Meon Valley Trail, Wickham parkrun - event 62

Meon Valley Trail, Wickham parkrun

On the 6th June 2026 I ran the Meon Valley Trail, Wickham parkrun which was the 62nd event held at the venue, my 291st parkrun and 203rd different course I'd attended.

Socially speaking my life plans are formed around parkrun on Saturday mornings, football and how I can combine the two. Sometimes real life gets in the way and I have to juggle a dilemma or live with the consequences.

This week my aim of driving almost two hours to a parkrun event on the basis that it was hosting it's 62nd event collided with Hayden's end of season football presentation evening. Do I change parkrun plans to allow for a heavy nights celebratory drinking, or do I remain sober and go to bed early like a good parkrunner and deny myself a good night out?

The end of the season football presentation is a celebration for the parents as much as it is for the boys. The achievements that they've shared together after a long season. The parents have put in the hard yards, getting boys to training on time in all weathers. They've stood outside in the cold, wind and rain supporting the team and built up friendship and camadarie with the other parents who are all experiencing the same things.

Unfortunately the organisers of the event always seem to put our event on a Friday night rather than a Saturday evening, giving me plenty of food for thought.

Once I'd seen the date of the presentation evening and cross-referenced it with my parkrun planner I realised I had a choice to make and so I volunteered myself as designated driver.

Sadly I had a last minute wobble and all the careful, well crafted plans were thrown in the bin on the way home from London on the train. I changed my mind and decided upon a hybrid plan. A plan where I could enjoy a few drinks. Enough not to be able to drive home, but not too many that I couldn't drive in the morning. A disciplined evening of mixing the best of both worlds. 

Unfortunately Stephanie isn't quite as grown up as me when it comes to moderation, so I ended the evening on babysitting duty, ensuring she was able to get into the taxi, which was straightforward enough, but getting out proved to be a different story.

After the night before shenanigans I set my alarm clock bright and early to head towards Portsmouth for Meon Valley Trail. Driving the whole way through mixed weather conditions including biblical rain where I questioned each and every one of my life choices.

What is it that is continuously compelling me to forgo sleep and comfort of my own bed to get up early and traipse across the country to run for five kilometres when I absolutely and do not like running?

Despite driving almost 100 miles I was still none the wiser, hugely relieved that the rain had stopped but no solution to my own big questions.

The Meon Valley Trail acts as a car free access route to the South Downs national park, linking to the South Downs Way and Wayfarers Way which are well known and established walking routes. Covering a distance of 11 miles, the route starts in Wickham and ends in West Meon and could conceivably host two parkrun events, one starting at either end.

A former railway line the trail is predominantly flat, made up of mostly trail and is fairly straight for much of its distance.

The course therefore was a nice simple one. From the start you run 2.5km north, hit the turnaround point and run back again for the same distance.

Underfoot, with the recent downpour was damp in most places with a few puddles filling divots along the route. Some sections had fairly lose gravel to content with, but most of the route was compacted earth and so I would imagine the winter months being a mudpath and a completely different challenge.

Surrounding the trail in places was a valley either side as the railway made it's way through various cuttings. Other areas were more open, but the vegetation alongside the route was well established and plentiful. Under warmer weather the route would be well protected from the sun, but in places the course started to narrow and being a two way route congestion is likely.

I finished in 147th place out of a field of 241 participants in a time of 30:04. A little frustrating not to break 30 minutes as I felt I ran well and was feeling strong. Some of the congestion at the start could have caused a little bit of a slower time, so I'm not completely dismayed - after all it's not about the time, but the participation.

I can hardly say that I hate running and then complain about not getting a good time all in the same post could I?


 

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