Marathon 15: The 20 Minute Commute – Shropshire

Two very unusual aspects of this week’s run – one, it was on a Friday morning… and two, the start line was a 20 minute drive from home.

We were in Shropshire for our home leg this weekend, and what a treat it turned out to be. Our protagonist for the week was Faye – a close friend, and a seriously impressive runner – both of which made for a great day before we’d even laced up. Add in sunshine, the stunning backdrop of Ironbridge Gorge, a brilliant crew to run with, and oodles of support along the way… and it had all the makings of a special one.

We started bright and early at 8:30am on Bridgnorth High Street. Despite the bank holiday (and the early hour), a small but mighty group of early birds were there to send us off. Faye, who had spent most of the week messaging about her lack of training, boldly declared within the first couple of miles that sub-four hours might be on the cards. I suspect this was heavily influenced by the very friendly downhill start as we dropped from the high street down towards the river.

The early group featured myself, Faye, Tom (my long-time training partner), and Brad, who put in a fantastic shift to take on his first half marathon in a long time.

We soon settled into something a bit more sensible, winding our way along the river, soaking in the greenery, the sunshine… and the sheep. Our first crossing of the iconic Iron Bridge came at mile nine, where we were met by a motley crew of supporters and joined by my sister-in-law Naomi, just in time to prepare for “the big hill.”

Because, of course, it wouldn’t be a Shropshire run without a hill.

We turned towards the town park and settled in for four miles of steady climbing. The group naturally stretched out here, everyone finding their own rhythm. Faye and I were quietly pleased to hit halfway in exactly two hours – a solid place to be.

By the time we reached the park for our two laps, the support crew had grown… as had the snack selection. Not that we’d been short of fuel up to that point, thanks to Freddie’s now-famous mobile Tupperware service.

Brad bowed out gracefully in the park having run the furthest he ever has, while Will – already battling some Achilles issues – attempted a change of shoes to keep things moving.

As the miles crept into the late teens, the usual realisation began to hit home: a marathon is, in fact, quite far. As cramps threatened and legs started to fade, the focus shifted to reaching mile 21 and the promise of the downhill stretch back into the gorge. A series of fun footpaths around Madeley kept things interesting before we finally hit the descent.

Joined by my brother-in-law Will and our friend Toby for the final 5K, things were looking strong… until disaster struck near The Woodbridge. A fairly innocuous trip on uneven road for (Norfolk) Will resulted in a painful Achilles strain and an early finish to his day. Gutted for him, especially with plans to run more of these with us this year – including the Norfolk finale. Everything crossed he’s back for that one.

From there, it was a steady final push along the river, back towards Ironbridge for the second time, bringing us home in a very tidy 4.5 hours.

A brilliant crowd had gathered to welcome us back – a perfect reflection of the support we’ve had throughout this whole challenge, both home and away. And in a slightly surreal coincidence, as we crossed back over The Iron Bridge for the finish, Jon (@theeditdood) captured the moment with some awesome drone footage. As it turned out, his wife is a fertility lawyer. One of those completely chance encounters, very aligned to this whole journey.

A quick dash for showers (including the most uneventful car crash I’ve ever witnessed…) and then straight on to a well-earned feast at Embers Café – highly recommend.

Huge thanks and congratulations to Faye and Freddie for an incredible day, and to everyone who came out to support. You made our home run one to remember.

Onwards! Brighton here we come...