Braden Takes on the Tyne – One Mile at a Time
Race Report – Braden’s Antonio Sassetti reports from the frontline.
What do you get when you mix a midweek works social with 5 miles of flat-out running? A cracking Tuesday evening along the Tyne—complete with good vibes, sweaty socks, and questionable video content.
The Bridges of the Tyne race is a staple on the North East running calendar, attracting over 1,500 enthusiastic runners from local clubs. This year, Braden was one of the proud sponsors, and I—along with Zhaira, Antony, and David—was lucky enough to be selected to represent the team. No pressure, right?
Race Night: We met an hour before the gun, bibs collected and nerves gently simmering. A quick team huddle morphed into an attempted video for socials… let’s just say Spielberg won’t be calling. The footage was deemed “unpublishable” and quietly retired to the archive (read: deleted forever).
The competition was fierce—seriously fast folks on the start line, with individual and team prizes up for grabs (fortunately, our goal was mostly to survive and smile).
Personally, I’d just shaken off a bout of shin splints and had Berlin Marathon training in mind, so this was more “steady jog with a dash of ego” than full tilt effort. Zhaira promised to pace with me for the first few miles—but within 10 seconds she vanished like a ghost with racing flats. Classic.
The conditions were sublime—sunshine, barely a breeze, practically tropical for Tyneside. At mile one, we got an unexpected cheer from Martin, representing one of our business units, and that gave us all a boost.
By halfway, I found a rhythm and picked up pace. Being an out-and-back course meant spotting familiar faces: I clocked David around mile three, absolutely flying and ultimately grabbing the coveted title of Braden’s fastest finisher.
As for the rest of the squad—David, Zhaira, and Antony went full throttle from the gun. Competitive spirits clearly alive and well.
Post-Race: We regrouped at the finish, grabbed a well-deserved cold one, and debriefed with stories, laughter, and slightly exaggerated splits. No trophies, but plenty of team pride and one unforgettable sunset over the river.
And in case running five miles wasn’t enough excitement, our very own UK Business Unit Director, Dave Carroll, even took to the stage to present the third-place award for Male and Female runners.
