Should you enter the next edition of the Shrewsbury 5k Festival?

I got to take part in the very first Shrewsbury 5k Festival in July 2024. Here’s what you need to know about this new running event and my honest review.

Please keep in mind that this was the very first edition of this event and some elements may change in future editions.

Shrewsbury 5k Festival: a new running event by Run Cheshire

The Shrewsbury 5k festival is the newest running event organised by Run Cheshire and their first one across the Shropshire border.

It takes place at the cycle circuit at the Shrewsbury Sports Village. The first edition was on a Saturday afternoon.

The course is just over 5 laps on the overall flat and traffic-free cycle track. One side goes slightly down then once you’ve passed the hairpin turn, there’s a very slight incline. Check it out my Strava activity here.

For the very first edition there were three races and participants were seeded based on their estimated finish time.

The first race started at 3:30pm for the “slower” runners. Those looking to run a 17-19 minute 5k were in the second race at 4:00pm and the last race at 4:30pm was for runners projecting to run a sub 17 minute 5k.

How much does the race entry cost?

The standard entry fee is £14 (or £16 for non-affiliated runners).

Race number collection

You can collect your number at the race venue on the day, just follow the signs from the car park and walk over to the cycle track. You don’t need an ID.

What do you get at the finish?

The first edition was very low key. No medals, no snacks (although I imagine this may change in the future if sponsors like Tribe flapjacks or Bounce Balls come on board). You just get a bottle of water.

Can you set a new 5k PB at the Shrewsbury 5k Festival?

Absolutely! Many participants ran a personal best on the day, including myself with a 16s PB. The hairpin turn isn’t extremely tight so don’t lose too much speed, and you barely feel the incline.

Plus, the well seeded races optimise your chance to run in a group, which always helps.

My experience at the first edition of the Shrewsbury 5k Festival

You can watch some footage of the race and my experience in this vlog:

Here’s what I enjoyed the most about this event:

It was great to have different waves based on predicted finish times, so that there were no lapped runners, therefore no congestion (which is for instance the case at the RunThrough races in Battersea Park).
Another positive of this multi-lap course with timing mat meant is that the results included each lap time, for those who like to be nerdy and do a post-race analysis.
There were free photos courtesy of Mick Hall.
Despite being the first edition of a small scale event, the support was great. It’s a spectator-friendly course and it’s very promising for future editions.

Any downsides?

Hopefully the success of the first one will generate more interest and gather bigger crowds for the next ones, making it a true running “festival”.

Whilst the atmosphere was good, the event as it is now doesn’t compete with bigger running festivals. It needs more off-track entertainment and more involvement from local Shrewsbury vendors, which we’ll probably see at the next ones.

The first edition was promising and I hope it will become a recurring event, taking place several times a year. If you’re in the area, keep an eye out as it’s definitely a great local 5k and a PB opportunity!