Trail Runners: Finding Team Spirit on the Cotswold Way

The sun hadn’t yet crested the horizon when Terry Kirby began his final equipment check. Around him, runners in matching green jerseys stretched, adjusted GPS watches, and exchanged nervous laughter. The scene resembled any trail race in the English countryside, but with a crucial difference: these runners weren’t preparing for individual glory. They were the Bristol & Bath Trail Runners – two of five clubs in the growing Trail Runners network – about to participate in what Terry calls “the whole experience” of the Cotswold Way Relay. In this race, individual performance matters only as it contributes to collective success.

For thirty years, the Cotswold Way Relay has carved its reputation as one of the UK’s most respected and logistically complex team trail events. Spanning the entire 103-mile National Trail through ten point-to-point legs, it transforms the picturesque limestone escarpment into a single-day racing festival where local running clubs measure themselves against one another. With one hundred teams participating, the numbers are staggering: a thousand runners, ten different start locations, countless vehicles shuttling between checkpoints, and volunteers manning timing stations along the undulating route from Chipping Campden to Bath Abbey.

“It’s effectively ten races held on the same day with the shortest accumulated time winning,” explains Kirby, who managed both the open and women’s teams for Bristol & Bath Trail Runners. What makes this event particularly special, however, isn’t just its scope but its philosophy. While many clubs approach the relay with cutthroat competitive fervour, the Trail Runners saw an opportunity for something different.

“Our goal was to give runners the opportunity to be a part of a local spectacle race, who would normally not have the confidence to take part or get selected from a competitive standpoint,” Kirby notes. This inclusive approach represents a fascinating counterpoint in a sport often defined by individual achievement and personal records, and it’s one that’s taking root from Ipswich to South East London as more Trail Runners Clubs launch across the UK.

For weeks before the event, the preparation followed a familiar pattern seen in labs studying high-performing teams. Pairs of runners headed out to recce their assigned legs, learning every twist, climb, and descent. What research consistently shows, and what the Trail Runners discovered through their weeks of preparation, mirrors what athletes have known for decades: shared preparation creates bonds that transcend the activity itself. When Sophie from Bristol Trail Runners describes pushing for “the fastest possible time I could give,” she’s not motivated solely by personal achievement but by responsibility to teammates she’s come to know during her time with the club.

Sports psychologists call this “social facilitation”, the enhanced performance that occurs when people work in the presence of others. But something more profound was happening within the Bristol & Bath teams. Ellie from Bath Trail Runners captures it perfectly: “It’s more than a club but a community… you can’t not want to help and support and get involved.”

Race day itself unfolded as a masterclass in logistics and emotional investment. Dave Beard, a veteran of six different relay legs over the years, describes his experience: “It’s an all out sprint for the whole leg, giving it everything you’ve got for the team. Don’t leave anything out there.” This sentiment – pushing beyond what one might do in a solo event – emerged repeatedly in conversations with team members.

The day blended individual effort with collective support. As runners tackled their respective sections, some technical and steep, others fast and flowing, teammates leapfrogged ahead in vehicles to cheer at crucial points. The distinctive green jerseys helped to create impromptu rallying points at transition areas, where runners waiting for their legs erupted in cheers and high-fives for teammates finishing theirs. What evolved was a mobile festival of trail running that moved methodically from the Cotswolds’ northern reaches toward Bath.

Sophie’s description of her experience reveals how the relay format altered her racing mentality: “I was conscious of my placing, because of the time adding up, it meant I didn’t get complacent in placing and kept pushing for the fastest possible time I could give.” This changes everything about how you run; suddenly, it’s not about beating the person next to you, but about delivering your absolute best for the team waiting at the finish line.

The result of this team-focused approach proved surprising even to the organisers. Despite prioritising inclusion over selection based purely on speed, the women’s team finished fourth overall, with the open team close behind in fifth position; remarkable achievements in a field of one hundred teams.

Turns out there’s good research behind this approach that defies conventional racing logic: groups formed with diverse skill levels but strong cohesion often outperform collections of top individual performers lacking team identity. When runners describe the day as “electrifying” and the vibe as “super encouraging,” they’re identifying the emotional current that can elevate performance beyond what training metrics might predict.

What makes the Cotswold Way Relay special is how it flips the script on trail running and converts an inherently individual sport into a collective achievement. Trail running, with its emphasis on self-reliance and internal dialogue during hours alone in the hills or mountains, doesn’t naturally lend itself to team formats. Yet the relay structure creates a situation where everyone’s success is tied together in ways rarely seen in the sport, where success depends on everyone fulfilling their role while supporting others in theirs.

The day culminates with what Terry describes as “‘BBQ’ing and Beering’ at the end,” creating space for the final essential component of team cohesion: shared celebration. When Dave Beard describes the event as “possibly my favourite race of the year,” he’s not just evaluating the course or his own performance, but the entire social and emotional experience.

As ultra and trail running continue their exponential growth, events like the Cotswold Way Relay offer an important counterbalance to the sport’s inherent individualism. They remind us that even in pursuits where we ultimately face the trail alone, there’s profound value in collective purpose. The Bristol & Bath Trail Runners’ experience demonstrates that when we run for something beyond ourselves, a teammate waiting at the next transition, a collective goal, a shared identity, we often discover capabilities that go way beyond what we believe possible.

“Great support from the marshals and public. Such a special event and I hope it continues for many years to come,” says Dave Beard. In that simple wish lies the essence of what makes team events in individual sports so powerful; they connect us not just to our immediate teammates but to a broader community and tradition that extends beyond any single race day.

As Ellie from Bath Trail Runners puts it, “You leave feeling super proud no matter the outcome as you’ve had an ace day out with friends.” Perhaps that’s the most important metric of all.

 

Written by Robbie Puddick, Performance Nutritionist and Writer for The Trail Runners Clubs.

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