Race Date: Sunday 16 February 2025

Winter road races are always at the mercy of the weather with the ever present risk of postponement or even cancellation. With sleet coming down in Sheffield that morning much of the talk was about whether to go for two layers or tough it out with only a vest or t-shirt. As it was, the sun was beginning to make an appearance by the off although, with a stiff easterly breeze, the “feels like” was around the zero level. This event is has long been popular as an endurance workout for those targeting a spring marathon with six Steel City pitting themselves against the rural and arduous (1000ft) 18.6 mile route made even more difficult by the chilly conditions.

On a marathon trajectory, Phil Gregory was using the event as a training run dividing the route up into three sections with 11k easy, 8k steady and 11k fartlek. Louis Wood adopted a similar approach of steady for 13k then 17k at marathon pace ending up a with 7 min negative split and more in the tank so an encouraging performance for him. For Tom King this was a step into the unknown never having raced this far before but coming home with a decent negative split although learning the lesson of not to forget the gels next time. Kathryn Liddiard found the hills on this route good preparation for her marathon but discovered that it was difficult to keep the pace steady as wished when the course is either up or down. The only truly flat part of the route is the demoralising lap of the playing field at the finish.

Unable to take part, Laura Mella offered up her number only the week before the race and Sarah Allcard, forgetting how hilly the race was, took it up using it to top off a high mileage week. First in category in 2024 and despite finishing as third F50 she was perhaps disappointed how things went being five minutes slower than last year’s effort. There were ugly scenes at the finish however as the last of the six, seemingly confused by the tapes marking the course which had been amended since he last ran here, trudged around the playing field. Fifteen minutes off the pace, wondering how he would ever be able to run another 12k and staring a 3:50 marathon in the face. With ten weeks to go until race day there’s still time to turn things around although age is not on his side. (Editor’s note: being properly hydrated and not forgetting your gels would at least be a start).

It’s testament to how well organised this race is that athletes return year after year with organised parking, plenty of toilet facilities, bag drop, t-shirt, accurate kilometre markers, bags of marshals, feed stations aplenty, flapjacks and other goodies at the finish with a tea bar offering hot drinks and other snacks. Partial road closures. There are also free photographs to download from Stamford Striders member David Babbs Stamford 30k 2025 photographs. Some feedback on the route might be for an extra marshal or two if possible along the busy Ryhall Road between 23km-24km. Despite orders to keep left, experience was of competitors crossing the road long before the traffic control with the result that there were runners on both sides making life difficult for motorists and those trying to follow the rules by keeping to the left until told to cross. This is the sort of incident that can lead to a race being refused its permit. The current race director Mark Harding is looking to pass on the baton for next year.