Race date: Monday 6^th April 2026
Race report by Laura Mella

Peak Rail 7, or Runner vs Steam, is organised by Matlock Athletics Club and is a 7 mile race in which runners are challenged to beat the steam hauled heritage rail service from Peak Rail Rowsley South station to Matlock Riverside station and back.

On arrival at Peak Rail, the train was in the station and starting to warm up, and many runners took the opportunity for a train selfie before setting off. After the usual number collection and queuing for the loo, we lined up at the start, and after a big toot-toot from the train, we were off. The race is run on paths which are a mixture of trail and tarmac, and is essentially an out and back with a few bends cutting across the railway line. Given the dry weather, I’d say road shoes would have been a better choice than my trail shoes, but it has the potential to be muddy in places if there’s been a lot of rain.

The train takes around 52 minutes to complete the route, but there was much pre-race speculation among the Striders in attendance about this, as the engine was apparently bigger than last year (so potentially faster) but also had an extra carriage (so potentially slower). What would it all mean?!

I had no ambitions about beating the train – I’ve been struggling with a back injury for months and hardly been running at all, and was still tired after dragging myself around Berlin Half Marathon the week before. For me, this was just a fun day out in the glorious sunshine while some people watched me from a train. The atmosphere was fun, and waiting for a glimpse of the train added an extra element of motivation. The train stops at some stations on route, and it was during a couple of stops when I was able to get ahead. Alas, my lead was cruelly lost at about mile 6, when I could hear the train coming up behind me and then watched it chug past, packed with excited families cheering. This is a great event for spectators, who are able to get tickets to board the train and be part of the action.

All runners received a goody bag (boot bag) at the end, which contained water, crisps, a ‘Seal’ biscuit (a Penguin in different wrapping) and a cap.

I’d highly recommend this race – it’s a lot of fun. It’s held on Easter Monday every year, and entries for 2027 are already open. It sells out pretty quickly though, so don’t hang around if you want a place: https://www.matlockac.org.uk/race/peak-rail-7/

A small collection of Striders completed the race, and James Shirtliff, Lee Kenton and Tom Johnson actually did beat the train!