Race Recap: Three Bridges Run

A couple of weeks ago a bunch Team RR members took part in the inaugural Maximum Adventure Three Bridges Run in Parramatta, Sydney. With 3 distances on offer (8km, 21km and 28km), most of our runners ran in the shorter distance this time, with two ladies also taking on the half marathon. Here’s the thoughts on this great new event from 2 of our runners Joanne and Karina…

The Three Bridges Run was my first running event in a little while. I had been looking forward to it for some time and had been training hard. With 3 distances to choose from – 8, 21 or 28km, it was the 8 km event that I chose to run.

As the event was held in Paramatta in Western Sydney, it was somewhat strange to be headed west rather than into the city for an event. I arrived with quite a bit of spare time, found the rest of the Rachel’s Runners team (there were around 15 of us who had signed up for the 8km event) with plenty of time for bib pick up, photos and a bit of shopping for a few people.

The weather was quickly warming up with the conversation being along the lines of “Well at least it isn’t meant to be as hot as yesterday” (we’d had a particularly hot day the day before) and before we knew it, it was time to line up on the start line. I started toward the back of the field as my goal for this event was to run at my own pace, enjoy the event and to finish happy with no real time goals. Being the inaugural event meant there were no previous times to compare to and no pressure for PBs which felt great!

The first few hundred metres of the race were run on grass before we headed off into the university grounds and then along the riverside path. At about 1km in, I caught up to a couple of my RR team mates, Nawal and Rhonda, and we decided to stick together to help keep each other going. As we passed lots of other runners there was a really friendly vibe along the path with everyone having a quick chat as they passed each other. Mostly the comments went something along the lines of “they said it was a flat run, but this is a hill”, all said with good humour though. I secretly liked the variety of the smallish hills and flat.

The kilometres passed by pretty quickly with the scenery and encouragement from seeing team mates who were on their way back. Before we knew it we were at the half way point and coming up to the aid station where we had a quick stop for water as by now it was starting to get quite hot. From the aid station we headed back in the same way we had come from, with just a few variations to the course along the way.

The hills seemed bigger on the way back but we kept going! Our group separated a bit in the last few kilometres and we each ran our own finish. Finally, we were back to the university grounds, so I knew the end wasn’t far off. At this point some of the 21km and 28km runners were also on their way to the finish line, and the vibe was really positive with everyone, no matter the distance, encouraging each other to finish strong. Onto the grass we went for the last few hundred metres, and the final sprint to the end, cheered on by my Rachel’s Runners team mates. I gave it my all as I crossed the finish line and was handed my finishers medal – YAY – I was done! I reached my goal of finishing happy and had a really great run feeling really positive – I was on a runner’s high!

I grabbed some water and fruit as I recovered and then joined the rest of the team to cheer our final few runners home. It was then time for a few more photos and chatter about the event, before some people had to rush off to the rest of their Sunday. Some of us who were able to stay, sat around and cheered the final runners in the 21 km and 28km events home and waited for the presentations and lucky door prize draw. I was lucky enough to win some Tailwind product in the lucky prize draw and also saw my team mate Hollee take out 1st place in her age group. A great moment!

What I really loved about this event other than the course which was scenic and spacious, was the overall vibe; it was small and friendly; and that the final finishers were treated with the same excitement and encouragement as everyone else in the race.

I’m looking forward to next year and maybe even upping the kilometeres to take on the half marathon.

By Joanne Lowe

I took on the half marathon distance at The Three Bridges Run, my second 21km event of the year. Although it was quite a humid morning, I did enjoy this event. The course was very picturesque and I loved that it was only one loop and not multiple laps. The uni (where it started and finished) was a great venue as it was easy to drive to, obtain parking and had plenty of clean bathrooms, as opposed to the usual portaloos you get at most running events. The race started on time and the organisers were very helpful.

If the organisers would like some suggestions for next time, I would say…
1. An extra drink station on the way in.
2. A massage tent for after race to help the weary bodies.
3. Maybe have an option to get results sent by SMS straight after the race.

Overall, I had a good time at this event and would recommend it to others next year.

By Karina Traill

The Three Bridges Run will be held again next year on Sunday 24th November in Parramatta, Western Sydney, NSW. Entries open 3rd June 2019.