Episode 1 of Champion of Yorkshire is up, and it starts with a slightly awkward admission: Scunthorpe isn’t actually in Yorkshire. It’s in North Lincolnshire. But it’s on the Yorkshire parkrun challenge list, so I’m running it regardless of what the map says. That list has 68 parkruns on it, I’d done 45 before this one and won 36, so Scunthorpe was always going to be number 46 whether it made geographical sense or not.

It didn’t go entirely to plan. I’d never run the course before, overshot a corner on the first lap, and it was Adam, running right on my shoulder at the time, who shouted me back onto the right path. He went on to beat me by about five seconds, finishing ahead of me while I crossed in 16:50. Fair play to him, and genuinely grateful he said something rather than just running off and leaving me to find my own way back.

The counter stays on 36 wins, but that’s fine. Not every parkrun is about winning, some are just about ticking off the list and seeing a new place. This one had a narrow start, mostly tarmac with a bit of wooded path thrown in on each lap, and a course description that calls it “slightly hilly.” I’d call it flat, but you can watch the video and judge for yourself.

It wasn’t just me out there either. Naomi came along with Piper, one of our Boston Terriers, who found herself a fountain to investigate, and Naomi’s sister Kirstie pushed Iris round in the running buggy for the first time. Little moments like that are half the reason I keep filming these.

Full video’s above if you want to see the wrong turn, the right turn, and the state of my nose tape by the end of it. Nine parkruns left to revisit on the list, 23 I’ve never touched. Plenty more of these episodes to come. Just keep running.

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