Gibside Trail 10k, 29th April 2026
Cate Walker, from the dizzying heights of Gibside:
“I had done this trail 10k last year and described it at the time as one of the most beautiful and challenging runs I have done. This was certainly the case again this year!
First of all, the beautiful. This run weaves around the Gibside Estate with views of the Derwent Valley. A lot of it is in woodland, and at this time of year, the sun coming through the trees if you are lucky enough to get a cloudless evening is just glorious. I couldn’t believe we were lucky enough to have such a sunny evening two years in a row. The Gibside Estate is also probably at its resplendent best in spring, with flower displays and a courtyard full of blossom. But don’t be fooled, this is no walk in the park!
And so onto the challenging: 771 feet of elevation over 10k, much of it up wooded, windy paths. You really had to watch out for the tree roots, perhaps even more on the many steep descents than the ascents. Because of some endangered newts on the estate (yes, really!) the route was a little different to last year, involving more out-and-backs and around 50 ft more elevation overall. I am not ashamed to say I did resort to walking a few times, but the undulations definitely kept things interesting.
Laurie and I ran this together, at my pace. It isn’t the kind of race where you can get too hung up on times and paces, but I did have an overall aim to finish within an hour, and a vague sense that it would be nice to come close to last year’s time. I managed the former, and was about 2.5 minutes off the latter, but what is the harm in that when it’s such a beautiful experience overall?
I was pleased to see that I was third in my age category, and just within the top ten percent of women overall. As ever with Wild Deer events, there was a veritable smorgasbord of snacks and drinks at the end, a really supportive feel overall, and even some deer inspired outfits and accessories amongst the marshalls! Highly recommended.”
| Position | Runner | Time |
| 63 | Cate Walker (3rd VW40) | 57:19 |
| 64 | Laurie Johnson | 57:20 |
