A tale of angry horses and knee-deep bogs!

This race has something for everyone. It’s a race of two halves that covers the entire length of the stunning Peak District national park over two days. From its most southern gateway in Ashbourne to its most northern gateway in Marsden Kirklees with Edale being the central HQ and finish line for both days. It’s safe to say that this race has it all!

The beauty of this two-day stage race is the fact that along with the full race, you have the option to race the individual stage of your choice. So, if you don’t fancy being up to (and over) your knees in a peat bog on Torside Clough in the Dark Peak (this happened to me on more than one occasion) then you can opt for stage 1 only, which features zero shoe sucking bogs to traverse! 

Being an ‘all-in’ kind of ultra-runner I opted for the full 2 stage race experience. Having run this entire route north to south during the later stages of the pandemic lockdown as my own personal challenge, I knew how stunning and brutal this route could be and I was keen to see if my course knowledge would give me an advantage for my podium hopes.

Stage 1

The most straightforward of the two stages to complete from a navigational viewpoint, and features the most runnable sections of the entire course. 50km of trail and path from Ashbourne to Edale following the Tissington Trail, Limestone Way and the Pennine Bridleway. 

Starting in the gateway town of Ashbourne it was great to see a large crowd of competitors assembled in the leisure centre car park (I’m so glad mass start’s are back) At the entrance to the disused railway tunnel that marks the start of the Tissington Trail, we all anxiously made nervous small talk as we awaited the marshals request to firstly huddle in for a photo, then tell us that if any of us had any intention of winning this race, or even attempting to beat the course record, they needed to be near the front.......so I dutifully stepped forward trying to be as inconspicuous as I could as I edged my way to the front of the pack at the start line. Then after what seemed like an eternity, the 10-second countdown ended, and we were off! 

After about two miles the front pack settled into a steady pace, slightly quicker than I’d have liked but nothing to worry about at this point in the race. Small talk ensued and one of the group mentioned that the course record was around 4 hours 15 minutes. I looked at my watch and did the maths but thought better of it, “maybe if I was just racing the one day” I said to myself. 

Just then, we rounded a corner to come up against two giant horses being led down the trail towards us. The horses nervously whinnied and jumped across the trail – not ‘bombproof’ as my horse-riding wife describes it. This caused their owners to abruptly shout “RUNNERS STOP!” which we did, but we felt compelled to explain that not too far behind us were dozens and dozens of other runners about to round the corner that we had ourselves just sprang from and if we were held up any longer, they would have more than just our small group to worry about! They changed their tune and respectfully went to one side of the trail and let us by. 

As we set off again someone joked about the course record and how it would be a shame if the horse incident had scuppered someone’s plans to beat it today! Little did I know who that someone would be.

Back into a flow again and the trail stretched out in front of us in a fairly innocuous manner. Although this section of the Tissington Trail seems to the eye to be flat, it does have an incline of around 1200ft over the 17ish miles it takes to pass by Parsley Hay heading towards Buxton. This makes the pace you know you can easily sustain just that little bit harder in places, especially when the wind picks up and channels down the trail towards you like an icy brick wall! 

The icy headwind was soon over though as we made the sharp right turn off the trail and across the road to join the Limestone Way. As the name implies the Limestone Way is a wide unmarked lane of packed stone or tarmac. However, it features plenty of potholes big enough that during the winter months are constantly full of water – requiring a fair amount of concentration to navigate without getting your feet wet! There would be plenty of time for that tomorrow.

At this point, I was in second place and was keeping first in my sights. He (in my opinion) was a bit aggressive in his pacing and I was convinced that at some point he would fade. I didn’t have to wait long though as minutes later he missed the sharp left turn to join the Pennine Bridleway. I shouted to tell him of his error but unfortunately, he couldn’t hear me because he had headphones in! There’s a moral there somewhere. 

Incidentally, he got lost and had to backtrack to find the course again but due to pulling a muscle, he retired from the race after the officials at the next checkpoint went to check on him at my request. How sportsmanlike of me! Plus, if it was me in his shoes, I would have appreciated the help from the marshals. From there you drop down into Millers Dale and hit the checkpoint. 

Having done a Ranger Ultras race before I knew that the feed station would have everything I needed and more. After a brief stop to explain the situation with the lost runner I was off again and still in first place. 

The climb out of Millers Dale is short but sharp but I knew that other than the climb up to Mam Tor, this was the only real leg-testing hill. So, I powered on with the odd glance back to check that I wasn’t going to be imminently caught by second place. I then steadily clicked the miles off before seeing the welcoming sight of The Lord's Seat and Mam Tor on the horizon. This buoyed me as I was now anxious to know that today’s racing would soon be over. 

With my eyes fixed on the horizon, I dug deep wondering if I could somehow make the 4:15 course record, but as I looked up to see the Tor fast approaching, I glanced down at my Garmin to see the time had just gone past 4:15 “ah well I thought, at least it wasn’t the horse’s fault”

I now took a long look back across the valley to see that second wasn’t in sight for at least a mile. This gave me a chance to back off the pace slightly in the hopes of saving my legs for the next day of racing. 

I coasted across the valley and over Grindle brook to turn a sharp left and head down the road past the famous Edale landmarks of The Old Nags Head and The Ramblers inn. Another sharp left and a quick sprint across the car park to race HQ and the finish line at the village hall. 

After I shot across the finish line to applause and congratulations, I heard the marshal say, “ooh so close as well!” To which I replied, “so close to what?” the course record” she said, “you were 10 seconds short of the record!” 

All I could do was smile and laugh at this point and think of the horses. The course record wasn’t 4:15 but closer to 4:30. I had missed the course record by a measly 10 seconds! If only the horses hadn’t stopped us, if only I hadn’t slowed down for the last mile to save my legs for the next day of racing! Ah well, at least I knew I was in good company with the previous record holder. Tomorrow was another day, and I felt a calmness knowing I now had a nearly 20-minute lead over second place. 

But like I say, tomorrow is another day and if there is one thing I’ve learned in my 9 years of ultrarunning, it’s that things don’t always go to plan in an ultra!

Stage 2

Another early start at race HQ. As always, the Ranger Ultras team had provided copious amounts of breakfast options so I dived in and made a pig of myself with pain au chocolat and multiple coffees with extra sugar, all fuel for the tank obviously! 

Again, we made small talk as we awaited the final race briefing from race director Stu Westfield who informed us of the expected cold temperatures up on the moors and repeated his sentiments about race safety. 

Doing any race in the Peaks regardless of what time of year it is presents its own unique set of challenges, so it’s reassuring to know of Stu’s pedigree. Ranger Ultras not only put on numerous ultras in the Peak District and North Yorkshire moors but also provide official training in navigation and preparation for the various Montane Spine races with Stu being the race safety team manager. 

Full of coffee and pastry we trundled off into the cold blackness to our waiting transport. The bus trip takes just over an hour to get to Marsden and as the sun rose during the ride we were treated to spectacular views of the Peaks. If this clear weather continued, we were in for a real treat as this stage is equal parts brutal and equal parts stunningly beautiful! 

After a quick pitstop to do the necessary prerace business at Marsden’s Mechanics, which served as both race start and temporary shelter from the freezing temperatures, we got the starters countdown and off we went on slightly wooden-feeling legs. Making our way up through Marsden town and joining the beautiful winding gravel path that takes you up past Butterly Clough, Blakeley Reservoir, Wessenden Reservoir and Wessenden Head Reservoir. The route then joins the infamous Pennine Way and stays on this national trail all the way back home to Edale. 

My race plan for today was simple: go with the lead pack and stick with any of the runners who were doing the full two-day race. My gap of 20 minutes over second place could easily be lost if I wasn’t careful. 

If any single-stage runners went on ahead, I knew to let them go as it made no difference to the overall race. In fact, I expected more single-day racers to breeze past us especially as they had “fresh legs”. As it happens only one single-day runner got properly ahead in the end. 

As we navigated Black Hill there were some exchanging of positions but a small group of three or four were now following the swift chap who had pressed on ahead and was now about 10 minutes ahead of us. As we headed down to Crowden and Torside Reservoir the path turned to very rocky and technical terrain. I watched one of the single-stage runners take at least three falls ahead of me and I lost my footing, rolled forward and somehow ended up on my back looking back up the rocky path from the comfort of some ferns “that was a close one” I thought to myself and then resolved to not let a fall ruin my chances of keeping the time I’d worked hard to take from the previous day. 

The group continued on more spread out now but a few in this group made a wrong turn including me, breaking the golden rule of ultra running of never blindly following the runner in front of you without checking the map for yourself. Fortunately, having run the route previously I quickly realised my mistake and doubled back a few hundred yards to get onto the path down to the Torside Reservoir dam wall and happily crossed knowing that I’d taken the correct route and was back on track again. 

By this point, I was the only two-day racer at the front and knew that if I could hold on to my current pace I was in for a good shot of keeping my time buffer. 

On the far side of Torside Reservoir was the checkpoint. By now a couple from the wayward lead group had caught up and stopped at the aid station. I didn’t need anything so decided to get a gel in me as I marched along the trail to the biggest climb of the day up onto Torside Clough. 

The climb is steep and seemingly endless due to it following the valley ridge line all the way up onto the moor. It’s reputedly where the legendary Nicki Spinks trained for UTMB so you can imagine what type of terrain it throws at you. In fact, this is where the terrain gets tricky. A single track of black peat soil peppered with gritstone makes getting an even footing almost impossible. Concentration is essential if you are going to stay upright and avoid a big spill, I couldn’t make that mistake twice so again I slowed my pace and used every tired brain cell to stay upright. 

This section also features deep fissures in the peat bogs with streams of brown water flowing through them. Some of them are so deep you physically have to climb down into them and out the other side. Some more reasonably sized ones can be leapt across which was my preferred option though many landings were not as firm as they looked from above and ended with you literally knee-deep in the bog! 

By now I was in third place for the day and knew that once we had navigated this moor, the final checkpoint at the famous Snake Pass lay ahead and only 10 miles remained. 

During this section, I caught second place and we chatted about all things ultra and life. That’s one of the best things about ultra running, you can meet a complete stranger who by nature of it being a “race” should be a sworn enemy, but instead somehow you become kindred spirits and help each other out. 

While we were talking, he took a fall and twisted his ankle. He told me to go ahead but I didn’t, we stuck together as it seemed like we both were happy to have someone to talk to during our shared suffering. 

We reached the final aid station and took on some supplies for the last leg of our journey. The next section featured flagstones that were as runnable as they were tripping hazards! I knew this only too well after falling not once but three times during the previous summer's expedition, so I kept my head down and we clicked off the miles until we reached the steep steps that take you up and onto the Kinder Plateau. We power hiked from the bottom together, but I reached the top by myself, he was still clearly having ankle trouble. 

Undeterred, I pressed on knowing that only 7 miles remained and feeling better than expected I decided to up my pace as I passed the landmarks of Kinder Downfall and Kinder Scout before heading down the wretched steps of Jacob's Ladder. Anyone who has attempted to walk/power hike/run this infamous stone staircase in either direction knows the pain they can inflict on you even with fresh legs, let alone legs that have travelled more than 56 miles of that rugged landscape over the previous days. But conquer them I did, and I could now not only taste second place for the day's stage, but I now knew that I had extended my lead for the full 2 stage race and possibly even take time off the full course record! 

I must admit I ran the last mile with a half smile half grimace, much to the bemusement of the hikers I passed on my way down the valley. One final right turn takes you past the famous Edale public houses and down the lane back to race HQ and the finish line.

I rounded the corner to see my two young daughters anxiously awaiting my arrival who then promptly turned and ran with me the last 20 metres

I crossed the line and took second place for the day, beaten only by the single-stage winner by 15 minutes. After congratulations and handshakes, I was informed that I had won the overall race by nearly an hour and had simultaneously taken 38 minutes off the full course record! 

I’ve won ultras before but this one felt special. Special because it’s the first stage race I've ever won. Special because I managed to take the course record down by so much and special because well this race is so special. It’s a race like no other I’ve completed. It has something for everyone, a runnable fast trail, soft grassy pathways, rocky climbs and peat bogs all with the best views that the Peak District National Park has to offer! 

If you’re after a challenging multi-day stage race that has all of this and more, then sign up for 2022 I cannot recommend it enough!