By: Hannah Wright.
Race Date: 11th October 2025.
What can I say…
The description on the website says it all.
“13.1 miles of Derbyshire trails, culminating in a well-deserved free beer at the Drone Valley brewery”
I thoroughly enjoyed this event. My legs were still recovering from the weekend before, but the sun was out. A perfect autumn day to hit the trails.
After an early rise to get the bus 44/43, which drops you right outside the brewery. I would usually drive but there was a pint or as it ended up being a pint and a half waiting for me at the finish line.
The event was low key with a relaxed atmosphere. 37 in total ran, including two tail markers, with nearly an even split of female and male participants.
Prior to the event we were emailed the GPX route and route description. The route was marshalled only at busy road crossings. So being able to navigate with a watch and/or map was useful.
We all set off promptly at 10am. After the first few miles the game of navigation was on. Early on, myself and a group of ladies formed a pack navigating carefully through woodland and fields. Every so often finding a stray faster runner who had lost their way. (This happened frequently and reminded me of the story of the Tortoise and the Hare).
After a trek up a big climb, myself and a lovely lady called Joy were ahead of the other ladies from the pack. Luckily they weren’t eaten by a stray fast runner who had lost their way. We found out at the finish they had been distracted taking pictures of sheep.
Small mammal (not a sheep)
At half way you have to check in at the community center for proof of life. Plenty of goodies and water were on offer, even toilets.
After a quick snack Joy and myself were off again. It was amusing watching the runners in front going the wrong way on more than one occasion.
Eventually we all made it back in one piece. Enjoyed a pint, collected my medal and a chat with the other runners before jumping on the bus home.
Anyone who likes a beer pop into Drone Valley Brewery. It’s a community owned and volunteer run brewery.
The race was won by Henry Lay (HRRC) in 01:43:02 and Rachel Biggin (Totley AC) in 02:03:38 .
Strider’s Result:
| Pos | Name | Time |
| 34 | Hannah Wright | 03:26:00 |
Full Results: