Trails, tales and ales
A great, fun, relaxed evening event. We’ll run through local trails for around an hour, sit and listen to some stories from our special guest and then have some beers (or ales)!! No racing, no medals but a fun time had on the trail with some new people (or your mates) and some interesting stories from our speaker too. Church Farm Brewery will be there with the bar open and Strip Club Street Food with their awesome burgers! A dream Friday night!!!!
What’s Trails, tales and ales then?
Wonderful for starters! The idea is simple. We meet at Church Farm Brewery (just outside Warwick) ready to run at 6. We set off in 2 groups with the intention of running for about an hour across the local trails and pathways. We towel ourselves off (baby wipe shower?) grab a pint and place an order for food with Strip Club Street Food (if you want) and sit and listen to our guest chat for about an hour. You can then either head home or sit and have a few more beers until Church Farm shut down for the evening.
How fast do I need to be?
It’s not a race. There are no prizes for getting back to the farm first (except to be first in the queue for the bar!). We’ll ask you what you current 10K time is when you enter and split the group in to 2. Hopefully this will mean that the faster runners can go at their steady pace and the slower runners at their steady pace. The idea of the run isn’t to tire you out! It’s not a tempo run, it’s a social run across the fields with some fellow runners. We have the option of 4 or 6 miles routes to be completed in about an hour - as long as that sounds doable for you then we’ll have no issues! No one is getting left in a field on their own!
What does it cost?
Tickets for the whole event cost £15.
(For clarity, drinks and food are not included)
Members of the Big Bear Brigade will save 10% on their entry - if you’d like to do the same consider signing up to the Brigade here!
Where is it?
Church Farm Brewery, CV35 8QL. It is a farm just outside Warwick in a village called Budbrooke. It’s on the big farm on your left if you’re coming from Warwick Parkway station.
There is ample parking, but obviously car share and have a nominated driver so you can enjoy more than one beer!
It is easily accessible from the A46, less than 5 minutes away. Warwick Parkway train station is a short walk from the farm too.
What is the run like?
The proposed routes can be found below (these could be changed leading up to the event). It will be at a sociable pace, the idea is for both runs to take less than 1 hour. The route takes in the canal along with some very quiet country roads and fields. The fields may have livestock in them (they did when the routes were recced) so if this is an issue for you then consider if you want to enter. Given the time of year and weather we’ve had road shoes will suffice as the ground will be hard as a rock. Of course if it’s raining or has been raining you might want to consider some trail shoes!
How long will the event last?
The plan for the evening is as follows:
17:45 - arrive, say hello, get a “before” photo and be ready to run at 6
18:00 - trainers hit trail and we run for around an hour
19:00 - return to farm and get warm/clean clothes on and get a pint in hand and order food
19:15 - sit down ready to listen to the talk
20:15 - talk finished, go home or stay and enjoy another beer!
Who is talking?
James Elson. He’s a stalwart of the UK ultra running community largely due to his events company Centurion Running but he is an incredible runner in his own right. Having been in the international ultra running scene for 10+ years there aren’t many of the big events James hasn’t done. Western States, Badwater, Barkley Marathons and the highlight the Salcey Spring Challenge earlier this year! James has also just completed the Paddy Buckley Round, the 60mile 30 000ft fell running round around Snowdonia. It’s safe to say James has done a few things, and that’s without even mentioning being Race Director for some of the best 50 and 100 mile events in the country.
What facilities are on-site?
Church Farm Brewery have been hosting Friday night drive through events throughout the pandemic at the farm, they’ve got a good system going on! Now restrictions have eased they’re using the farmyard as essentially a huge beer garden! There are toilets and chairs - the talk will likely be in the brewery (large open airy space). There are gazebos around if the heavens open and you want to sit outside. We’ll confirm the food menu closer to the time but there will be a vegan option - you can check out Strip Club Street Food here. There will be non-alcoholic drinks available too, but the beer is genuinely spectacular!!
Has the event been run before?
Yes! We recently hosted a really successful edition with Ed in June.
I have enough of PowerPoint presentations at work, will the talk be boring?!
No! There will be no PowerPoint or graphs in sight! The idea is for you to sit and listen while James and I talk about the many things he’s done. Think of it as like a big pub chat or live podcast. There will of course be a chance to ask questions too if you’d like to.
What are your refund/withdrawal rules?
You can find them here
I have a question.
No problem, check out our FAQ’s
“The lap system was great, not only for the new snacks to look forward to at the end of each one, but to catch up with other members of our group to see how everyone was doing. The organisation was spot on and the atmosphere was really supportive. ”
