Crystal Palace sports facilties still under threat

The future of sports facilities in  Crystal Palace park remain uncertain, with the Mayor of London/Greater London Authority still considering plans that would demolish the current athletics stadium and indoor running track and reduce other indoor and outdoor sporting facilities at the National Sports Centre, which also include a 50m pool, diving and training pools.


The Crystal Palace Sports Partnership (CPSP) is co-ordinating the campaign to keep facilities at a similar level. Nearly 6000 people have already signed their petition to 'Save athletics - and  sports - at Crystal Palace'. Everyone accepts that there will be change of some kind, but the CPSP is arguing 'for a mixed-use sports and leisure centre at Crystal Palace - a sustainable facility that is shared by the local community, schools, clubs and aspiring athletes at all levels. It should be a resource that caters for the needs of recreational users as much as it provides for and supports the development of the next generation of Olympic athletes'.


The latest development is that the GLA has appointed Neil Allen Associates consultants to evaluate the demands and needs for sports facilities at Crystal Palace NSC. They are due to report back before the end of February 2018.

Start of senior women's race in South of England Road Relays at Crystal Palace, September 2017

I had the pleasure of running at Crystal Palace in the Southern 6/4/3 Stage Road Relays back in September. The course started in the stadium before heading round the park and back into the stadium for a final stretch on the track to the handover. While there were some issues with the organisation of the event, and some facilities definitely need investment (starting with the toilets), it's a great venue for athletics and of course as a runner it was a privilege to be able to run on the iconic track graced by everyone from Sebastian Coe, Steve Ovett and Paula Radcliffe to Usain Bolt and Mo Farah.


See previously


Save Crystal Palace for Athletics... and Popular Culture
Save Athletics at Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace Dinosaur Dash
Gentlemen vs Amateurs at Crystal Palace, 1872

What is the fastest parkrun in SE London? And how much difference does the course make?

All parkruns are equal but some are more equal than others... yes they're all 5k distance (more or less ;-)) but anyone who has run more than one knows that some courses are faster. There are various reasons, such as the terrain (tarmac is generally faster than trail) and how many slowing twists and turns there are, but obviously the main factor is hills. Up hill sections slow most of us down, and even  if we go hard down hill it is rarely enough to make up the time lost on the ascent.

Still, hilly courses are excellent training and for some its enough of a challenge  to just compare times week in week out over the same course. My home parkrun at Hilly Fields is one of the hillier in London, as the name suggests, and I have run it 73 times. But sometimes its good to see how fast you can go on the flat, and if you are chasing a target time it obviously makes sense to seek out a faster course now and then.

But can we quantify how much difference a course makes? Clearly it partly depends on the individual. If you are very strong on hills, then of course you might not notice as much a difference in time when moving on to a flatter course. If, on the other hand,  you can barely keep going up hill you are likely to benefit more when there's less hill to deal with.

Making more general comparisons is more complicated than it seems, as I found when looking at runs in the South East London area (with Mile End across the river also included as it's one of my nearest parkruns as the crow flies). One obvious measure is the average run time which the parkrun website gives for each run. I assume that by average, parkrun refer to the mean. This is calculated from aggregating all the run times from an event and dividing them by the number of runs - in the case of Hilly Fields currently over 15,000.

In my area that makes the flat tarmac course at Dulwich the fastest, more than two minutes faster than the hills of Hilly Fields and Greenwich's Avery Hill Park course.Still I was surprised to see Brockwell Park coming in second fastest when it is certainly much hillier than the pretty flat Southwark, Burgess and Peckham Rye courses. Average times might be affected by various other factors though - perhaps some courses attract more, faster club runners which lift the average while others might have larger, more inclusive fields with a higher proportion of slower runners. Dulwich parkrun has a strong association with Dulwich Runners, Brockwell Park is home to Windrush Tri club, Hilly Fields is close to Kent AC's track, whereas Burgess parkrun has no nearby club - does that affect its times? It's important to recognise that what's being measured here is not how fast the course is as such, but how fast the people running it are. There is a relationship between the two - even the fastest runners run more slowly on tougher courses - but some parkruns seem to have faster fields (i.e. more generally faster runners)

Another way of looking at the average is the median time - that is the time of the runner who finished half way down the field. I would have thought that would ameliorate the 'club runner effect', as the times of the faster runners don't affect the average in the same way. As I don't have access to all the data for parkruns ever, I have just calculated this for all runs last week, that is 25 Jul 2015:

On the median measure, Greenwich still appears to be the toughest course. Southwark Park is now the fastest, with Dulwich slipping into second. Burgess is now faster than Brockwell Park which I would expect. But I certainly don't believe that Hilly Fields is faster than Peckham Rye - there must have just been a faster field at Hilly Fields that day.

Course records

So how do the faster runners compare? What about the course records? Well Bromley comes out fastest for both men and women, with Dulwich and Brockwell Park in the fastest four for both. But course records can sometimes just reflect that a top runner turned up one day. Hilly Fields certainly wouldn't be seen as faster than Burgess Park by most runners, but the fastest male time at the former is 22 seconds ahead of the latter, set on Christmas Day 2014 by team GB mountain runner Shaun Dixon (mind you Burgess record holder Max Nicholls is a junior Team GB mountain runner who could probably also get a good time at Hilly Fields).

More instructive is comparing course records set by individuals at different courses. Kent AC's Amy Clements' has the records at both Dulwich and Hilly Fields, the former 1:18 faster. That's in line with the gap in average times between the two. But  this year's Manchester Marathon winner Paul Martelletti holds records at Mile End and Southwark Park- is the former really faster, or was he just taking it a bit easier in Southwark that day?

To exclude the 'anomolous super-speedy visitor effect', I've also looked at averaging the last ten fastest finish times at the events. Dulwich and Mile End are in the top three for men and women, Hilly Fields and Greenwich in the bottom three.

Not sure what to conclude from all this - on most measures Hilly Fields and Greenwich are at the slower end, and Dulwich is clearly one of the fastest. But how much difference it makes depends of how you measure it, and of course on the individual. Burgess Park is definitely the fastest for me, my PB there (19:42) is 92 seconds faster than for Hilly Fields PB (21:14), with my fastest times for Dulwich, Southwark Park and Peckham Rye somewhere in between. So I'm surprised that Burgess doesn't figure higher up the speed tables - maybe it just needs some faster runners to run there!

[updated 1 August with median times; all statistics as of 4 July 2015 unless otherwise stated]

Crystal Palace Dinosaur Dash Relay

The inaugural Crystal Palace Dinosaur Dash Relay this week was a great success, with a sold out field of 82 teams of three (246 runners) taking part. The 15k relay on Wednesday 17th June, organised by Crystal Palace Fun Runners, involved each runner doing a single lap of this great London park.

An inscrutable sphinx watches the runners go past, no doubt pondering the Riddle of the Sphinx: 'What is the creature that walks on four legs in the morning, two legs at noon and three in the evening?'  The statue has been in the park since 1854, and is a copy of an Egyptian original now located in the Louvre in Paris.

. Starting on the terraces at the top of the sloping park, where the glass building that gave the area its name once stood, the route wound down to the bottom of the hill... and all the way back up again. Of course it included a circuit of the lake and its famous Victorian dinosaur models, hence the 'Dino Dash Relay', and indeed proceeds from the race will be donated to the preservation of these  fine creatures, one of whom was represented on the event's medal.

source: wikipedia

There was a strong presence from local clubs, in particular Striders of Croydon, Beckenham Running Club, Dulwich Runners, Orpington Road Runners and Windrush Triathlon, as well as unattached runners. Many teams entered into the Jurassic theme with dinosaur-related names, and indeed the winning team in 51:47 was Striders of Croydon Velociraptor, followed by Dulwich Runners Malosaurs (full results here). I thought the best team name though was 'I thought you said RUM in the park'.

Kev Chadwick of Dulwich Runners, with the iconic Crystal Palace TV transmitter in the background

Save Athletics at Crystal Palace: update

The run showed yet again how important Crystal Palace is to the South London running community. As discussed here before, the park's athletics stadium, outdoor track, and indoor track are all under threat under proposals from the Greater London Authority. Crystal Palace Sports Partnership, which is spearheading the campaign to save athletics at the Crystal Palace National Sports Centre, has warned that 'in July the GLA are looking to grant approval for funding which could decimate athletics in South London, despite a huge groundswell of public opinion'.  Under these plans, the outdoor running track could be saved as a community facility (though even this is not guaranteed)  with the loss of the indoor track and other facilities (despite the support of UK Athletics for retaining and improving current provision).

The use of the wider park for running events like the Dino Dash and the weekly Crystal Palace parkrun could also be compromised by longer term proposals to build on the site of the old Crystal Palace building, which burnt down in 1935 - near to the start and finish point for this week's race. Fortunately for now the latest folly, which would have entailed a Chinese developer backed by the Mayor of London taking over a third of the park, seems to have bitten the dust

Dinosaurs in the park AND a rainbow - it was like being in The Land Before Time!

'Hilly Fields Hardcore' - 23rd place - top third placing not bad for these dinosaurs

The start and finish point for the race was also the same place in the park where The Chemical Brothers 'Setting Sun' video was filmed in 1996. The race was pretty wild, but not this wild...

See also Save Crystal Palace for Athletics... and Popular Culture

Save Athletics at Crystal Palace

Save Crystal Palace for athletics... and popular culture

The campaign to save sports provision in Crystal Palace park at the National Sports Centre is continuing. As reported here in November, a short consultation was launched on behalf of the Mayor of London on proposals which would radically reduce facilities at what was until recently the home of English athletics: the outdoor running track, indoor track, and diving in the swimming pool are among the things at risk.

There has been a big public response, including widespread support for keeping the running tracks. Even though many reluctantly concede that the full scale stadium is no longer needed in the same way since the building of the Olympic stadium in Stratford, a good case has been made that some kind of stand for spectators should be retained with the track - rather than just shared use of a school running track with no other facilities, which is one possibility. Follow campaign updates at Crystal Palace Sports Partnership.

While the loss of running and other sports facilities would of course primarily be a tragedy for athletes young and old, lets not forget that the National Sports Centre is also an icon of popular culture!  Famously the 'You were only supposed to blow the bloody doors off!' scene in the Italian Job was filmed there.

Recently Danish electro-pop artist MØ (Karen Marie Ørsted) filmed the video for her song 'Walk This Way' at the stadium.  Here she is on the outdoor track...

(see interview with video director here)

And at the indoor track...

 

The Chemical Brothers 'Setting Sun' video was also filmed in Crystal Palace park, but on the terraces at the top of the park rather than by the sports stadium.

Save Athletics at Crystal Palace

The athletics stadium at the National Sports Centre in Crystal Palace park was until recently the Wembley of British track and field, where large crowds gathered to watch big international events. Many of the greatest athletes in the world ran in the London Grand Prix events held there between 1953 to 2012 (though the park's association with athletics goes back much further - see this race report from 1873).

 Yohan Blake, Usain Bolt, Conrad Williams and Tyson Gay at Crystal Palace in 2007
(photo from Conrad Williams on Twitter) 

Now the fight is on to save any athletics provision in the park as a result of changes proposed by the Greater London Authority, which is currently responsible for the National Sports Centre site.

Under proposals being consulted on by the Mayor London, the 17,000 capacity stadium would be demolished entirely. While a swimming pool would be retained, barely any consideration has been given to the future of athletics. The indoor track would be 'permanently removed', while the possibility of retaining an outdoor 'community athletics track' is unpromisingly described merely as 'currently under review'.

The stadium itself is arguably surplus to requirements since the opening of the Olympic Stadium in Stratford. There is a broader issue of how poorly sporting authorities promote athletics as a spectator sport, and I am sure there is sufficient interest in London to get good crowds for more than one event every year or two (the frequency of Diamond League events at Stratford). But it is undeniable that at present Crystal Palace is under-used as a stadium - although a smaller pavillion/stand would be quite feasible as long as a track continues.

The loss of track(s) would be much more catastrophic, effectively ending any use of the park for serious athletics. A community track would be a great asset to the new school(s) planned to replace the stadium, as well as to the local clubs and others who use the current facilities, including South London Harriers and Crystal Palace Triathletes.  

If athletics is going to flourish in this country we need mass participation and a network of good, accessible clubs and tracks across the country that can sustain a vibrant running culture at all levels - as well as enabling the next generation of potential elite athletes to be engaged, identified and supported. The mass participation side has really taken off through parkrun, and an increasing number are taking the next step on to the track to train with their local running club. The so-called Olympic legacy is looking very fragile if this progress  is going to be undermined by losing facilities in places like Crystal Palace and elsewhere (this year we have already lost the Don Valley Stadium in Sheffiled despite a campaign to save it)

A campaign to save athletics in the park has been launched, spearheaded by well-known coach John Powell. Please do go and sign the petition as well as responding to the consultation (which runs until 16 November). The petition states: 

'Save Athletics - and sport - at Crystal Palace. Current plans threaten to bulldoze the iconic athletics stadium and indoor training track, and rebuild sporting facilities in the glass recreation centre building. The impact of this on track and field in London, let alone other sports could be disastrous. What IS the Olympic Legacy for South London?! The Crystal Palace Sports Partnership (CPSP) is a group of stakeholders who are combining to form one unified voice representing all interests in the future of this historic site. Our mission is simple: 

......We support a mixed-use sports and leisure centre at Crystal Palace - a sustainable facility that is shared by the local community, schools, clubs and aspiring athletes at all levels.  It should be a resource that caters for the needs of recreational users as much as it provides for and supports the development of the next generation of Olympic athletes. We are concerned that the consultation by the GLA for repurposing the current National Sports Centre is way too short and has failed to identify and consider the needs and views of existing users.  We request that user groups and local stakeholders are more thoroughly engaged in shaping the outcome of this process.

For further information please contact The CPSP Chairman, John Powell MBE, via trackspeed1@hotmail.com' 

Mo Farah (left) in the 5000m in the London Grand Prix/Diamond League
at Crystal Palace, July 2012.

South of England Athletic Association speaks out

In their response, the South of England Athletic Association (SEAA)  says:

'The South of England Athletic Association (SEAA) represents and provides competition for all the athletes and athletic clubs within the whole of the area.  We have considered the outline proposals and condemn any plan that removes the athletic facilities.  We accept that the Olympic Stadium provides a fitting setting for televised major meetings but it is inappropriate for the many lower level meetings and is certainly not available as a training venue.  Track and field athletics is a summer sport with all year round training needs so an indoor track is essential in winter.  Crystal Palace fulfils the requirements for track and field athletes from both clubs and schools.  As a facility that has been regularly used for training, local club and school meetings and SEAA Championships over many years any redevelopment should take account of these needs.  As a major competition provider we believe that complete removal of this facility would be severely detrimental to athletes and athletics in London and the surrounding areas.

We propose that the following would ensure the centre meets those needs:

- A full 8 lane track is maintained together with all field event facilities such as long jump pits and pole vault bed.
- A new up to 1000 seat stand is built incorporating changing rooms, equipment stores and administration areas.
- A photofinish “tower” is appended to the stand to allow meetings up to national level to be accommodated.
- At least a 100m indoor straight and field event facilities should be incorporated in the design of one of the new buildings.  This may be an opportunity to build a full 200m indoor track for the whole of London south of the river' (3 November 2014).

Crystal Place Park - the wider picture

One of the ironies of the Crystal Palace proposals is the role of one time runner at the track, Sebastian Coe - he ran his final UK competitive 800m there in 1989. Coe is now Executive Chairman of sports management consultants CSM Strategic, and they have been paid to conduct the consultation on the future of the site. Coe was a great runner, and a competent sports administrator, but lets not forget he is also a Conservative politician (as MP and now Lord) and businessman...

...And there are some very big business interests involved in the future of Crystal Palace. As Inside Croydon has documented, the plans for the sports stadium are strongly influenced by plans by billionaire developer Zhong Rong to build a replica of the original Palace on the terraces at the top of the park, complete with hotel, shops and conference centre. A GLA document  on the sports centre states that “The success of the proposed new Palace is inextricably linked to its wider landscape" and demolition of the stadium would open up the sightline from the planned development.

The sphinx looks across at the floodlights of the Crystal Palace stadium

For many of us the melancholic terraces with their lonely statues looking out across the park are one of the best parts of Crystal Palace, and keeping them as they are is certainly preferable to the kitsch monstrosity proposed by the developers and championed by Johnson. If the 'new Palace' goes ahead it will not only grab public land for private profit but also damage sports and other provision in the wider park. It is not just the running tracks that are under threat in the long term - the Crystal Palace parkrun route, and the perimeter road used for triathlon and cycling events, both enter into the part of the park most affected by the planned development, and new access roads could also disrupt these routes. The park itself risks becoming reshaped as a back garden for a commercial enterprise rather than continuing as a multi-use space at the heart of South London sports and athletics.

South London Running News: Spring 2014

The sun has shone and the ground's drying out, and even the most fair weather of runners are showing their faces and indeed their legs.

Sidcup 10

I took part in Kent Athletic Club's Sidcup 10 Mile Road Race a couple of weeks ago (Sunday 9th March) and it felt like the first run of the summer, I was pouring water over my head after the first lap. More than 300 people took part in a well organised run, starting off at Sidcup Leisure Centre and finishing three laps later in the grounds of Chislehurst and Sidcup Grammar School. Mark Steinle (Blackheath & Bromley) came in first for the men with a time of 55:11, while Tina Oldershaw (Paddock Wood AC) was the women's winner in 62:05.

Lewisham-based Kent Athletics Club have had a busy winter, winning the Surrey Cross Country League for the second year in a row. Not to mention the club's Conrad Williams winning a silver medal in the 4 x 400m relay at the World Indoor Championship in Sopot earlier this month.

Parkrun

Parkrun continues to expand locally as everywhere else. On 8th March, more than 1400 runners were out for a 5k Saturday morning run across nine South East(ish) London runs, compared to 969 in the same area on the same weekend last year. At my home parkrun, Hilly Fields in Lewisham, slippery conditions on the muddiest part of the course necessitated a change of route during the latter part of the winter, but it's now back to normal.

Parkrun participants in 9 South London events,
second weekend in March, 2013 and 2014

10ks

Nearly 700 people finished the 'Wrap up and run' 10k in Crystal Palace last week (16th March) in aid of Age UK. Patrick Brown of East London Runners was the fastest man (35:52), while Sarah Watson of Kent AC was the fastest woman (39:59).

With the encouragement of Southwark Council, London City Runners are establishing a London City Athletics Club that will include a youth athletics section. Their inaugural event is a 10k run in Southwark Park on March 30th - with plans in place too to refurbish the athletics track in the park. On Saturday 5 July the park will also see the Southwark Park 150th anniversary 10k Run, organised by PB Race Events.

PB Race Events are also organising the 'Run for Diabetes 10k' in Greenwich Park on Saturday 14th June, while on 19th October there's another Greenwich Park 5k/10k organised by Run Through.

New Eltham Joggers are organising the Eltham Park 5 on Sunday June 8th, a 5 mile run through Eltham Parks and Shepherdleas Wood. There's also a 3.5 km run, and a 1 mile family fun run on the same day.

Croydon Half

Next big run for me is the Croydon Half Marathon on 30th March,organised by Striders of Croydon - I think there's still some places left.

(all photos from Sidcup 10 2014)

See previously: South London Running News Summer 2013