Not for the first time, Des had a seemingly infinite variety of tasks lined up for us at Parkview on Monday. He’d informed me there’s be digging - always a good workout, and at this task, there are even enough spades for everyone. It seemed we were merely shovelling earth from one part of the planter to another. In fact we were digging out the soil in order that a base layer of planks could be laid down, for a no-doubt very sensible agricultural reason. When the earth was shovelled back into the planter – in record time, as we all needed to go home by then – the whole thing looked much tidier, and rather pleasing to the eye

Des knew what he wanted doing, unlike the task organiser, who was still in a fragile state after noticing his phone on a station seat as his train pulled out – but I retrieved it later. Robbie had run all the way from Greenwich in the drizzle, but the distance had somehow expanded since he’d checked the map. However he made himself useful, clearing a corner which had accumulated a mixture of bamboo sticks and metal poles

Ilana and Lucinda had been planning an exciting foreign holiday, but for the time being had to be content with a gloomy, wet council estate. There were nails to be yanked - rather satisfyingly - out of wood and plaster to be applied to brick walls. Darren and Chris disappeared for some time, on some top-secret task to which the rest of us were not privy

Somehow, everyone was gathered together for the group picture, despite a unanimous rebellion against the photographer’s plans. To be fair, it was the only good picture of the whole evening, after which it was time to be cycling to Stepney, running back across the river, or tightly holding your phone on the Tube

What connects today's top 3 finishers, 13 of the 23 runners, and 7 of the 12 volunteers...

If today's run title didn't give it away, then I'll provide the answer...they were all female.

Parkrun really is a great leveller in so many different ways, and long may it continue to encourage anyone and everyone to participate, even on a rainy and muddy February morning at the Fields.

Thanks very much to today's GoodGym "regulars" - Hilary, Louise, Lucinda, Rue and Nick, as well as our three DoE volunteers, and everyone else who donned the Hi Viz for another successful morning of slip sliding around the course by our 23 intrepid junior runners.