Smack bang in the middle of London, Regent’s Park is a great place for a city-centre jog while you’re fine-tuning your fitness ahead of the Great Gorilla Run.

A 4.4kms internal road rings the park so a couple of laps is the perfect preparation for the 7km Great Gorilla Run route.

Why run further you may ask?

Well I think I’m correct in saying that most Great Gorilla runners don’t do their training runs in their gorilla suits (although I’m sure there’s a few hardcore gorillas out there who do) and the weight and heat of the suit adds a good few KMs on the day so it’s worth pushing on a little over the 7km mark during your training.

Now apart from the lap distance, Regent’s Park has a lot else going for it. I’m sure you’re wondering why there’s a very pretty giraffe picture at the top of this post?

Well, Regent’s Park is home to the world famous London Zoo and if the weather’s good, the giraffes will be out in their yard which the run route passes straight past. It’s as close as you’ll get to a running safari in London.

Keeping on the wildlife theme, the lakes at Regent’s Park are home to a plethora of water birds so it’s worth taking a detour from the internal road – look out for the awesome Mandarins.

And take note of the heronry (a colony of grey herons to the non-ornithologists) on the island in the lake on the west end of the park.

When you’ve finished exploring Regent’s Park swing by and see us at our Gorilla Organization office, we’re based just across the road in Primrose Hill.