2017 White Peak Trail Run - Short Course (10.5km)

You may recall that we entered this race after the Langsett 10k in March, on something of an exercise fuelled adrenaline and endorphine high while recuperating in a coffee shop. Liz and I opted for the short course at 10.5km, and Kelly went for the longer course at 25.7km.  Since then Andy and Paul have also signed up for the long course, so we decided to car share with the 5 of us to reduce costs and environmental impact of the journey over.  With Andy starting at 9:10 we decided to get there nice and early, which meant an eye watering 5:45am alarm call for me to meet up with everyone and get in the car for 6:30.  As it happens we had a nice smooth journey through the peaks and arrived in Ashbourne at 7:30 just as long course registration was opening, and with plenty of parking still available although rather frustratingly the machine didn't accept cards or new £1 coins, we weren't the only ones scrabbling around for change to make it work!

The long course runners got registered and we killed time until short registration opened at 8:45 with the standard routine of toilet breaks and kit changes, faffing with packs, taking jackets on and off, etc.  Once again weather conditions were favourable with no rain forecast, minimal wind and high cloud keeping the sun under control, so kit rules were relaxed but I elected to run with a full pack anyway.  Time passed swiftly though and soon Andy was on his way to the start.  We followed shortly and were there in time to see him set off, and then 20 minutes later Kelly and Paul's start group were off and Liz and I had 10 minutes for final stretches and preparation before it was our turn to hit the trails.

The short course followed the Tissington Trail to begin with, diving immediately into a tunnel which was a rather surreal experience.  The path is a very popular walking and cycling route and as such is wide and smooth, and being an old railway line it followed a very steady constant gradient apart from one dip where a bridge has been removed.  We were going against the gradient so for around 4km we were doing a constant uphill at about 2% - not necessarily enough to really notice, but enough to make it feel harder than it should. We reached the checkpoint surprisingly quickly, turning off the trail at Fenny Bentley and headed towards Thorpe.  It was nice to get off the trail and get some variety, and we got some very enthusiastic cheering from local children which kept us enthused.

Approaching the split where the long course runners head up towards Alstonefield through Dove Dale there was a 10% downhill which I couldn't resist, so I pegged it down the hill and then slowed to wait for Liz - at which point a passing runner assumed I had missed the long split :D.   Leaving Thorpe we turned off the village roads and ran across fields towards the River Dove and I excitedly exclaimed "Proper Off Road!". I really enjoyed this part as it got a bit more technical with steep downhills on uneven ground, thick slippery mud, tree roots, and numerous gates, hurdles and styles.  These slowed us down a bit, but by this point we were grateful of the break.  Once the land levelled out a bit we decided to take it steady, knowing a hill was coming which we needed something in the bank for.

Another cracking photo from Chris Meads Photography

Coming towards Mapleton was the only time I we were confused about the route as the arrow pointed vaguely at a field, but thankfully there were some men metal detecting in the field who pointed us in the right direction and we soon spotted another blue on yellow arrow and knew we were going the right way.  Across the road, down a track which initially looked like someone's drive, and there was the hill.  Another great crowd out to cheer and support and all my plans of running up the hill with Liz were out of the window and off I went, trying to slow down to allow her to catch but by this point there was a lot of walking going on, some of whom were going faster than my running.  The top didn't take too long to find, and a couple of lambs running side by side in front of us kicked us into gear and off we went again.

There were some nice downhills, and some steep downhills, and then a flight of steps - the last thing I wanted to see - but these led back on to the Tissington Trail which meant the end was in site. a 1km to go board confirmed this, and in no time we were back at the tunnel.  Liz had suggested I go for it at this point, but I was happy running with her.  As soon as I got in to the tunnel though I sped up.  I really couldn't see anything, completely lost any point of reference, and just kept accelerating.  It felt good! Bursting into sunlight I could see the finish line and decided that it was time for a sprint, full pelt over the line and stopping abruptly to dib in to the finish box.  Watch time said 1:09 but I knew it was a little bit slower than this as I had heard it auto-pause at a few points.  Liz was over the line a few seconds later, post run hug and congratulations, and we headed in to the hall.

Dark & White Events know how to treat runners right, and in the hall there were hot and cold drinks and all the foods you want after working hard - cake, crisps, biscuits and sausage rolls :)  One of the great things with these events is the instant results, and I got my official time of 1:11:27 which put me in the Silver time band, exactly where I wanted to be.

 A few stretches and a bit of refreshment later, we go outside and wait for the other runners to get back from their longer run.  Kelly wasn't sure how he would do - he had been aiming for under 2h15 but has been suffering with a cold lately, but we expected him to come in between 2h15 and 2h30, with Andy likely to be around 3h based on past experience. Kelly was over the line first out of our group of runners on the long course, with a time of 2h27 but looking utterly destroyed by it.  Just as he was about to head to the hall Paul turned up, so they went to refresh while we waited for Andy.  At 12:09 we came around the corner, sprinting his heart out, and just crossing the line under the 3 hour mark at 2:58:34 which is no bad show.

After some more stretching, refreshing and cooling down it was time to head for home via a pub for lunch. We ended up at the Bentley Brook Inn for a very satisfying carvery and dessert before heading back home.  The Official Results were already online by the time I looked, and have me at 47 out of 98 overall, and 9th out of 10 in my class. That'll do for me.

So, what's next? Well apparently the Dark Peak Trail Run hasn't sold out yet.  Short course is 12km and I'd be up for that, I'll be running it on my own as the weekend after is the Round Sheffield Run and all my usual partners in crime are doing that, but I may well have signed up by the end of the day...