HRR’s Nathan Roulson took on yet another tough endurance challenge. The Peak District south and north event. Two days of classic trails covering White Peak and Dark Peak. The total ascent on day one, 1439 metres, and on day two, 1649 metres. The race is in two stages, each with its own distinctive scenery and characteristics, both starting and finishing in Edale. They are hosted by Ranger Ultras who aim to offer low-key, great-value, quality experiences on iconic routes. Participants can choose to run the 30 mile / 4,569 feet Stage 1 on Saturday, or 27 mile 5,293 feet Stage 2 on Sunday, or complete both stages with times combined to rank the runners.
Stage 1 follows well marked trails through the limestone country of the White Peak. Here runners experience the rolling hills and lush riverine microclimates of limestone dales. The route concludes with a short challenging ascent over the Great Ridge, racing in the footsteps of our Bronze and Iron Age ancestors, then descending back into the beautiful post-glacial u-shaped Vale of Edale. Stage 2 takes in some of the best views of the Dark Peak, offering some superb trail running. Racing along the Pennine Way, up the famous Jacob’s Ladder, past Kinder Downfall, then linking to the Pennine Bridleway, into the historic village of Hayfield. Past Mount Famine, ascending and along Rushup Edge to Mam Nick, followed by a direct line back to the finish. Nathan said ‘It was difficult to know how hard to push today as I don’t know either course and the conditions under foot which greatly effect effort and pacing. I got chatting to a lady called Helen in the first few miles – she had recced the course and was a big help with navigation (the course was not marked). As expected, it was very slick under foot at times but the rain held off and it was slightly warmer than forecast’. Finishing 5th among the two-day competitors in 5 hours 29 minutes, Nathan was feeling good but not spent ahead of day two. Sunday dawned with low cloud and rain. Nathan said ‘Another ace day on the fells. It was pretty wild on Kinder and most of the other tops, with gusts over 40mph and steady rain all day. I ran with Helen again for the first ten miles but she was struggling with her knee and encouraged me to pushed on. I caught and then buddied-up with Will for several miles, and we were enjoying racing with each other until he took a nasty tumble on a very fast, rocky descent. With ripped waterproof trousers and jacket plus a small bump to the head, we cautiously walked, jogged and then began running again. I really put my head down for the last 10k, picking up a few extra places, and was super pleased to still have functioning quads for the final descent off Mam Tor’. Finishing first out approximately 65 people running both days, Nathan was only beaten by one other competitor who was only running day two. Aggregating times from both days, Nathan finished 3rd overall ‘it is a pleasant surprise to say the least’ he said. ‘I only entered to get one more race in the hills out of my 7 Valleys training block, and with the intention of having a fun weekend. Yesterday was 100% fun and today I got the bit between my teeth with 16 miles to go, so super happy’. Another fantastic result for Nathan.
