About cycling & running in DudleyDudley Training Notes
Running: Locals run Dudley as a tidy mix of towpath, track, park, and sharp little hills. Dudley parkrun starts at The Dell Stadium in Brierley Hill, heads out across a small park to the canal, then drops into an often muddy wooded section. DK Running Club meets at Dudley Kingswinford Rugby Club on Tuesday and Thursday evenings at 7pm, with midweek groups from 4 to 8 miles. Sunday runs start at 8:30am and stretch longer. The Tuesday/Thursday route covers 9.56 km and climbs 59m. The Sunday route covers 10.97 km and climbs 494m. Dudley Zoo 5k, Gavin Tipper 5K, Race For Life Dudley, and the DK 10K Road Race give the calendar proper targets.
Cycling: Dudley riders get plenty from the canals, then use the roads when they want the buzz of pushing the pedals hard in a proper group. The Dudley Canal network has been resurfaced in many sections and works well for Z2 spins, commuting miles, and easy base miles. National cycle routes 5, 81, and 54 use parts of that network. The Stourbridge Arm map links Kingswinford and Stourbridge. Dudley Cycling Club runs Saturday Training Rides, Tuesday Spins, and Thursday Club Rides from The Hinksford Arms in Kingswinford. DCC splits rides into Fast Ride A and Group Ride B. Wolverhampton Wheelers CC covers road racing, cyclocross, mountain biking, and time trials. The climbs sit on the hilly running roads, the wooded parkrun hill, and Lemur Hill.
Season: May through November gives Dudley runners and riders the best window for steady outdoor training. Summer has the DK 10K Road Race on the first Wednesday in May, the 9 Locks Summer 10K Challenge on May 31st and May 30th, Pretty Muddy Sandwell on June 13th, Race for Life Wolverhampton on June 14th, Gavin Tipper 5K in June, the Birmingham Black Country Half Marathon on July 4th, Race For Life Dudley on July 5th, and Dudley Zoo 5k on July 29th. Locals use the lighter months for track sessions at The Dell Stadium, canal intervals, and longer club rides. Winter puts more mud into the wooded section, makes lights standard on rides, and keeps the calendar honest with 9 Locks Challenge 10K Winter on November 29th and the New Year’s Day Handicap on January 1st.
