Race Date: Sunday 21st December 2025

Distance: 4 miles

Snow Angel is a low key trail race organised by Clowne Road Runners, which this year took place the weekend before Christmas. Almost entirely off road, it’s an ace event that’s challenging whilst still being eminently runnable. Here is a brief summary of the event:

Pre race:

Try to pretend you’re not hungover

Unenthusiastically drive to Spinkhill, through thick fog and gentle drizzle

Collect numbers from a cosy pub

Walk through the pretty village to a field by a church

Slide down a steep, muddy hill

Walk en masse to the start point, a surprising distance away (cue lots of “where on earth are we going?”)

Listen carefully to the race briefing

Go!

Race:

Down a track, before going back up aforementioned steep muddy hill. This was the “slippy mud” section which felt how I imagine trying to climb the Travelator on the Gladiators does.

Round a field, followed by a gentle downhill, and more slidey mud

Track very close to, but not quite on, the TPT – waymarked by tinsel

Clamber up another hill, before a brief stretch of road and a short woodland section

Steeper downhill, characterised by soggy, squelchy, shoe stealing mud. Lots of squealing from myself and fellow runners.

Alongside a field’s edge, before rejoining what was once a gentle downhill, but at this point has morphed into an absolute uphill slog. Smelly, stinky mud and big piles of poo that I didn’t notice on the way down!

And finally, a last push uphill to the finish! (I reeeeeeally wanted to walk a bit here but it’s just not the done thing when you can see the finish flag!)

Post-race:

Collect your race memento – an angel shaped Christmas tree decoration!

Remove muddy shoes

Return to pub

Collect and eat very large turkey sandwich

Have merry Christmas 🙂

A very enjoyable event indeed – I’ll be back next year!

74 runners completed the race. 1st place went to Calvin Cooke of Clowne Road Runners in a time of 25:19. 1st female was Lizzy Plant (also Clowne), 33:07.

Striders Results