AJ Bell Great Bristol Run Event Guide

Event Guide 2024

The big day is nearly here, and we want to help you with any event day questions so you can focus on the important things: soaking up the atmosphere and enjoying your run.

We’ve got all the info you need here, but you can also check out greatrun.org for last-minute changes and the FREE Great Run app for on-the-day information, live tracking and opportunities to donate to runners’ chosen charities for family and friends.

And to follow all the action as it happens, join the conversation on social media - just make sure you use

Timetable

08:00 Information Point open

08:30 Start assembly area opens

08:45 Mascot Race

08:53 Family Run warm-up

09:00 Family Run start

09:18 10k warm-up starts

09.25 10K Wheelchair start

09:28 VI Race start

09.30 10k Fast-Paced and Orange Wave start

09:42 10k Green Wave start

09:54 10k Pink Wave start

10:30 Half Marathon warm-up starts

10:40 Half Marathon Orange Wave start

10:56 Half Marathon Green Wave start

11:12 Half Marathon Pink Wave start

Travel

Our top tip: where possible, make use of the public transport options available on the day and leave plenty of time to get to the start line, as there will be a number of road closures in place. You can see a full list of road closures here.

You can plan your journey by public transport here, and if you’re travelling by bike Better By Bike will help you plan your route and find bike parking.

If you do need to drive, then there are various car parks in the city centre which can be seen here. Please bear in mind the extensive road closures in place for the event and leave extra time for your journey.

Bristol has a Clean Air Zone in place for sections of the city centre. The Clean Air Zone is signposted, and if your vehicle doesn’t meet emissions standards then you’ll have to pay. Find more information here.

Any travel updates will be added to the website, so please check the event page ahead of the event for any updates.

Information Point

The Information Point is there for last-minute queries, anyone who hasn’t received their race number, or race pack collection for anyone who enters after the cut-off date. Look out for the AJ Bell branded information marquee.

Location

Millennium Square

Explore Lane, Bristol, BS1 5SZ

Opening Times

Saturday 18th May: 10:00 – 16:00

Sunday 19th May: 08:00 – 15:30

Jog On Shoe Recycling

You’ll also find our Jog On Shoe Collection point next to the Information Point, where runners can donate old and unwanted trainers.

Safety Pins

No safety pins for your race number? No worries. You can collect some from the stand next to the Information Point without having to queue.

Wave & Start Time

Your wave colour and start time can be found on your run number, which should arrive in the post approximately 2 weeks before the event. Once you’ve received it, you have everything you need for event day, and you don’t need to visit the Information Point to register on the day. Simply attach your run number (which has your timing chip attached) to the front of your running top with safety pins and head to the start line.

On the day, signs will direct you to the assembly area on Canons Way and to the start line on Anchor Road (see start map for details).

Baggage

Baggage buses are located in the Lloyds Amphitheatre (see start map). Please remember which bus you use when you return to the Lloyds Amphitheatre to collect your bag. Please fill in your baggage label (tear off from your run number) before leaving the house if you can and secure to your bag. You’ll need your run number to gain access to the buses to drop off and collect your bag, so we can ensure it matches the baggage label.

• Sorry, but the baggage buses are not for changing.

• Please make room for other runners as soon as you’ve dropped off your bag - thank you!

• Please don’t leave valuables in your bags - this is a self-service system and, although there are security staff present, we can’t accept any responsibility for lost or stolen items.

Your Run Number

Your run number must only be worn by you on the day, and it should match the master number on your covering letter. If it’s different, please contact Customer Services here.

Please don’t swap, copy, or change this number - passing your number on to someone else could put them at risk from illness or injury if they’re not properly prepared. If your run number hasn’t arrived through the post, please visit the information point to collect a replacement.

Please Note: if you secured your entry after 10am on Friday 10 May, your run number hasn’t been posted out and must be collected from the Information Point. We are also unable to send race packs outside of the UK as we cannot guarantee their delivery, so will need to be collected from the information point.

Timing

Your timing chip is attached to the back of your run number. Please don’t remove the chip – it will affect the accuracy of your time. The chip will automatically record your time for you, and you don’t need to do anything else. Your chip doesn’t need to be returned at the end of the run.

You can access your results on the AJ Bell Great Run Series App, or on our website here after the event.

Warm Up

A warm-up artist will be on site to get you warmed up and stretched out (see timetable for mass warm-up time). Waves set off separately to help regulate the flow of runners through the course.

Pacers

Achieve your best time with the help of the SOLGAR pacemakers. Follow a pacemaker marked with the time you want to achieve and pace your run to perfection.

Running with friends Walking

If you want to run with a friend but have different coloured run numbers, you can drop back to run together in the same wave, but not move forward.

If you plan on walking or walking/running the event, please start at the rear of your wave and stay to the left-hand side of the road. If you’re walking at less than 17 minutes per mile, you may be asked to move on to the footpath for the later sections of the race.

Start & Finish Map

Course Map

Entertainment Map

At the Finish Line

Don’t stop immediately after you cross the finish line – please keep walking for a short distance so that you don’t block other runners. No matter your pace, everyone has run the same event, and everyone will get to cross the finish line.

Medical Support

Medical facilities are available near the start and finish lines as well as around the course should you require assistance. Please contact a medic or steward if you need help at any time.

Toilets

There will be a number of toilets at the start and finish to use on arrival and after your run. There will also be toilets available on the course at each of the drink stations. Toilet facilities will be busy before and after the run, so please allow plenty of time.

Hydration

Aqua Pura water stations will be situated at key points on the route to help you stay hydrated (see course map).

Drink, Drain and Aim your bottle into the on-course recycle points to help us keep the roads clear for other runners and increase the number of bottles we can recycle.

The bottles we use are 100% recycled and recyclable, with flip caps to ensure they stay with the bottle all the way to the collection point. Drinking or draining all your water helps to ensure we can recycle more bottles. We have increased the number of bins this year so make sure you look out for your nearest recycling point!

Finishers’ Packs

Finishers’ packs will be sorted by t-shirt size and will include a bottle of water, your medal and other treats. Please take the pack that matches the t-shirt size you chose when you entered the event. Family Run runners get a medal and a bottle of water. Once you have collected your pack, carry on through the exit system.

T-Shirt Opt Out

If you selected ‘No T-shirt’ at the time of entering the event, you will not receive a finishers’ t-shirt.

Please follow the signage to the ‘No T-shirt’ lane. This will clearly be indicated on your running number and there will be volunteers and stewards on hand to help.

PLEASE NOTE: If you selected no T-shirt, you cannot take a T-shirt on the day. There are only enough on site for all those who requested one at the time of entering.

The Event Village, located in the Lloyds Amphitheatre is open to everyone and features a range of activities and exhibitors for everyone to enjoy. Be sure to pop in to check out the stands. Family and friends will be able to wait for runners on Explore Lane as they cross the finish line and exit the finish system.

Event & Charity Village Après Run

The fun doesn’t stop after you’ve crossed the finish line. Continue the highenergy celebration and embrace the post-run high by stepping into our Après Run Zone, in Millennium Square, where we’ve got a Heart Radio DJ truck providing club anthems.

TUI Post-Race Stretch Zone & Massage

Look out for the TUI stretch zone or head over to the TUI BLUE marquee to enjoy a post-race massage.

Please arrange to meet family and friends at the Meeting Point in Millennium Square. Look for the large A-Z banners and stand by the one that corresponds to the first letter of your surname. The family reunion area for the Great Bristol Family Run is after the finish line as you pick up your goody bags.

Meeting Point Missing Persons

A missing persons point is located on the Lloyds Amphitheatre. If you come across a missing person please contact the nearest event steward, official or police officer.

Official Photos

Event photos will be going live from the moment you pass a Marathon Photos Live photographer on the course. Don’t forget to check them out here when you finish and share your run number with your friends and family, and they can register to be notified as soon as your photos are available.

Runners Reward

You have exclusive access to Great Run Rewards powered by Endurance Zone. Great Run Rewards gives you access to a selection of fantastic discounts from our friends at Endurance Zone. Browse through hundreds of offers from a range of lifestyle, sport, fitness and outdoor brands.

Recycling

We’re constantly reviewing our sustainability and recycling practices and have made a concerted effort to reduce the amount of waste from plastic and other materials across the entire event.

We work with local partners to remove waste from the event site (plastic, cardboard, wooden pallets, medals, and signage) from the run site. We reuse generic signage and keep using it for as long as we can, and our outdated signage is fully recycled. Clothing discarded by runners at the start of the race is collected by Great Western Air Ambulance Charity to support their retail unit and local fundraising.

• We ask that you please use the recycling bins on site to discard any waste accordingly.

• As part of our sustainability drive, there will be no bottled water at the start area. Please arrive hydrated, or bring your own supply, which you may carry with you while you run.

• There will be three water stations along the Half Marathon route and one on the 10k route.

• Look out for our new on-course bottle collection points after each water station, and drink, drain and aim to help us recycle your Aqua Pura bottle.

• If you opt to bring your own standard, single-use plastic water bottle, please make sure you throw it in the clearly marked recycling bins that will be available in the start and finish area.

2024 will be the BIGGEST EVER AJ Bell Great Bristol Family Run! We can’t wait to see you all at the start line for some awesome fundraising, noisy cheering, and lots of fun.

A mascot race will take place before the Family Run warm up this year – if you want to see some giant mascots battle it out for first place make sure you’re at the start line for 08:45!

Our very own mascot Tyney will be making their Bristol debut so look out for them on the day for some high-fives and photo opportunities before and after the event.

We’re also delighted to confirm The Grand Appeal as the Official Partner of the Great Bristol Family Run again in 2024.

Find Your Superpower

The theme of this year’s AJ Bell Great Bristol Family Run is ‘Finding your Superpower’. We want each one of our young runners, and spectators, to feel empowered and discover their own superpower – whether this is racing, fundraising or being a superstar spectator.

We’re also inviting our enthusiastic runners (big and small!) to come in superhero fancy dress on the day. We’re thinking capes, eye masks and something else to showcase your own power.

Timetable

The Great Bristol Family Run starts & finishes from the main finish line.

08:30 Family Run assembly area open 08:45 Mascot race 08:53 Family Run warm up 09:00 Family Run start

Missing Persons

A missing persons point is located on the Lloyds Amphitheatre. If you come across a missing person please contact the nearest event steward, official or police officer.

Course Map

Have a happy & healthy run

Please talk to your doctor before the event if you have any long-term health conditions or any health concerns. Don’t run if you feel unwell or have been ill recently. If you experience heart palpitations, light headedness or dizziness, chest pain or tightness, shortness of breath, excessive wheezing, or severe joint and muscle pain during or after your run, this can be a sign of a serious condition.

Seek advice on taking part in the event after a bout of flu or gastroenteritis. Don’t be tempted to start just because you’ve collected sponsorship to raise money for charity - staying fit and well is the most important thing.

Event day tips

Make sure you’re comfortable. Ideally, run in your shoes for around a month before your Great Run challenge.

Stay warm. Bring old clothes to wear on the start line and throw them away when you start (we donate these to charity).

Avoid chafing. Apply Vaseline to any areas prone to chafing – e.g. groin, upper thighs, under your arms, around your bra band or toes.

Protect your skin. Use weather resistant sun cream if it’s sunny.

If the first few miles are crowded, don’t tire yourself out dodging in and out. Try to maintain a steady, even pace to help you enjoy the event.

When you finish, collect your bag ASAP. Put on some warm, dry clothing and don’t get cold. Take a drink as soon as you can after crossing the finish line.

Try to eat some starchy foods within two hours of finishing the event – your muscles can replace energy most efficiently during this post-run window.

Make sure you’re fully hydrated with water or squash before consuming any alcohol.

In the weeks leading up to the event, the colour of your urine is a useful indicator of hydration. Pale straw-coloured water is ideal.

During your run, drink when you need to. Don’t take big gulps if you’re not thirsty – you could put yourself in a condition called hyponatraemia where your body salts become diluted, possibly causing confusion and vomiting.

Make sure you know where the drink stations are on route. Water will be available, but only take a drink if you need one.

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