RUN REPORT – SHREWSBURY POINT TO POINT (10K)

It was time for my first competitive race of the year, as I entered the Shrewsbury Point to Point 10k. This event is run by a company called ‘Run The Distance’, who predominantly organise race events in Shropshire, with quite a few based around the Shrewsbury Quarry town park. These range from small-town 10k races to some more informal events in Shrewsbury that also cater for the fun-runner, some wintry examples being the annual Santa Jumper Run in December, and a New Year’s Eve run that commences with the midnight bells!

But to the Point to Point and it’s traditional May date. As the title implies, this is a point to point event, something rare (but not unknown) with 10k events.

Starting at the small, historic village of Upton Magna on the outskirts of Shrewsbury, the route takes in narrow country lanes as it winds down through the surrounding villages, passing under tunnels and bridges as the route joins a trail / cycle path towards Shrewsbury, eventually finishing at the centrepiece Quarry park in Shrewsbury town centre. The route is net downhill, has a quick downhill first 2k, and has only around 30m of climbs along the route, so has gained a reputation as a PB course.

So, with a lift from my dad, it was off to Upton Magna, a small, historic village that’s five miles from Shrewsbury. The steady stream of cars dropping off runners soon gsined in number as the chartered shuttle buses from Shrewsbury toen centre arrived!

The population of the village is given as just over 300, so the quaint surroundings certainly became busy as the entry of 576 runners temporarily more than doubled the population!

Signing on was at the local primary school before runners made their way to the local village hall, the start being on the neighbouring meadow. Situated at the base of Haughmond Hill, the elevated view took in the Shrewsbury skyline, the iconic market hall clock and church spires looking disconcertingly far away!

Being such a popular event, the start was a little crowded in the first kilometre, as you’d often expect with a busy 10k event, before the pack started to settle onto order during the first mile along the narrow country lanes.

After the route opened up into the surrounding villages, the downhills started to fade as we approached Shrewsbury, taking a turn onto a hardpack gravel path that went alongside some of the nearby housing estates as we started our run towards Shrewsbury. The treelined route gave little away to it’s urban surroundings, unless you looked carefully and saw some of the surrounding housing behind the trees, it still felt like being in the countryside.

Nature soon gave way to suburban tarmac as we closed in on Shrewsbury, a tunnel taking us underneath one of the town’s inner ring roads, before a little section on footpath going through the Castlefields residential district, and as the River Severn came into view we ran alongside it towards ‘The Weir’ a concrete structure built just over a century ago to maintain water levels for pleasure boating and rowing in the town centre. Popular with fishermen, it’s also a popular viewing point in autumn for migrating salmon to leap up the water as they move along. No such luck in spring, but still a fantastic structure to view.

Weir in the background, the run went alongside the river for it’s final mile, passing riverside townhouses, passing underneath the railway station and a run down memory lane as the route passed a modern apartment complex that was once the Gay Meadow, home of Shrewsbury Town FC until 2007.

The final few hundred metres picked up familiar territory as we entered the Quarry, picking up the riverside route used by Shrewsbury parkrun. Moving more and more into the parkland, the finish was a welcome sight, albeit on the top of a grass bank!

10K finished, tired but having got under the magical hour mark which, although I’ve been much quicker, was satisfying given my lack of recent 10k experience.

A stroll back to the family home on the outskirts of town, midday had passed by the time I got back, a very handy excuse to nip into my old local The Inn On The Green for a recovery Guinness and pork scratchings!

Plenty more races to come this year, Silverstone is just around the corner, my favourite race of Abersoch and some East Midlands GP races. But this was a fun start to the year and a event I’d like to to again with a bit more prep.

For more information of Run The Distance portfolio of events visit the website here