Fairford 10K – running, pizzas and gin?

Here’s what Jennie Marshall thought about Fairford 10K.

The best thing about the Fairford 10K is the gin tent I mean the Fairford Festival, which is on at the same time and the same venue as the race. With food, drinks and ice cream stalls dotted about, there’s plenty to re-fuel on after you’ve earned it!

And earn it, I did, this year, with a draining heat, and more than a few very red faces at the end.

The course is reasonably fast, but not as flat as Frampton. The race starts west out of Fairford and then turns north for 3k to Quenington. There’s a sharp downhill and uphill on the way to Quenington but otherwise mostly flat (ish!).  The road then turns right and here perception departs from what the elevation map says!  It feels like a very mild, but definitely present, uphill until the end of the next 3k.  However, the map shows a gradual downhill!  There’s absolutely no shade and the kilometres seem to take longer and longer – in fact they probably are. Could have fooled me!

Despite the heat, my ticking watch forced me to keep pushing, although I did vaguely wonder how you would know if your body were about to give up and lie down in a ditch.  Fortunately, it somehow kept going to the end and at that point it did lie down at the edge of the road and took a full 10 minutes to get up again.

But don’t be put off!  It’s a good race (better if the sun don’t shine!) and the stone baked pizzas at the end were fab!