How to get on board Nottingham’s Grub Run – fitness with a tasty reward – Nottinghamshire Live

Bored with pacing the same streets and parks or lacking motivation to get off the couch?

If so a Nottingham runner has planned new running routes themed around restaurants and eateries.

Each month the Grub Run, founded by primary school teacher Marc Faulder, has a different venue with a tasty treat to eat after exercising.

The 33-year-old, from Cotgrave, said: "The idea is that the runner places their order before running and collects to eat afterwards, starting and ending at the food venue.

"I am publishing one Grub Run each month of the year, but they can be downloaded and followed at any time.

"Whenever I feel unmotivated to run, it is route planning that excites me again."

The routes are planned around click and collect services and this month's Grub Run starts and ends at the Rustic Crust in Farnsfield. May's route will be announced shortly.

March was Annie's Burger Shack, February was Doughnotts and in January runners could reward themselves by buying chocolate from Chocolate Utopia in Friar Lane.

Marc, who started running in 2015 through Couch to 5k, said he has always been motivated to run in new places and see the sights. After his first marathon in Amsterdam, he trained to run events in other cities and countries.

He said: "When the third lockdown came in January 2021, I was a runner who was uninspired by running the same streets, parks and trails.

"My running club, Holme Pierrepont RC, remained closed, parkrun still postponed and all race events continued to be cancelled. I watched as local businesses continued to be creative and adapt the way they could sell products and remain open. I decided to plan new running routes around these new creative click and collect restaurants and eateries.

"Grub Runs are designed to support local businesses and motivate people to lace-up and run the streets with a new focus or goal. They are three to five mile routes that can be ran or walked, or both."

Run so far have taken in the sights including the Arboretum, the Sky Mirror, the Park Tunnel and along canal paths out to the River Trent.

"It's a chance for local people to rediscover our city of culture, history and art or a chance for new residents to discover the gems of Nottingham."

"After completing the run, good food can be collected and enjoyed. Its like getting a coffee and cake after a parkrun, a feeling of community and connectedness without the crowds but knowing the route is the same and can be shared on social media or by meeting with a friend to exercise."

As lockdown started to ease, Grub Runs can travel a little further out of the city limits so this month's focus is the pizza restaurant, the Rustic Crust, in Farnsfield, which is the first-off road Grub Run.

"It takes in the countryside scenes of Hexgreave Estate hall and deer park and the Southwell Trail. Theres even a special offer for Grub Runners when they order a DIY pizza kit," added Marc.

"I hope to see groups of friends meeting up to run these routes and catch up over good food as the lockdown continues to ease."

The routes can be downloaded for free at tiny.cc/grubruns or follow @ordinary_marc on Instagram.

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How to get on board Nottingham's Grub Run - fitness with a tasty reward - Nottinghamshire Live