After many years of Lewis living in Bristol, I finally took the pilgrimage down south with Mark to visit him - and, of course, to complete the Great Bristol Run.
Arriving in Bristol
Mark and I arrived at Glasgow Airport at around 07:00 on Saturday morning and flew down to Bristol. We then took the hugely expensive bus into the city (£9!). Lewis met us and gave us an impromptu tour on the way back to his house. We met his housemates and got settled in his room.
Shakeout Run
In the infinite wisdom of the runners of Reddit, we decided that a “shakeout run” would be a good idea. This turned into an 8 km fast run, which almost certainly did not help with the race, but it was a great way to see some of the Bristol sights.
Clifton Suspension Bridge.
A close-up shot of the Clifton Suspension Bridge.
Mark and Lewis contemplating the rest of the run.
Evening Entertainment
For dinner, Mark cooked an excellent carbonara served with garlic bread. After dinner, Lewis whipped out the board games to keep us entertained. We played a board game new to Mark and me called Ticket to Ride - a strategy game where you need to build the longest railway network.
Intense action happening on the game board.
Lewis’s strategy paid off (He is the yellow railway line).
Race Day
We woke up around 08:00 to give ourselves enough time to digest breakfast and make our way to the start line. Disaster struck when Mark managed to break a coping stone off a wall he was jumping over to go for a pee. It landed on his ankle, and for a moment it looked doubtful whether he’d be able to complete the run.
The start gun went, and we were off! It was a hot day, but that didn’t stop me from holding a good pace early on. I was feeling strong and powered through to mile ten, but by then the heat and exhaustion were starting to get to me. Miraculously, Mark had managed to overtake me at this point!
I crossed the finish line just after Mark with a time of 1:39.
Lewis and his flatmate Sam post race.
Lewis, Mark and I post race.
Afterwards, we headed back to Lewis’s flat for a Coke and some ice cream before going out for a few Bristol beers. Big thanks to one of Lewis’s flatmates, who worked in a pub and treated us to a cheeky free round! Legend.