A new run with great promise

Have you ever been to Arnos Vale Cemetery? You should.

It’s an amazing place. Beautiful, mysterious, full of local history. Very special.

In May, Arnos Vale Cemetery will hold the first of what is hoped to be an annual fundraising 5k and 2k event. Not too large, family friendly. Arnos Vale inspires the best in people, and I’m sure this will be an event with a passionate following and a friendly atmosphere.

It will be a great event, which will be repeated. They won’t struggle to fill it, and I think it will become a special feature of Bristol’s running calendar.

Guerrilla knitting at Arnos Vale Cemetary

Bristol Parkrun Number Two

I’m proud to say that this is my first post on Bristol Running Resource and I’d like to thank Mike for the opportunity.  To mark this occasion I’m going to write about my second Ashton Court Parkrun.  If like me you’re a fool and lining up at the start line for the Bristol 10k it’s a great chance to train and get a couple of 5ks under your belt before the big day.

For those of you who were not there (and therefore don’t know any different) I was limbering up with some light stretching and drills, looking like a toned and conditioned athlete.  Alert, ready and prepared, just call me Paula!  Did I just compare myself to Paula Radcliffe?  Yes I did.

For those of you who were present; I was  the one in the white Nike t-shirt moaning about how I shouldn’t have drank two pints the night before, that I was tired and questioning why I was doing this.  I think it’s fair to say that I am NOT a morning person.

The Ashton Court Parkrun is challenging (is that the polite way of saying it?), 2.5 to the top and then 2.5 back down.  Last  week was pretty tough, for some reason this week was worse.  I had been running for 5 minutes and saw that I’d travelled 1k; my legs were already tired, I was angry with the universe, I wanted to stop, sit down and have a packet of Beef Monster Munch.

Thankfully I didn’t.  I kept going to the top and was relieved to be on the downward segment, where for a few precious kilometers I was speeding down the route like an out-of-control train, only faster and wearing shorter shorts, and that’s when it hit me.  I was enjoying the run.  Yes the hill was hard, but worth it for the return journey.

I crossed the line with no idea of my time, I wasn’t expecting a great time until I receive the result by email: 23:40 a new PERSONAL BEST!  Not sure how I managed to blag it, but I’m definitely going to take it!

Parkrun is great, I see people from previous weeks and from Running Club, there’s a real sense of friendly community, with people of all abilities (and I mean all abilities) and best of all it’s free.  If you’re running the Bristol 10k (and dreading it)  I really recommend signing up to the Ashton Court event; you might moan about the hill (as I do) and you might sweat like a buffalo (as I ALWAYS do), but you won’t regret it.

Plus, because it starts at 9am you get to laugh at the people doing the Walk of Shame on your way to Ashton Court.  Now if that’s not worth it, then I don’t know what is.

Parkrun 5k this Saturday

It’s free, it’s friendly, it’s fresh, it’s in Ashton Court at 9am, and this is the very first, full-on, official, full online, age-graded race. Weekly from now on.

Well done local Parkrun team. At last Bristol has a Parkrun - the perfect compliment to the Bristol 10k, Bristol Half, and so on.

As I’ve said before - be there, or have breakfast in bed.

Parkrun website  |  Our Parkrun posts (inc photos)

First Parkrun Ashton Court photos

I couldn’t run today, so duty demanded I drag my 8 yr old up and out to cycle to Ashton Court and witness the first official Parkrun in Bristol. I wanted to get some photos - partly for the people who showed up for this new event, and partly for everyone else in Bristol to get a glimpse of what this gathering looks like.

As you can see, there were a variety of approaches to race preparation:

Active warm upSocial warm up

A good turnout of over 30 runners and about 10 volunteers shows this is going to be a popular event, attracting a great mix of people of all ages, shapes, and speed!

It was a bit grey as we all arrived, but it brightened up and turned into a perfect setting. Cool, dry, and no wind. Spring has sprung, and everything felt clean and green. It really is a fantastic setting.

And of course the atmoshere was friendly and relaxed. You can see from this picture how tense it was on the start line:

And the first Parkrun starts

This course will never be a record breaking one. It has a big hill and if this is the only Parkrun you do you will never get the age ranking you deserve when compared to other Parkrunners around the country. But it is a spectacular setting with fantastic views over Bristol and beyond as you come back on the completely downhill return section.

The first finishers come in

Officially not a race, but maybe for some…

Bear in mind parking is not allowed in the nearby Mansion House carpark. But hey, why worry about driving to the doorstep when the whole point is to be more active. I don’t want to hear a single word of complaint! Bristol is a beautiful city and there are ample parking options which include a nice warm up walk or jog through Ashton Court.

Furthermore, why not cycle there? I’ve included a few pictures of the traffic free Festival Way route to Ashton Court from central Bristol. It’s a ten minute ride.

A completely traffic free ride from central BristolMORE PHOTOS HERE

Congratulations to Geoff and all the volunteers who’ve made this event a reality.

So, get up, saddle up, and turn up for the FREE weekly Parkrun Ashton Court:

• All the Parkrun posts on Bristol Running Resource
• Our Parkrun photo gallery
• Parkrun site
• Parkrun Ashton Court on Twitter
• Parkrun Ashton Court on Facebook

Update on Tuesday, 29 March, 2011 by Mike

Here’s an article by the Evening Post

The Parkrun trial

This morning at Ashton Court, Bristol’s new Parkrun was tested out by a group of about 15 frost-proofed runners.

What a route! A bit a flat, then a steepish climb up to the top for about 1km, some more flat and then a rewarding run back down with wonderful views through Ashton Court and out over Bristol. Beautiful.

I think this run promises to be very popular. Apart from being served a boiled egg and tea in bed with your favourite newspaper, there can be no better way to start a Saturday morning.

After the final planning is done, the first official run is scheduled for Saturday 26th March and I’m sure it will become a big favourite attracting the usual Parkrun crowd of mixed ability, in a friendly relaxed atmosphere.