A short while after I posted yesterday’s blog a wonderful member of the
With Me Now community pointed out that, if I was willing to travel a little further and to head back towards Oslo rather than towards Trondheim I could make it to a parkrun. He suggested I get the 7.22am train to Lillestrøm which gets in at 9.15am. The station being a 9 minute walk from the start of
Flomvollen parkrun, it would just work. I’m used to UK trains, so got the 6.15am train just to be on the safe side. Who needs a lie in? The train, of course, ran on time.
It was a little sobering to think that, in just two hours, I was retracing a journey that had taken me 10 days! It was fun to watch the scenery whizz by. The train hugged the edge of the lake meaning I could see bits of the path I had walked and landmarks, like the Wood Hotel, from a different perspective.
I was very early for parkrun! But the run director and several other volunteers were already there. I’d emailed the team the night before, asking if me walking was a problem. Yes, I know parkrun encourages walkers, but this is a relatively new event and I didn’t want all the volunteers to be pissed off at having to wait for some daft English woman who didn’t have trainers with her. I can honestly say that I have never been made to feel so welcome at a parkrun.
The course is two, clockwise laps along the flood wall. Lillestrøm is prone to flooding and the creation of the flood wall has resulted in a lovely park, filled with historic artefacts and modern sculptures. It is a flat parkrun on tarmac and gravel parks, there’s an out and back section which is great for supporting other parkrunners.
This was only the 11th event, but the community already feels firmly established. There were around 100 runners and a fair proportion of them went for coffee afterwards. I was just going to get the train back to Lillehamer, but it seemed rude just to run and go when so many people were asking me to come for coffee. Plus 15% parkrun discount and cinnamon buns! I am, as always, humbled by everyone else’s ability to speak English!
Oh… Flomvollen parkrun have a tambourine. I think every parkrun should have one!
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