Abbot's Wood, near Polegate in East Sussex, is a great place for a stroll at any time of year, with walking trails, a medieval lake, play area, barbecues and picnic tables – according to Forestry England. It also makes a superb venue for a parkrun and the inaugural event was held there on Saturday, 9th May 2026.

There was a special guest among the 347 parkrunners and parkwalkers who launched the Abbot's Wood parkrun. Double Olympic champion, Dame Kelly Holmes, was the inaugural first female finisher in 14th position overall (20:46), representing her Military in Motion fitness community.

The historic first finisher in Abbot's Wood parkrun #1 was Josh Burgess, of Lewes AC, in a brisk 16:31 on the undulating course which follows footpaths and freshly laid gravel tracks through the woodland.

An initial average finish time of 32:27 was established and Dame Kelly Holmes stayed behind for selfies with most of them! Dame Kelly later posted a video of her run on Facebook, which can be seen here...

Run Director Chris Findlay-Geer led an enthusiastic team of 36 hi-viz heroes who made the inaugural run a success and added to the congenial atmosphere. A dozen volunteers were members of the nearby Hailsham Harriers, and it was good to see so many club members giving their time to support parkrun.

After the event, the organisers posted this message on Facebook: "What an incredible morning at the inaugural event of Abbot’s Wood parkrun! 347 runners, joggers, and walkers joined us today to make history at our very first event, and what a fantastic atmosphere it was from start to finish. We were also honoured to welcome Dame Kelly Holmes, who came along to support the event.

"Massive thanks go to all of our volunteers who gave up their time to make the event happen safely and smoothly. From marshals and timekeepers to barcode scanners and tail walkers, this simply wouldn’t happen without you. Thank you as well to everyone who has supported the journey to get Abbot’s Wood parkrun started. Seeing so many smiling faces out on the course today made it all worthwhile. Here’s to the start of something very special."

Results and information are available at the Abbot's Wood parkrun website here.

Video courtesy of Dame Kelly Holmes/Military in Motion

Photo courtesy of Abbott's Wood parkrun on Facebook