Going ahead this Saturday
No cancellation listed for Saturday 31 October.
Parkrun
Great Cornard parkrun
A free, fun, and friendly weekly 5k community event. Walk, jog, run, volunteer or spectate – it's up to you! Nearby Sunday 2k junior parkrun events for 4 to 14 year olds and their families can be found here.
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United Kingdom
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England
- 5 kilometres
- Great Cornard Sports Centre
Meeting point: 52.02463, 0.75136. The interactive map loads with JavaScript. Open the same point in OpenStreetMap.
Coordinates 52.02463, 0.75136.
The course
Course description
The course is mostly within the bounds of a school playing field and is very flat and almost entirely on grass other than a short 200m section on a tarmac footpath. If you run in spikes you can run parallel to this path. There are some areas that will be affected by leaves in the autumn and winter. After rain the grass is likely to become slippery and in some areas puddles or mud may accumulate, in these cases please take care.
A section of the course runs over another public playing field that is not part of the school grounds and will be shared with other users. Signs and/or marshalls will direct runners to avoid possible conflict. Please give way to other park users. The 2nd field is accessed through a large gate with plenty of room for multiple runners at the same time but give way if a large number of runners reach this point simultaneously.
The course will operate over two laps with a smaller loop covered twice more. The start and finish will be clearly marked.
As this is primarily a school facility, dogs are not allowed onto the field so we regret that runners cannot run with their dogs or bring them to the Great Cornard parkrun.
On occasions we may share the school sports field with other users such as football or rugby teams. Please give way to other users.
On the course
The course is 5k long. The course is at Thomas Gainsborough School, Great Cornard. The course is run on a mixture of grass and tarmac paths. Some sections of the course may accumulate mud, leaves and puddles after rain. Dependent on availability, marshals will be at key sections of the course, or signs will be in place.
Please remember that the parkrun uses shared paths. For the continued success of the event, please give way to other park users. This won't hurt your time, it won't stop you from getting a PB and it will make sure everyone continues to enjoy the event.
Please, wherever possible walk, jog, cycle or use public transport when attending the event. If you do have to drive, please consider car-sharing to reduce our impact on both the environment and other park users. Please also watch out for other park users when arriving and leaving. Parking may be limited so try to arrive early.
Facilities
The Sports Centre offers toilets, showers and a café as well as opportunities to join in other sports activities and clubs (www.gcsportscentre.co.uk). At 10:00 the village library opens on the same site.
At the end of your run please join us in the café for coffee and a chat!
There is a large cycle rack for storage of bikes near the front entrance; remember to bring a lock.
Important note: The sports centre front entrance opens at 08:45.
More details
Public transport
There is a train station in Sudbury with services from Colchester, Marks Tey, Chappell & Wakes Colne and Bures. Trains are operated by Greater Anglia and are currently scheduled to arrive into Sudbury at 21 minutes past the hour throughout the day on Saturdays and depart at 26 minutes past the hour for the return journey.
A short walk from the train station is the bus station where, currently, the Number 5 bus operated by Beestons departs at 08:35 for the short, 5 minute journey to Head Lane. A return bus departs from Head Lane at 35 minutes past the hour throughout the day to return to Sudbury.
On foot
Access to the school playing fields is via Wells Hall Road.
By road
Arriving from Colchester and Ipswich on the A134, at the first main roundabout take the 1st exit left onto Shawlands Avenue. Follow the road for approximately 0.8 mile then turn right into Canhams Road, then turn left down Wells Hall Road then turn right into the Thomas Gainsborough carpark and follow all the way down.
From Bury St Edmunds follow the A134 into Sudbury and across the Chilton Industrial Estate. At the final roundabout where the A134 turns left, go straight across onto Shawlands Avenue. Follow the road for approximately 0.8 mile then turn right into Canhams Road then turn left down Wells Hall Road then turn right into the Thomas Gainsborough carpark and follow all the way down.
If using SatNav, the postcode is CO10 0NH.
Whilst there is a large, free car park wherever possible walk, jog, cycle or use public transport to arrive.
Coffee
Every week we grab a post-parkrun coffee: the Sports Centre Café. Please come and join us!
We're friendly
Every week we grab a post parkrun coffee in the Sports Centre Café - please come and join us!
Course safety
Great Cornard parkrun is a fun, free event organised by volunteers for the benefit of everyone. We wish to make the event as safe as possible, so participants, spectators and helpers are asked to take care about the following:
- Please be considerate to the park and other park users at all times.
- Children under the age of eleven must be accompanied (within arm's reach) throughout the event by a parent, guardian or appropriate adult of the parent's choice.
- Please arrive by foot, by pedal-power or by public transport if you can - your efforts help to reduce our impact on the park and the planet.
- We invite everyone to consider volunteering at parkrun. Your support helps your parkrun events remain sustainable and free for all in your community, and it’s also a wonderful way to improve your own health and happiness. Please visit the volunteer page for more information.
- Take care near roads and car parks – some vehicles drive very quickly. Please congregate away from the cars and be careful in particular if you have children. If you’re driving to the event, please drive carefully.
- Take care on uneven surfaces – whether on grass or on tarmac. Watch out for cyclists, other participants, pedestrians, children, dogs, wildlife, park animals, vehicles, park maintenance work, falling branches, bollards, posts and other obstacles around the course.
- Please ensure that you are fit enough to walk, jog, run 5k (3.1 miles) with us.
- If you see someone with a serious problem, please stop to help them out and get help as soon as possible.
- If you’re watching, keep clear of participants on the course, and look after any children and dogs you may have with you.
- Lyme Disease is a bacterial infection spread to humans by infected ticks. Consider protecting yourself by wearing repellent when at parkrun events in grassy or wooded areas. See lymediseaseuk.com for further details.
- Unfortunately dogs are not allowed at this event.
The only exception to this rule is when accompanied by an assistance dog. - parkrunners pushing buggies are welcome, but please take care of others around you and do your best to start at an appropriate place in the field for your pace.
We hope these tips help to ensure that Great Cornard parkrun is fun and safe for everyone.
Age grading
All parkrun events use Age Grading to help parkrunners compare results.
parkrun events use Age Grading to help parkrunners see progress and compare results.
For more information, please see our Support page.
Volunteering
All parkrun events are organised by volunteers - email greatcornard@parkrun.com to help.
Safeguarding
parkrun is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and adults at risk. For our full safeguarding processes and policies please see our Safeguarding Hub.
To report a safeguarding concern please email safeguarding@parkrun.com.
Event stats
- 582
- Events
- 7,976
- Finishers
- 65,686
- Finishes
- 972
- Volunteers
- 8,526
- Personal bests
- 544
- Groups
- 00:29:19
- Average finish time
Nearby parkruns
- Great Cornard junior parkrun Great Cornard Sports Centre · 0.2 km
- Clare Castle parkrun Clare Castle Country Park · 13 km
- Highwoods parkrun Highwoods Country Park · 18 km
- Colchester Castle parkrun Castle Park · 18 km
- Colchester junior parkrun Old Heath Recreation Ground · 20 km
- Bury St Edmunds parkrun Nowton Park · 22 km
- Haverhill parkrun Puddlebrook Playing Fields · 23 km
- Castle Playing Fields junior parkrun Castle Playing Fields · 24 km
Challenges this parkrun helps with
- Alphabeteer Challenge Starts with G
- Stayin' Alive Starts with G (needed for Stayin' Alive)
- UK Postcode Areas Postcode area CO
- Periodic Table Matches symbols: Ga, Ge, Gd
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High quality prints
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Check out our awardsPark5K is not affiliated with parkrun. - last updated 26 October 2026