A free running group in Frome is celebrating its first anniversary after a year of helping locals get active, make friends and discover the town – one pastry at a time.
Plod for Pastries, a free, no-pressure running group, was launched last May by two Frome locals Katie Geddes and Ben Wood, who were looking for local clubs to join and meet new people in a fun and active way.
As keen runners, they were already running to cafes for coffee and pastries, and to pubs then decided to extend the invitation to others in the community.
One year on and the group has grown in popularity with an increasing number of people joining to take part in the weekly 3km to 10km runs. The idea is that the group meet for a run then head to further socialise and eat or drink in one of Frome’s restaurants, cafes, bars.
“This may be the first running group where people actually gain weight!” joked Katie. “On 5th May last year, we had our first official Plod and we have just had our first Plodaversay,. While we started off as a small group, after a while we started having regulars come back every week and it’s grown from there. Frome has so many amazing places and we wanted to visit them all.
“We tend to run at the speed of the slowest plodder, if we break up a little, we wait at the next turn.
“Distances vary depending on which cafe or restaurant we want to run to but most of the time we stick to 5km.”
Recently, the group held their very own fun run – the 10k Croissant Crawl – as part of Katie’s fundraising for the London Marathon, for the British Orthopaedic Association. On route, runners stopped off at a handful of Frome bakeries and cafes to sample their sweet treats, mainly croissants, before running to the next eatery.
“We raised over £300 and consumed many, many croissants,” said Katie. “We loved the idea of all dressing up in silly pastry themed outfits and running through the streets of Frome. We even did a ‘croissant bouquet toss’ half-way through. A big thank you to Rye Bakery, Victoria Park Community Cafe and Parsons Bakery.”
Katie and Ben both have a passion for running and say the group is open to everyone.
“One of the things that attracted us to running is that there isn’t much of a barrier to entry; as long as you’ve got some shoes, you’re good to go, no need for any other equipment or venue hire,” explained Katie. “The club has been a great way to get to know Frome better. It’s also great if you have a friend or partner who isn’t so into running as this is still a group you can both join and enjoy.”
The plodders run twice a week, on Thursdays from 6.30pm and Sundays from 10am. They usually meet at the Frome Library and plod from there. Sometimes they include an activity after the run which has included bouldering at the Frome Boulder Rooms, a roller disco and a local quiz.
For more information visit the Plod for Pastries Instagram page.
Pictured: The 10km Croissant Crawl CREDIT Lewis Johnstone Photography
