The Course

Bedford has had a couple of parkruns for some time in Bedford Park and Great Denham that can get pretty busy. In 2025 a third started in Jubilee Park (postcode MK42 0AZ).

I made my first visit there in May 2026, although I used to run there as it was the cross country course for my school.

The course is all on hard paths, although these can be uneven in places. It should never be really muddy, but the start and finish are on grass.

The course is almost three laps of the park. You start off anti-clockwise towards the finish and then take a sharp left to cut across the middle and join the main clockwise loop. On the third time you turn off into the finish funnel.

It is pretty flat. There is a small rise on the first partial lap and a smaller one on the main loop, but these should not slow you down much and so there is potential for good times.

Transport

There are buses that stop nearby. If you are driving then you can park at the nearby Bunyan Sports Centre where marshals will guide you in. It is a short walk from there to the start across the main road and down an alley.

Facilities

There are no toilets in the park and those at the sports centre may not be open before the start. People go to the cafe there afterwards.

Conclusion

For me it was nice to revisit where I used to run many years ago and I got my best time in a long while. It was not too busy and seems to get around 150 finishers. It may be popular with tourists looking to get a J for their parkrun alphabet.

You can see my run here.

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