Cannon Hill parkrun in memory of John Enright, 9th May 2015

I didn't know John Enright well; when he died too young and suddenly this time last year I had been a member of Bournville for only a year or so and as he was a faster runner we didn't run together much, but we'd chat before club and in the bar. He was one of those people who everyone liked and he always made a special effort to get to club early so that there would be someone there to say "hi" to any newcomers.

The last time I spoke to John I was walking back to my car after Cannon Hill parkrun on a Saturday morning. We had a chat by the tearoom - the usual stuff about running; "how did you get on today?" etc. and John once again recommended cross country for the improvement it would bring to my running. Not long afterwards I heard that he had passed away at 43; a heart attack - and disbelief followed - it must be someone else, he's too young... I heard he left a young family behind. The club, and those that knew him well, mourned his passing.

To honour John's memory with a special parkrun at Cannon Hill a year after his passing was a bold and wonderful decision. His closest running friend and training partner, Suz West ran her 100th parkrun on Saturday, just a couple of weeks after raising money for the British Heart Foundation in his memory at the London Marathon (Suz's JustGiving page). Suz was instrumental, along with the team at CHP and our friends in Kings Heath Running Club in organising a mob match and bake-off, which took place at parkrun on 9th May.

The two clubs went head-to-head and ended up creating the largest attendance at Cannon Hill (by some way), an attendance record which puts CHP fourth in the list of the largest parkruns. We also had more cakes than I have ever seen as the two clubs were "competing" on that front - vying for the most donations from the parkrun crowd.

The atmosphere was special - when I first arrived with my table there were a few of us getting organised and the band of volunteers setting up; I went back to the car to get something and as I approached the bandstand for the second time I realised how big it was going to be... The balloons, bunting, cakes and sea of teal vests was a sight that brought a tear to my eye. So many BvHers there, more than I've ever seen and a lovely bustling sense of anticipation. John's wife, Rachel, and his daughters were there too, and the round of applause for them, taking part and clearly enjoying the morning was both humbling and uplifting. They had brought along a lovely picture of John too - so even those who had never met him could see who this was for. I can only imagine how it might have seemed to a newcomer to parkrun.

I thought I would run as hard as I could and on reflection a PB may have been on the cards if I'd warmed up and got myself a better starting position, but this was a day to think about John (although it brought about some fantastic PBs - the inspiration and friendly rivalry spurring people to achieve something more than they might usually do). The shouts of "go Bournville", "good running Kings Heath" could be heard all around. Everywhere around the course I saw people I knew and we waved and called out each other's names. 

My first mile was at PB pace, and I passed a couple of Kings Heath runners, but was also passed by some Bournvillians - I didn't mind too much! On the out and back section I tried to count vests - I thought that Bournville had more in the leading groups, and it looked like our stronger runners were all pushing hard. 

Each time I passed the tea-room I thought about the last time John and I spoke. I didn't fade too much but struggled to maintain the pace I'd set out at, getting a bit caught up in places.

Coming to the hill at the end and I was pleased to see so many of the faster runners had come over to cheer and encourage us for the final push. I set my sights on passing one more person and edged towards and then past him finishing in 24:46, just 10 seconds off a Cannon Hill parkrun PB. Judging by the pictures afterwards everyone had really gone for it on that last stretch. 

The volunteer team did an amazing job managing the finish funnel, which has been tricky before with less runners to manage! 755 runners crossed that line in total, with around 150 coming from the two clubs; 64 from BvH, and we won the mob match with a score of 33716 to Kings Heath's 28732. John would have loved the result but I'm sure he would also have recognised the tremendous effort of everyone from both clubs in making the day so special.

Runners stayed for a long time afterwards, queuing up for the amazing cakes and raising well over £1000 for British Heart Foundation. We had a great team photo afterwards and it was wonderful to be a part of it.

It was simply one of the most moving running experiences I have ever had and a great tribute to a lovely guy and to the running family he was a part of.

Mob match results