Marathon 10: High Peaks, Higher Spirits in Derbyshire

The excitement for this week’s marathon started well before a single step had been run. When the weekly WhatsApp group appeared, it seemed to contain almost more people than the main Marathons for Miracles chat itself. Jenny and Malcolm had assembled an incredible squad to support the day, and that helped build real anticipation for a route featuring more than 1,000 metres of elevation.

Not exactly my natural habitat — but certainly a beautiful one.

After packing my gang off on Friday afternoon to visit friends in Nottingham, I set off early on Saturday morning to make it to Hathersage for a 9.30am meet-up. The forecast looked almost too good to be true. A six-hour run in the Peak District with barely any rain? Hard to believe. As I arrived further north, there were some fairly ominous clouds hanging around, but once again the weather gods would be on our side.

I had just enough time to stop at Open House, which would be our base for the day, for an excellent coffee and a cheese toastie before everyone arrived. Just before 10am we set off on the first leg with a group of around ten. We gradually climbed out of the village, taking our time as we made our way up onto Stanage Edge — the dramatic escarpment famous for its starring role in Pride and Prejudice. It was a proper Peak District start: steep, steady, and absolutely worth it.

From there, we spent five or six glorious miles running along the ridge, with fantastic views in every direction and brilliant company all around. The support was outstanding throughout, but special mention has to go to Dave and his loudhailer, and to Arthur in his stripey puddle suit.

Just as we came off the ridge, we had our one and only shower of the day: light, brief, and strangely refreshing. It also served as a reminder of just how much water there has been around recently. As we started descending, we had to tread carefully on some fairly treacherous muddy banks before a gentler 5K stretch along the river brought us back into Hathersage for a brief but very well-earned lunch stop.

At that point, I changed into my new insoles.   Not quite ready for a full marathon, I wanted to try them out on a shorter section. There is a lot of optimism resting on these things and whether they might finally help sort the plantar fasciitis in my left foot. I ran the final nine miles in them, and the early signs were encouraging. Watch this space.

The second, smaller loop took us back out of Hathersage with an even bigger crew this time — around fifteen runners — heading along the main road towards Shatton before beginning the climb up to Shatton Mast. And this was where the very best moment of the day arrived.

As we reached the top, the sun broke across the Peaks. Suddenly the whole landscape opened up, glowing in every direction, and we could see for miles. It was one of those rare moments when everything feels completely worth it: the climbing, the tired legs, the mud, the effort. With the benefit of local knowledge, I even began to learn the names of the surrounding tops rather than just admiring them anonymously.

From there, we wound our way back down towards the village, where a well-earned pint and a curry were waiting at the finish — the perfect end to a truly memorable day.

Huge thanks are due to Jenny and Malcolm, not just for organising such a special day, but for bringing together such an extraordinary group of people. The turnout from Peak Fell and Trail Crew was amazing, and it was brilliant to see so many of their friends travelling from across the country — and even from abroad — to be part of it.

Running aside for a moment, days like this are a reminder of how important friends, family and community are when life is difficult. They are the people who pull together, who show up, and who help carry you through. That was obvious all day long in Derbyshire.

To top it all off, Jenny and Malcolm also produced an outstanding fundraising effort, adding more than £3,000 to the pot.