Brentford parkrunner Jogs to Victory in Ealing

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Andrew Lawrence completes a borough wide personal challenge

Andrew Lawrence at Victory Mews

June 9, 2023

A man has completed a massive 656kms challenge – running every road in the neighbouring borough of Ealing.

56-year-old Andrew Lawrence from Brentford, a popular and familiar face at local Saturday morning parkruns ncluding Gunnersbury and Osterley, has been volunteer parkrun Ambassador for 9 years responsible for over 100 events as well as off shore UK locations, such as the Falklands and the Channel Islands.

He’s run the award winning Ealing Half Marathon a number of times and after viewing free mapping tool City Strides saw that he had already covered 15% of the borough and decided he wanted to do the lot, as both a personal challenge and a training incentive programme for future marathons.

He says, ‘’ Its quite a daft undertaking really, there are no prizes, no one really knows or cares about it (understandably)and when doing it, it can be very dull,there is a lot of doubling back on yourself, a lot of 'not so nice' places to run, and quite a lot of planning to ensure a good route using the best of my limited time.’’

The app recorded that he covered 1984 roads with a distance of 656kms but he says the real total will be more, ‘’of course when you are running up a one way street you have to run back down it so the total distance run is much further.’’’

Mr Lawrence was determined to do it and ran in all conditions, from torrential rain to baking heat. He tripped once but fortunately had no major injury, and on another particularly memorable day says was chased by a Security guard despite the road being listed as a permissible on Open Street maps – but for some reason had been gated off with security present.

City Strides Mapping of the roads in Ealing

The whole experience showed Ealing in many different lights, as well as the many gorgeous leafy roads with smells of freshly mown grass he also encountered numerous industrial estates with heavy aromas of cooking which he says weren’t quite so pleasant to run thorough.

Having lived in and around Ealing since 1984 he says he already knew of many of the beautiful parks but was pleased to discover many new places and urges others to get out and about more too.

‘’ Did you know Ealing does have a 'running Mayor' Tom Kerry, he works (it’s a volunteer role) to lobby any of the relevant organisations or promote relevant supporters to improve the Borough for walking / running, wherever possible.’’

Mr Lawrence says he completed his final road on 30 th May on Victory Mews, chosen because of its highly suitable name and due to the fact that years back he had once lived in Southall.

‘’ I was very pleased to get to the 100% but because City Strides uses Open Street maps it will refresh and add new roads, so I do need to keep an eye out on those new roads being added, especially with all the constant building that is going on across Ealing.’’

‘’Most people don't quite believe it when I say I have run every road - thinking I mean just in central Ealing, but when I explain I have been out to every small / long road across the whole area they think I am a little mad! They are probably right but I have a small sense of achievement and it has kept me motivated for lots of different reasons, we have so many lovely places to run / walk in the area, it’s been (mostly) nice to see them all and just getting outdoors and giving your mind a break has been very important. ‘’

Mr Lawrence is pleased about his personal record but acknowledges that he is certainly not the first person to complete it. A regular parkrunner known as 'the Ealing runner' on the City Strides site finished this same challenge in the last few months prior and another person is thought to be around halfway through running every street in the whole of London!

Looking ahead – ( as all runners do!) he says he will aim to complete Hounslow Borough which according to City Strides has 1612 roads which is less than Ealing.

Good luck to Mr Lawrence!

Annemarie Flanagan

 

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