MEADOWBROOK PARKRUN REVIEW

GETTING THERE

Today I ran the second-ever Meadowbrook Parkrun. It is less than 30 minutes from home so keyed in the Logan Hospital into the GPS which got me on to Armstrong Rd. I took exit 24 to get there and drove along Armstrong until I came to the entrance of Riverdale Park. We have lived in Brisbane for 13 years now and I had no idea this park even existed and I must say it is really impressive.

PARKING

There is a heap of public parking along the road which ends in a cul-de-sac close to the start of the run. I am sure that when the first event was held last week, parking may have been a bit of an issue, but on a normal Saturday, this should never be a problem.

TOILETS

There are two public toilet facilities fairly close to the start/finish. One overlooks the Logan River although there are no windows to enjoy the muddy view. They are a little rustic but very clean.

THE COURSE

I was surprised how tired I was at the end of this race. I am sure it is partly because I have lost a bit of fitness over winter, but it is surprisingly undulating considering how close it is to the river. The slightly nervous, yet delightfully engaging run director started us off and we headed on a loop heading northwest. You run on concrete paths and eventually head back to the start. The path then takes you around a small dam; the back of which is unpaved.

We were alerted a number of times about potential danger here as the bridge was supposed to be rotting in places but in reality, it was absolutely fine. I am sure they are just being cautious and the lady did say the council was planning to fix the bridge in a couple of weeks.

Did I say lady? Well, the lady runners were very well represented here today. There were strollers, small children and lots of pink active wear in the crowd. I did feel a little bit outnumbered and ultimately outclassed by a lady runner. There were also quite a few runners with dogs on the course, which was fun.

We ran this route twice and there was also a short dogleg at the finish to make up the last 200m. I finished by running across the grass. This is a wonderful facility for the people of Logan and it is well used. There is a dog park slightly closer to the entrance and there is lots of space for picnics and a well-resourced playground for the children as well as public gym equipment scattered along the pathways. There were a few members of the public on the pathways as we ran. One fellow was chugging down Red Bull energy drinks after what could have possibly been a big night out. There were also a number of walkers on the course, not related to Parkrun. Fortunately the path is wide making this of little concern. Close to the little dam, a group of people were practicing a style of martial arts and by the time we were finished, a few picnic slots had been decked out with balloons for the Saturday birthday celebrations.

One little warning. I guess a couple of youngsters have pranked the water bubblers in the area by forcing small stones into the water outlet so that when you push down the lever, you get a jet stream of water directly into the eye. I found that if you take it gently with the lever, water comes out fairly slowly and you are able to get a drink without experiencing the ultimate eye enema.

VOLUNTEERS

This is only the second event to be held at this venue so it is difficult to say whether the community spirit will adopt this event but the signs are certainly good. There was a full compliment of helpers today with a few spots open for the following week. I scanned in okay and I watched as the rest of the field came in. People hung around after the event for quite a while and it looked like they were having a lot of fun. 

PHOTOS

The Meadowbrook Facebook page is up and running and I found my pictures fairly easily.

Click here for the Facebook page

THE ALL IMPORTANT COFFEE AFTERWARDS

The event page advertises McDonalds as the place to go have a cup of coffee after the event. I suppose this is the one downside of this venue. I am not really a Maccas fan but with all the youngsters around, I think this would seem like a good idea for all the families with small children.  

OVERALL 

It is so good to see new events open up in our area and this event is certainly in a lovely spot. If you are after the elusive Parkrun PB, I don’t think this is the place for it. It is pretty but not fast. The absence of a cool coffee shop nearby is also a downside. Overall, this event gets a Gary rating of 8/10.