Wimbledon junior parkrun takeover

This cold, frosty morning was a takeover event by the Battersea junior parkrun team down in Wimbledon Park (the same location that the Queue is held for the Wimbledon Tennis Championships). The 2km out-and-back course is all on grass and therefore can get very muddy in winter!

60 under 14s took part and were supported by over 20 volunteers, a couple of which were members of Wandsworth goodgym. The purpose of the takeover event was to prove that the Battersea team is well-equipped to run a junior parkrun of their own - and this was clearly demonstrated!

The cold conditions and lack of recent rain did mean a lot of mud hadn't fully defrosted, so running conditions were better than normal. But no doubt the team would have been able to handle worse conditions, because the Battersea junior parkrun team is very strong with their sights on opening in 2024 (although no date announced yet). This event followed the recent news on Friday 24th November that Wandsworth councillors have backed plans for a Saturday 5k parkrun to be established at Battersea in 2024.

Following the very successful running of this junior parkrun, the team headed to a local cafe to debrief the event and agree on the next steps to making Battersea junior parkrun a permanent Sunday fixture in the diaries of many families in and around Battersea.