Hanna B - The “Race but not a race”

When I heard the words “scavenger hunt across Bristol” my eyes lit up…

Not only was this an opportunity for a weekend hangout with my run club pals, but also an opportunity for play!

And one thing I know about play is it’s bloody good for us!

Apparently, play helps us to experience positive emotions, feel connected and become more flexible and creative in the face of challenges. In other words, play boosts happiness and defends against depression. Not bad, ah?

Despite its benefits, though, we all know play is hard to come by as an adult…

But here we were, a group of fully grown adults being given the permission (and means!) to go off and play.

So play we did!

Race but not a race involved forming small teams to map out a route to run/plod/walk across the city collecting as many “points” as we could.

As the name suggests, taking part wasn’t about racing. Yes, a few additional points were awarded to the quickest team, but far more were awarded to non-speed related activities…

Ten points for collecting a handful of coffee beans from New Cut Coffee.

Ten points for playing a game of Dobble in Alpha Bottle Shop.

And X points for taking part in a sack race at Wiper and True Taproom.

In fact, to highlight that this was not a “speed” race, our team decided slow and steady may win this race; naming ourselves “The Tortoises”.

Unfortunately, The Tortoises did not win the race. We did, however, win a big dose of fun and frivolity, closer friendships and a story to tell.

I can safely say, play feels good!