Southwark Slam #4 - when a personal best isn't a personal best - Dulwich parkrun #538 - 30/09/23

Finishing the Southwark Slam 2024

Created in 1890 Dulwich park used to be farmland but has been sculpted and planted to create one of the prettiest parks I’ve been to and gaining royal approval for its rhododendrons along with 13 Green Flag awards. 

The course is 3 anti-clockwise laps of the main carriageway, which is smooth and fast providing glimpses of the park's quaint looking clock house cafe, boating lake and the Barabara Hepworth award winning sculptures.   

I was there to complete the 2023 Southwark Slam and armed with my vapourflys and Beats Headphones ready for an assault of my 5k pb. 

The conditions were perfect and I got near the front. The countdown came from nowhere and then we were off. I clicked my garmin and my Beats headphones and went with the leading pack. I quickly realised they were going too fast for me and I needed to pull back and find my rhythm.

There’s 25m of elevation at Dulwich which is reflected in my splits however 4k down I knew a parkrun pb was in reach.  With the end approaching I started to dig deep only to hear my phone beep telling me I’d done 5k but the finish line was still 200m away!

After finishing and getting scanned I went to cheer in the other Slammers and friends making their way in. 

684 people completed the course including many members of Dulwich Runners as the founder and President, Ron Searle had recently died. Started in 1980, Dulwich Runners went on to establish the first parkrun in Southwark, Dulwich parkrun and club members, in club colours were there to honour him, we all are in his debt. 

It was also great to see so many people completing the Southwark Slam, including Lola and friends from the Wapping Running Club. 

Looking forward to doing it all again next year. 

My official finish time for Dulwich parkrun was 19mins 4secs an event pb but Strava tells me I ran 5k in 18mins 47secs, which would have been a 1sec all time personal best 🙂