Today was the 7th Edition of The Great Brook Run in Chadlington, near Chipping Norton, which starts and finishes at their excellent village pub, The Tite Inn.

The organsiers helpfully advise you to: Run.Get Wet. Have a Pint. This was my third Great Brook Run and as in previous years I did exactly as I was advised!

Big thanks to the organisers Adam Engberg and James Keelly.

Can you spot @TheWineTipster and the PM in this shot at the start of Chadlington’s Great Brook Run today?

Big thanks to Adam Engberg and James Keelly, who whilst having a couple of pints of ale responsibly in their local The Tite Inn, created the concept of The Great Brook Run. Today, was the sixth edition of The Great Brook Run, with a record breaking 148 runners deciding to burn off some of those calories piled on over the Christmas period. Although The Great Brook Run isn’t a marathon, it is a challenging one mile race starting at The Tite Inn in Chadlington, with the first half mile run across very muddy fields before entering the mighty brook to encounter rushing water, obstacles and a tunnel which requires you to get on your hands and knees. Once out of the tunnel you muster the energy to sprint up the hill to the finish and collect your medal for completing. There is really nothing quite like it as you stand around afterwards dripping wet and getting colder by the minute. There was also nothing like the speed of the winner Ben Chapman, who won the race for the fifth time and the first lady finisher Amy Turner who was ninth.

On a serious note, all profits are being donated to the Chadlington Memorial Hall, with a big thank you to all organisers, runners, helpers, supporters and the sponsors House & Carriage, Cotswold Cycles, Slatter’s Family Butchers, Chadlington Quality Foods, The Cotswold Brewery Co, The Tite Inn, Fete Game Hire, RunningImp and of course The Wine Tipster!

Thanks also to BBC Radio Oxford for their support and interest.

See you all in 2014.

The Prime Minister and The Wine Tipster took part in The Great Brook Run in the picturesque Cotswold village of Chadlington on December 27th. This annual cross-country race which is just-over-a-mile takes place half on land and half on water starting and finishing at The Tite Inn. As a resident of Chadlington, who lives very close to The Great Brook, it was hard for me to avoid participation.

Equipped with my worst pair of shoes and some ragged running kit I set off with The Great Brook Run website encouraging one liner in my mind: “Run, Get Wet, Have a Pint”.  It was muddy, slippery underneath, very cold when you first entered the brook, yet you soon acclimatised before experiencing claustrophobia when you crawled under the bridge through running water ahead of a triumphant finish back at The Tite Inn. Post-event refreshment was at hand, with an excellent pint of Black Sheep and between race stories, imbibing and refuelling with burgers there was a raffle with a first prize of a bottle of whisky signed by David Cameron. This was duly won by my father-in-law Alan Hill, who at 82 years of age had a very special day, which he will remember for seeing his son-in-law take part, winning the first prize in the raffle and having his photograph taken with Beth Storry, Olympic Bronze Medallist for Team GB Women’s Hockey.

Importantly, The Great Brook Run raised more than £600 for our village’s Memorial Hall, so a big thank you to the organisers and the sponsors Chadlington Quality Foods, Slatter’s Family Butchers, The Tite Inn, House & Carriage and Fête Game Hire

This was a terrific event and I hope, like myself, all the 110 finishers will look forward to getting wet again in 2013!