Yorkies you are all legends for turning up tonight for our first group run of 2026, in sub zero temperatures! 🥶

It wasn't easy leaving the warmth of our new meeting place in the Ackhorne, but we zipped up and made our way out. We had a pre warm up warm up to keep warm, then welcomed newcomer Daniel (to York anyway), and celebrated Excellent Ed's 500th good deed and adorned him with the cape of good deeds. 👑

We named and numbered off by saying our goal for the year. Many involved not getting injured or getting a PB. We also had racing for the first time, being less late and cooking from a recipe book!

Without further ado we set off for Glen Allotments. The ground was too hard for the original digging task, but the ladies there did a great job in finding us alternatives. We had woodchip spreading, 🪏 , weeding 🌱 , prepping for a dead hedge 🪵 , and litter picking.

Our work was rewarded with some delicious flapjack before an energetic tabata workout to get warm.

We then headed back to base and a few stayed behind for a liquid refreshment at the pub 🍺

Well done gang! you're all superstars and have added to our January target!

This was the last of the tasks in the busy first four days of January. It was great to meet Dan and Jaime who had recently moved to York and had previously been involved in Goodgym in London. Dan and David started by replacing the nets on the basketball hoops before joining everyone else to cut back the ivy on the top if the wall. We also cleared and tidied some of the beds around it. By the end we had cleared a lot of the ivy back from the top of the wall to prevent it damaging the wall.

In the beautiful winter sun, five if us returned to Danesmead Wood to barrow and rake woodchip to improve the paths through the wood.

Despite only being a small group, we were able to shift the whole pile within the hour, giving us enough time to eat the delicious chocolate and coffee traybake Jude had made.

On a chilly but gorgeous winter's morning, something strange was stirring in the new York Community Woodland. A group of runners, marshals, timekeepers and walkers had made their way to help support a dress rehearsal for a new community based running event that will soon be coming regularly to this spot

The event had a very familiar feel to it and everyone seemed to know exactly what was required of them but surely that was just a coincidence

Goodgymers took up spots at various marshalling points as the community based running event got underway. In classic Goodgym fashion Tristan forgot to start his watch, Mitch arrived late and Fergie got passed around between various walkers, marshals and runners

All in all, the event was a huge success. So much so that I can definitely see this kind of thing catching on at other places!

Now we all know that community based running events aren't a race, but the top spots on this occasion were taken by both of the Woollards who can, for a few weeks at least, be crowned the power couple of the York community woodland community running event!

What a fab morning to be part of the York running community ❤️