On Friday I raced the second race of four in the Towpath Series organised by Great Western Runners. These are flat multi-terrain races along the towpath next to Leigh Woods that runs along the river Avon and goes under the Clifton Suspension Bridge. Kinisi Run Hub are excited to be sponsoring this great series for another year!
The first race of the series always sees the strongest turnout due it being the Mob Match where local clubs battle it out to win the team prize. This month's feature did not have the biggest turnout but was still a fun event to be involved in. The conditions were good for racing with overcast and a lower temperature than the night before at the Thornbury 10k. As the towpath runs alongside the woods there is shade and shelter provided by the trees.
The start is on a grass patch just before the towpath begins. After an entertaining pre-race briefing featuring various World Cup puns delivered by GWR Chairman, Mark, the race started and we headed off into the trees and along the towpath. It is a fairly narrow start and the towpath remains open to the public but everyone seems to know their pace and position themselves accordingly so there is never any congestion.
I set off fairly conservatively as I had raced Thornbury 10k the evening before and was conscious a slightly niggly ankle I had last week after the Clevedon 10k. I gradually started to pull away from the rest of the field, settled into a comfortable rhythm and let the kilometres tick by. It is a very simple course being 5km out before a 180-degree turn and running 5km back to the finish in the same place where the race started.
It was very much a solo effort but I was happy with my race and how I executed my plan starting off a bit more conservatively after racing the night before. I even managed to negative split by coming back quicker in the second 5k than the first half by around 30s which was reassuring.
I managed to take the win in 33:40 followed by Callum Moore (Great Western Runners) in 35:23 and Aled Anderson (Bristol & West AC) in 35:34. The women's race was won by Marie Monaghan (Bristol & West AC) in 41:27 with Hannah Pollak (Bristol & West AC) taking second in 42:37 and Sophie Caseldine (Bristol Trail Runners) third in 42:56. In total there were 81 finishers. Full results of race 2 of the Towpath Series 2026 here.
One nice thing about the Towpath Series is the number of runners who stick around for the presentations after the final runner crosses the finish line. All four races in the series feature the now-famous free Towpath Series raffle which features an ecletic collection of prizes up for grabs. Every participant gets a raffle ticket after finishing the race and has a chance of leaving with a prize. The raffle always provides amusement when watching what prizes winners choose. The undisputed star prize is always the giant Toblerone bar but there is often plenty of alcohol on offer including bottles of celebrity wine.
The race HQ is at Ashton Park School and then the start/finish is a short 5-10 minute walk away which is where the presentations also take place. The Towpath remains open during the race but there are plenty of GWR marshals on the course to ensure any pedestrians and cyclists are aware of oncoming runners.
Well done to everyone who raced and thank you to Great Western Runners for organising another great Towpath race! Kinisi Run Hub are product to be supporting such a great event and I can't wait for the next one in July!
If you are interested in taking part in the next race in the series then you can read more and sign up on the GWR event page here.