I’ve been wanting to visit Melton Mowbray parkrun for ages.. maybe it was the hope of pork pies or rumours of a horrible hill..
Heading to the start area, we still weren’t sure what to expect from this course, I’d seen reviews of trails and paths, tough and ‘not that bad’ so it was like stepping into the unknown. The countdown was starting and we were about to find out what laid ahead for us..
The initial downhill section was great, but it was the small narrow bridge that slowed everyone down. Unfortunately were I started in the pack meant that we walked across the bridge before facing, what is described as ‘a challenging uphill section’. I made the mistake of saying it wasn’t that bad, and was greeted with a few glares from runners around me!!
Once you reach the top, the next mile or so is very forgiving! A lovely sweeping down hill through the park, winding the way around the edge of the park, it gives a lovely recovery. The only problem is, you know the ‘challenge’ is going to be round one of these corners! Soon enough, we were walking across the bridge again before facing the hill. It’s definitely *slightly* worse the second time round – but still not that bad!
Even though its a two lap course, I couldn’t work out what was round each corner, it seemed to be so different! We went past football pitches, bushy sections and completely open areas, all with smiley Hi-Viz heroes cheering us on. It was such a lovely course.
I was so glad to see the finish, even if it was a slight up hill finish! We headed to the café (which does the best hot chocolate – although deducting points for the lack of cream!) and opened a pack of pork pies..
I’d definitely do Melton Mowbray parkrun again, I’d just perhaps start slightly further forward in an effort to avoid having to walk the bridges! Having said that, parkrun isn’t about racing and I secretly quite enjoyed the walking breaks!
What Leanne Ran 