Z is for Zuiderpark to complete this Zany challenge
Some 10 months after I visited my Dad in Australia and started my parkrun Alphabet Challenge with the letter A and we’re off travelling again, this time specifically to collect the letter Z. Our destination is the Hague, a cosmopolitan city in Holland — equidistant between Amsterdam and Rotterdam — that hosts the Zuiderpark parkrun.
It’s also the last chance to donate to my fundraising for British Heart Foundation — in memory of my father-in-law Ken. He supported a number of European sporting trips where I was competing, and this was a fitting way to end my challenge that he would have approved of.
Louise and I turned it into a mini-break by travelling out on the Thursday, staying two nights in the city centre so that we were in pole position for the Saturday run. As it was early July the weather was dry, sunny and warm, making it a lovely time of year to be ‘true’ tourists.
We chose to drive out — as we were complete cheapskates and got the Eurotunnel crossing on Tesco club card points — but the trip would have been equally do’able if we had flown into Amsterdam Schipol airport.
This is because the Dutch public transport is amazing. You might think of the Netherlands as a country where everyone cycles (which they do because it is so flat) but travelling by train, bus and tram is so joined up and accessible through Google Maps and contactless payment that it’s a doddle to get around. There’s a whole separate blog article explaining how this works for any other parkrunners doing the Alphabet or Cowell challenges (where you visit 100 venues) who are unsure about the travelling logistics. Everything about the trip is achievable, so do check it out.
We stayed in the heart of the city centre, which was a little tricky to navigate upon arrival in driving the car for that last mile, given that so many of the roads are pedestrianised. But after a couple of false turns we made it to the hotel, scanned the discount code for the adjacent underground car park, and completed our journey.
The first evening we eat in a Greek restaurant across the street from the hotel, although as TripAdvisor has 1,000 restaurants listed then you don’t really need to do too much research as there are so many places to choose from. Our room was on the sixteenth floor, looking out west to the coast (which is a couple of miles away), with views of a stunning sunset.
On the Friday we rode the buses and trams to go a local Clingendael park with a Japanese garden — that was closed to the public outside of the spring season — but where we found a Dutch equivalent of parkrun called Parklopen.
A quick bit of googling and they do organised runs on a Sunday morning (of various distances) but as there are marked trails then you can use at any time.
We then went out to the beach for a coffee overlooking the sea, before in the afternoon doing a two hour walking tour of the city centre.
Den Haag (as the locals call it) is the location of the Dutch Parliament and the working residency for the monarchy. It’s all very accessible and we even got to walk past the Dutch prime minister as he was moving between buildings. Our tour guide said that she sees him around the city on a regular basis, which in our times of high security risks gives the vibe of a civilised place to live.
Friday night dinner was at a Dutch restaurant called Luden in one of the main squares, which at the end of the working week was busy with locals meeting friends for a drink or meal, all sitting outside given the warm conditions.
The food was good, the atmosphere great and the service excellent — no wonder it is rated in the top 2% of restaurant venues in the city. The staff certainly earned a decent tip!
Saturday morning was what we had come for in this zany adventure of visiting so many different parkrun locations. Google Maps told us the timing of the trams, and as we got to the local stop there were already other parkrunner groups waiting as well.
I was wearing my custom finishers T-shirt which had the venue and ‘tour’ dates printed on the back. This was the first of several conversations as others played the “Where’s Wally” type game of spotting which venues they too had visited on their own challenges.
We arrived in good time and the short walk into the park was very much a case of following the person in front — to then realise that they were also UK tourists following the same app on their phones.
We met a young couple from Glasgow (who said today felt like Christmas to actually be collecting the Z); a couple of Brighton FC supporters (who collect their letters when visiting away grounds and staying over on the Friday night before the match); a running group from Shepperton; a couple of girls from Reading Roadrunners — a local club to me — who had actually jogged to the start from their hotel (fair play ladies); and a family of four (where Mum and daughter walked the course together holding hands which I thought was a lovely moment of family connection).
Unsurprisingly the first timers briefing — to Zuiderpark — was for most of the field where today’s route was the alternative three lap circumference of the park. And after the dual language main briefing from RD Hannah we were off. I decided to run in my BHF top — partly so that I had my finishers T-shirt to wear at the…. you guessed it…. finish, so thanks to the volunteer team for taking this action shot of me as I completed a lap.
Out of a field of 120, I finished in position 26 in just over 23 minutes, second in age group. For a hot day that’s a decent time, no doubt helped by the flat terrain and super smooth tarmac paths. Louise finished in a similarly good time for the conditions.
So thanks to the volunteers Andy, Chris, Davy, Hannah, John, Neil, Robert, Sandro, Sarah and Sue — a mix of expats Brits and locals — for making the event happen. It’s a real magnet for travelling tourists and doesn’t disappoint.
If you get the chance, then definitely go experience it for yourself!
