Gloucester 10k 2024

On 30th June, my husband, sister and I ran Gloucester 10k. We’d previously run it in 2021 and 2023, but this time we were running it as part of the club’s race series.

I really like the ethos of Gloucester 10k, which gives all of its proceeds to charity. It is organised by Davies & Partners, a local firm of solicitors, with Gloucester Quays Rotary Club and sponsored by E G Carter, a local building firm. Over the last 10 years, it has raised more than £100,000 for local charities. There were 1,000 runners this year, of all abilities.

Gloucester 10k starts at 8:30am, meaning the road closures are less hassle for the people of Gloucester. It’s also good to have an early start if it’s a really hot day.

I’m pleased to say it wasn’t very hot this year. There is plenty of city centre parking in Gloucester. We parked at Gloucester Quays, then walked over to Gloucester park for the race. There was a massive queue for the toilets, so we only queued once! There was a separate urinal block for the men, which they didn’t need to queue for. There were still a lot of men in the main queue, so either they didn’t realise there were urinals or they needed the toilet for other purposes!

We had a quick photo with the club members, then assembled for the start. There were markers for sub-50 and sub-70 runners to help people get into the right place. My husband insisted on standing next to two friends from the club because he has a friendly rivalry with them, so ‘needed’ to start at the exact same time as them.

Gloucester 10k is another race where you’re only allowed bone conducting headphones, so I’ve finally invested in some! On a longer race, I like to have a playlist of a mix of songs, but on a 10k an album is fine. I’ve just started listening to Kenickie again – a late 90s predominantly female punk pop band (the lead singer was Lauren Laverne who is on the TV and radio). The day before Gloucester 10k, we went to see Frozen in the West End and it was incredible. So I started the run with Let It Go, then went into a full Kenickie album. It was a good choice.

My main aim was to beat my previous Gloucester 10k PB of 48:17 from 2021. I felt my PB of 46:11 from Cirencester a couple of weeks previously would be hard to beat.

The race starts with a small lap of the park, then it is out of the park and onto a quiet road. Before you know it, you’re at Gloucester Quays, then onto Northgate Street and weaving around Gloucester Cathedral. At this point, the course gets a bit narrow and there are some cobbles and uneven surfaces.

By the time you emerge from weaving around the cathedral and back onto Southgate Street, you’re 2.5km down and you’re running past the slower runners heading in the other direction. Then you’re back at the docks and heading out of Gloucester on the canal. There is one water stop at Gloucestershire College by the canal, which you pass at 4km and 8km, so it is effectively two water stops. I knew they had water in plastic bottles (easy to drink), so I didn’t bother carrying any water with me.

Just after the water stop, the course runs alongside the main road. This is the only stretch of the course which isn’t scenic and lasts for about 1 to 1.5km. Just before 6km, you’re back next to the canal and heading towards the city centre. There are warnings to keep left so you don’t fall in, but I think it would be pretty hard to fall in. A lot of the time the canal is behind hedges, so most of the time you’re not right next to it.

The path loops a canal basin and I could see my husband leaving the basin just as I joined it. I could also see his two friendly rivals running very close to him.

I felt pretty strong the whole way round. I thought I was going to be a bit slower than Cirencester, but that was OK! The course has a lot of twists and turns, meaning it is unlikely to be a PB course.

The last mile takes you back through the docks, then a small incline and a loop round and back onto Southgate Street. Then it is just hanging on and keeping going until the park. Once inside the park, there is still a small loop and then, finally, the finish line!

There was a medal, water and fruit for all finishers, with Tshirts only for those who had requested them at the time of booking.

I crossed the line in 47:05, which I was very happy with. I was 12th female out of 310, third in my age category out of 81 (and the age category is 45-54, not 50-54) and third female club member. We were also the winning female club team. My husband finished in 45:10 and my sister in 51:18, which was her PB.