Race Date: Sunday 4th May 2025

A race of three halves.

5km up a hill

5km along a hill

5km down a hill

The hill in question looms large above the start line in the centre of Hayfield village. The tallest of the four plus 600 metre summits of the peak district, Kinder Scout.

The race starts promptly at 11:30 with the 300 runners careering along the aptly named Kinder Road. Leaving the bitumen behind, the route quickly hits the grassy fields of the Snake Path that creeps up to Kinder Res. The dust from the dry weather kicked up into the air and agitated my asthmatic lungs, pulling a buff over my nose and mouth. The runnable section along the side of the reservoir ends up being single file with little room to overtake and the pace settles.

The climb begins in earnest as it follows the small trickling stream for about a mile or so with around 300 metres of ascent, up Williams Clough. Steep and exposed to the sun, the climb is warm, but overall manageable. The run across the top of Kinder is the dryest I’ve known Kinder, which considering we’re still in the throws of spring… It’s only going to get worse. It doesn’t need Mystic Meg or Nostradamus to predict wild fires this summer.

The route sticks to the edge of the plateau, plenty of small rocks that need a mere skip to get past and big uns that need a full clamber to scale. Skirting the Kinder Low trig point so those who need to “bag an Ethel” were out of luck, at least without adding a few hundred metres to the route.

The last 5km consists of 3km down the hill and 2km flat back on even tarmac to the finish. I was still running around a few people and felt more comfortable on the descents than others and caught up to those directly in front of me by the time we left the heather moorland of the top. Grassy fields and some stiles bunched and stretched the dozen or so runners in front of me. I managed to pick off a few before the road as well as a few more on the final stretch to the finish. Overall it was a cracking race with lots of climb, plenty of running and a whole heap of fun.

249 runners with the male race winner being Tommy Power of Hallamshire in 1.10.40. The female race winner was Ursula Catton of York Knavesmire Harriers in 1.27.48

Strider results: