We headed to Severn Bridge parkrun. This is a popular one as it means you can cover two countries in one run. It starts in Wales, goes out to England and returns back to Wales. There’s even flags on the Severn Bridge to indicate where this happens.
Severn Bridge parkrun were not holding a special event for Christmas Day so this was their festive event. There were lots of people dressed up including people in inflatables!
First Timers at Severn Bridge parkrun
It may have been our first time at Severn Bridge parkrun but it wasn’t our first time there. We had previously been for the night run. Our son even came first in his age category then and won a prize. This meant that we had an idea of where we were going and what we were doing.
Sarah had written a post about this parkrun saying how they got the last parking spot in the carpark. As she tends to arrive by 8:30am we headed off earlier than normal just to make sure we could park okay. Especially given that this was the last one before Christmas – oh and she said they set off at 9am on time. Turns out that there was loads of space and we had plenty of time before it started.
I asked about a first timers briefing and was told that we all moved down one end where it was told along with the briefing. The Event Briefing was fantastic with many Christmas references to make us all smile.
About Severn Bridge parkrun
An out and back along the Severn Bridge. You walk up to the bridge to start, run along and there’s a marshal turning you back the other way. Obviously this is all road shoes. When you get back to the start and go off the bridge there’s a lovely downhill. You feel really close to the finish and then there’s a bit of an uphill before the homeward sprint.
This was shorter than I was expecting and I ended up outrside the cones as not to hit anyone – apologising to the man that I just nipped in front of because it was difficult to get back in between runners. He was very friendly and said it was okay!
How I found Severn Bridge parkrun as a Jeffer
Severn Bridge parkrun felt very busy. My first thoughts were that there was no way I would be able to Jeff it that it would inconvenience too many people. However, it was okay and I managed to Jeff right from the very start with a 90:30 ratio.
Okay I did set off at the start way too fast at the start which I really noticed when I walked. A few times I actually warned people behind me that I was going to walk (when usually I tend to look around and alter my pace accordingly). It was surprisingly more spacious after a little bit than I had first imagined.
People didn’t really stay to one side until the faster runners came back – but this suited me as I just kept to the edge of the bridge.
Hotter than Expected
My family all had reasonably warm clothes on and I felt foolish that I just had an elf dress on. But honestly I was far too hot and the wind did not do a lot to help me cool down. In fact I was tempted to strip (I had normal running kit on underneath) and just carry it – but didn’t feel that was in the festive spirit.
Severn Bridge parkrun Event 191 Statistics
The week we attended there were 291 participants ranging from 17:33 to 1:09:12. Of those 194 were through in under 30 minutes. The highest age grade that week was 89.02% by a male in the age 55-59 category.
There are an average 197.9 finishers per week, with an average finish time of 29:04. The female course record was 16:50 and the male 15:18. The age graded record was 102.32%.
There was an impressive young girl in the 11-14 years age category who was 21st overall with a time of 20:24!
Our Stats
Our son was position 26. Second in his age category. A new parkrun PB time of 21:05. His brother was very close to his fastest ever PB time with 23:12 – which is extremely good because he doesn’t run like he used to. He has however, been caving a lot.
We all did really well – with even myself finishing sub 30 whilst jeffing (29:15 in fact).
Achievements
For attending this parkrun I achieved my 20 different 5k attendances so could join the Tourism groups. This was lovely in time for Christmas.
Conclusion
This was a really lovely parkrun. Everyone was friendly and obviously our son got a PB. Not sure if I could convince the family to come back due to distance – but maybe if we were on our way to Wales or back they may consider it.