a different country, planning and actually attempting something like this is rather scary especially as I did it solo. My next event is going to be much harder - a half marathon in the Freshwater area of the Northern Beaches. I should have been taking part in the Brighton Half Marathon as originally planned but as I’m here in Sydney, I’ll be undertaking the same distance at exactly the same time as the Brighton race.....just the other side of the world! I have my hydration pack at the ready as well as head torch and high vis equipment because I’ll be running in the dark! - yep in the DARK! I couldn’t make it too easy for myself - this is a fundraiser after all. Please splash the cash, here’s the link if you would like to donate to my cause :-)