Park run gets launch date, but will it take off?

The long awaited Bristol Parkrun is set to commence on Saturday march 26th, with Ashton court the chosen venue. It's been clear for a long time that Bristol needs it's own Parkrun - an organisation that has helped inspire thousands to take up running - but will this one succeed in the way many others have? The proposed route, which will start at the bottom of the park and climb continuously for over 100m to the turn point before the equally sharp descent, is not likely to inspire newcomers to our sport, who will most likely be put off by what is without doubt the toughest 5k route in the area. Experienced runners will also be discouraged from a course that offers little chance of a pb, and a heightened risk of injury as a consequence of fast running on a descent that reaches 6-7% in places.

Hopefully the organisers will review the route, perhaps considering a two loop option either predominately at the top or bottom, which would keep the climbing to a minimum. Two loops are used at a number of park runs and although runners would need to make two additional 180 turns, this would be preferable to a 5% climb for over 1.5 miles!