Jubilee parkrun, Bedford

A couple of weeks after I originally intended, this week I visited Jubilee parkrun, Bedford for the first time. And probably the last time, not because I didn’t thoroughly enjoyed, but because it is 90 minutes drive away from home. And much worse on the way back, obviously.

I wanted to come here 2 weeks ago, for their event number 11. That would not only have given my my second J, but also ticked event 11 for my Wilson Index, which currently sees a 2-10 streak of unique events. Who knows when I will be lucky enough to get an inaugural, after missing Morden parkrun even if it is so close to my home. Instead, I did not wake up in time, so I ended up reverting to Bromley parkrun instead.

This time, it worked out and it was a nice treat. I was also surprised by challenge progress on the forbidden Fibonacci challenge, so that was an additional treat. On top of securing my second J after Jersey Farm parkrun, while I approach completion on my second parkrun alphabets. Only Y and Q left to get there, both a bit of a trek to reach, but I will eventually get there.

Jubilee parkrun is a very nice event. The park is a beautiful urban oasis and the course is weirdly confusing until you are through half of your run. Then it becomes pretty clear. On the negative side, facilities are non existent, so come prepared!

Anyway, enough with my rumblings. It’s time to dive into some more info about Jubilee parkrun, Bedford!

Trip to Jubilee parkrun, Bedford and parking

Jubilee parkrun, Bedford takes place in Jubilee Park, a large green area in the outskirts of Bedford. It is a beautiful, green park not far from major road networks leading into to town, so getting there is relatively convenient.

The official event site is silent about nearby train stations, focusing on connections hailing from Bedford Bus Station. Do not despair, though. I am not one from giving up, so I checked google maps and Bedford train station seems to be about 10 minutes walk from the above mentioned bus station. After you get there, the bus ride should add another 10/15 minutes to your commute and then a final 5 minutes walk to Jubilee parkrun meeting point. Come prepared with some online maps or travel apps, just in case.

If you are coming from London, connections to Bedford train station are available from St. Pancras, with the journey taking around 40 minutes. All in all, relatively painful trip by public transport, but doable if you are in the capital and want to secure a first or a second J for your alphabets challenge.

If you are driving, Jubilee parkrun, Bedford is well located to take advantage of major road networks. It was a painful trip for me, coming from Wimbledon, but that’s obviously subjective and it depends on where you are coming from. The event page gives a postcode for the dedicated free car park at John Bunyan Sports & Fitness Centre. As I approach the area, my GPS got confused and it wanted to get me past the centre. However, clear parkrun parking signs are visible from the road so I did not get lost.

Once you leave your car, it’s a 5-10 minutes walk crossing a roundabout and getting into an alleyway leading into the park. Two marshals were available to help at the car park and the route to reach Jubilee parkrun meeting point is simple, will signed and not likely to be confusing.

Jubilee parkrun, Bedford: start and briefings

Once you leave the car park, turn right and cross the big roundabout. On the other side, turn 90-degrees left and cross the road at the traffic light. On the other side there will be a sign pointing you towards a small alleyway. Enter it and walk for a few minutes until you reach the park. As your view opens up, head further into the park leaning right and the meeting point will be there, next to a basketball court.

It’s a very open area, so a pleasant meeting point if weather is good. There are some trees not too far away if it’s pouring rain and people want a bit of cover, I guess.

One thing worth nothing is that the baggage drop area is not here, but next to the finish funnel. It is only 150m walk up the path, but bear it in mind if you come with stuff you want to leave behind. A few spare minutes will be needed. Or you could drop your stuff after the start, since the course will run by the finish funnel after just a few seconds. It would break your vibe, though.

Since it is still a fairly new event, the First Timers briefing and the Main Briefing are still merged into one. As a coveted J, it seems the majority of participants tend to be one-time visitors as well, so good attention is given to tourist spotting. And then, an attempt to explain the route. Very hard to do, before you are on it, but kudos for trying.

Then, people slightly spread out on grass for a wide start, eventually pointing for the path. So, if you are targeting a fast time, try to position yourself closer to the path, I suppose.

Then, I heard the RD start the countdown. ‘3, 2, 1, go!’. It was time to go.

Jubilee parkrun, Bedford course review – star ratings

Jubilee parkrun, Bedford course review – route highlights

There were 191 parkrunners on the day of my visit to Jubilee parkrun, Bedford. It is still a relatively new event, but attendance seems to have settled around the 200 mark. The peak was on event number 3, with 404 runners and walkers and event 9 in mid August also saw 380 attendees. However, things seem to have reverted to a sustainable long term mean now. I would dare guess winter will also see numbers decrease a bit further, but we will have to wait and find out. In terms of course, the wide start and the great paths are good enough to sustain higher numbers. I suspect the 400-parkrunners day did not feel overly congested.

There are no obvious bottlenecks of concerning points along the route. The only part that could become a bit messy with high numbers is immediately after the open start on grass. That’s the only part really on grass and then everybody has to converge diagonally towards the path. The few metres up to and onto the path can be a bit busier.

The course is nearly fully on tarmac paths. Tarmac quality varies between excellent and a bit patched up, but in general it is pretty decent. A few metres at the start and a few metres leading up to the funnel are on grass. I think this is an event where you can comfortably run in road shoes all through the year.

Elevation-wise, Jubilee parkrun is a bit deceiving. At 29m over 2.5 laps, you would expect it to be nearly completely flat, but the feel I got was that of an undulating course. There are only a couple of noticeable uphills and they are neither steep nor long, but you definitely feel them. Conversely, there are also a couple of enjoyable, longer downhills.

Course layout is very confusing at first sight and also when it is explained. To be honest, I was moderately confused up to 1.5 laps in, then it got clearer. You start with a half lap in the opposite direction of travel than the main laps. The half lap then gets you back where the finish funnel is and you start the main 2 laps in the right direction. It’s interesting actually.

A quick Relive route plot is on my YouTube Channel, with longer video highlights embedded below.

After the main briefing, everyone is nearly where they need to be to get going. The start line is quite wide, but people in the know tend to lean towards the path. Then it’s time to go and you see why: the first 40/50 metres are diagonal on grass, converging on the paved path roughly next to the big trees you see from the start. Then you take a gentle right turn and keep running on path. Eventually, after around 150m, you pass the finish funnel on your right. This is the only time you will approach it form this direction.

After another 40/50 metres, a tight turn left and you slowly start going towards the first uphill. It’s not long and soon you are on top of a grassy hill and immediately enjoy a short downhill. This is probably the only steep(ish) downhill of the course. You then progress on a straight line for a while and then turn into a tree lined path that leads you to the other side of the park. Here, you join the main ‘lap’, roughly half way through it.

After another straight segment, you reach a more built up area. Pass a children playground, then through a wide gate. Here you run by another busy car park and turn hard right at the end.

Another straight segment by a nice green meadow leads you back towards a section with a few more trees. Immediately before the trees you start going uphill again for a short segment. On top, run above the hill for a few metres, keep going around or through a little pedestrian roundabout feature and then more straight. Eventually you start going downhill and reach the first hard turn you had met after passing the finish funnel. Take it in the opposite direction and then go downhill towards the funnel and eventually the area where the start line was. You have finished the first ‘half lap’. Keep going after the basketball courts to the end of the park and turn right and into another small area trees.

At the end of this segment, turn 90-degrees right and leave the little forest, joining a path with trees on your right. After leaving the trees, keep running on a straight, flat path with elegant trees on both sides. This is running alongside a nice green meadow and at the end of the straight, a gentle turns gets you back where you had entered the main course during the first half lap. Get back to the finish funnel the same way and then start a full lap for the second time.

At the end of the second full lap, just stray into the grass on the left and run a few metres into the field to reach the finish funnel.

Congratulations on completing Jubilee parkrun, Bedford!

Facilities at Jubilee parkrun, Bedford

Jubilee park is a beautiful, landscaped green area, with a basketball court and a couple of children play areas. On the opposite side from the meeting point there are also football pitches and what looked like club houses. Or at least that’s what I thought while running past them.

It’s important to note that at this location you will not find toilets nor a cafe. The former is especially important since it is likely there will be visitors coming from far away. Be prepared before you arrive.

As a competitor to the McDonald’s index, I am continuing to collect data for the parkbreakfast index: how much is breakfast at each location?

At Jubilee parkrun, Bedford, there was no cafe, so I stopped at a rest station on the motorway to break my long drive back up.

Jubilee parkrun, Bedford: Video Highlights

As usual, I’ve taken a few video snippets during the run to give an idea of the course. If you like it, please subscribe, it’s a fun past time for me 🙂

The other parkrun videos on my YouTube channel are all linked on the course review and video highlights summary page.

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Achievements and performance

Conclusions

It is pretty far from where I live, but it is a great addition to the parkrun family. And not only because it is a second J in the South, but also because it is a great, beautiful course. And the team was super welcoming as well.

I would love to come back and who knows, maybe something in the future will bring me to the area once again.

Finally, obviously, thank you, Jubilee parkrun, Bedford team for your hospitality!