Race Date: Sunday 24th August 2025
The Derby Running Festival, held at Elvaston Castle Country Park, follows the RunThrough formula of three distances offered: 5k, 10k and half marathon; roughly one two or three laps of the course, with staggered starts and colour coded bibs. Things were well organised, with plenty of parking in the field next to Race HQ and quick registration.
The 10k runners set off at 9:30am, chasing the Half Marathoners who’d started at 9am (there were no Striders in the 9.45am 5k).
The out-and-back section past the nature reserve was the most eventful part of an otherwise flat, tree lined mix of dusty gravel & tarmac. The turnaround was on loose gravel (I nearly lost it on lap one). Some of the cones dividing the path along this stretch had been kicked about & upturned, and the mix of races & paces resulted in a sprinkling of overly cautious or kamikaze overtaking.
Finishers goodies included a nice medal, water, cookies, dried corn and a tube of Voltarol (I think the last two are best rubbed into your legs).
Karen Clark was the sole Strider doing the Half, with 287 runners in total. The men’s race was won by Matt Kimpton of Wargrave & Twyford Runners in a time of 01:14:57. Rebecca Harrison of City Of Stoke AC won the women’s race in a time of 01:29:40. Well done to Karen for her 1st in category!
Striders Results: Half
| P | Name | Cat | Cat P | Time |
| 130 | Karen Clark | FV60 | 1 | 01:57:30 |
Full Half Marathon results can be found on the RunThrough website.
I was the only Strider doing the 10k, with 466 runners in total. The men’s race was won by Michael Smith of Bell And Harp Running Club in a time of 00:34:26. Danielle Stack of Sinfin RC won the women’s race in a time of 00:41:44.
Striders Results: 10k
| P | Name | Cat | Cat P | Time |
| 46 | Robin Nelson | MV50 | 4 | 00:44:59 |
Full 10k results can be found on the RunThrough website.