Articles

Bramley’s Running Revival

Mark Doyle

As a runner and a life long resident of Bramley I was excited earlier this year to see a new race added to the fixture calendar, the Bramley 10K. So excited in fact that I was the first name down on the entry list of a sold out field of 175 runners.

 

To my knowledge it was the first time that Bramley had hosted a road race since the Bramley Half Marathon that took place in 80’s. My only memory of this was being forced to stand in the cold, wearing an oversized high-vis vest, pointing people in the right direction.

 

 

The day of the 10K arrived and the running conditions were perfect for October (not raining). Many of the local running clubs were out in force congregating together in colourful herds. Once the starting gun went it was a different picture as the sea of colours flooded the streets of Bramley.

 

The route itself was a basic two lap road circuit that residents of Bramley will be all too familiar with but today was different. Today the roads were lined with friendly faces offering words of encouragement, guiding us the right way and getting us safely across roads (to the dismay of the local boy racers).

 

The final stretch of the course included a hill that Bramley parkrunners with be all too familiar with, this led to a finishing straight lined with crowds that would not have looked out of place at the end of a Tour De France mountain stage.

 

Once over the finish line, the organisers Grim Up North Running lived up to their great reputation once again by providing home made cake for the finishers and a generous goody bag containing beer and a giant Toblerone.

 

It was a fantastic day and lived up to my early excitement and anticipation. It was never going to be the most scenic race in the world but the people really made this one of the friendliest.

 

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The running scene in Bramley has gone from strength to strength recently with the arrival of the Bramley parkrun, Bramley Breezers running group and now the Bramley 10k. Who knows in the future we may even see a revival of the Half Marathon?

 

Photo credit – Simon & Sarah Cullingworth