GUAN-TASTIC!!

Sunday saw the latest chapter in the GoodGym Bristol race series, this time heading west (and a little bit south) of Bristol to take part in the Tyntesfield Trust 10, a monthly 10k series held at the National Trust site at Tyntesfield. The Tyntesfield estate was owned and developed by the Gibbs family, who had built their fortune through importing guano (bird poo!) for use as a highly effective fertiliser.

The Trust 10 is a free to enter run, taking place on the last Sunday of each month, offering both a 5k (one lap) and 10k (two laps) option. It is described as a run rather than a race with no official timing or race numbers.

Sarah, Matt, Chris and Dave convened in the Cow Barn ahead of the run before heading outside where we were treated to a gorgeous sunny, albeit rather chilly, morning in a stunning setting.

No countdown nor starting whistle, horn or pistol, just a simple “go”, saw us take off up a hill and into the woods. A long gruelling climb at the start had us all worried but eventually the route flattened out, followed by a long, picturesque, sweeping descent taking in much of the Tyntesfield grounds, before heading back up to the Home Farm Visitor Centre to complete the first 5k lap.

Chris, having opted for the 5k run (and take on camera duties), found a burst of speed towards the end (nearly matching his sprint start up the hill!) but not before persuading Dave, who was wavering, to go on and complete a second lap.

Sarah, having been running consistently at 5k to 7k distances, was testing herself with a longer 10k run and found the course and distance very much to her liking.

Matt, still basking in the afterglow of knocking a minute of his 5k PB at Little Stoke parkrun the day before (19:25, I was there and it was awesome!!), enjoyed a steady, measured run, leading us home and coming third overall.

Dave took on a familiar backmarking role and eventually found his rhythm, whilst enjoying the fantastic scenery.

After stretching out, it was back to the Cow Barn for a bit of breakfast sustenance and note comparing.

The consensus was that this is a really lovely run - sure we were spoiled by the fact that the sun was shining, but it ticks so many boxes:

• It’s free.
• The views are fabulous.
• The route is varied - hills, trails, road and grass.
• Great training run for anything from 5k to Half Marathon.
• Good refreshments available.
• A really nice, laid back event.

We all felt that we would like to do it again, thinking it could easily become a monthly fixture on the GoodGym Bristol race calendar - it was all the better for it being a GG team event.

Next month we have the latest in the local Parkrun series, at Ashton Court on Sat 12th March and also the Forest Of Dean Spring Half Marathon on Sunday 20th March.

The next Tyntesfield Trust 10 is on Sunday 27th March (Easter Sunday) - if anyone is interested then maybe we can get another posse over there!

Thanks Dave for the run report and Chris for the photos.