During... (thanks to ​Andy Mutley-Photos)

It seems only in fell races that bits of the course have names. Monikers which inspire awe and fear. They’re spoken with hushed reverence as the runners wait around at the start, pretending not to be nervous. At the road races I usually attend it’s usually, "there’s a bit of an incline towards the end" maybe, but no-one calls it ‘Shaggy’s Doom’ or some such. It’s just a bit of a hill.

At Bamford (race website here), it was different. With whistles and shouts from the sheepdog trials echoing in the background, runners hid under shade discussing the forthcoming effort. The name ‘Parkin Clough’ came up time and again. Teeth were sucked, faces were pulled, fingernails chewed, feet were shuffled about. I sat and listened in wonder and no small amount of trepidation.

Being a newbie to this race, and this area of the peaks, I’d read up a bit about the race beforehand. This threw up nerve-twanging descriptions of a mile-long ascent with sections so steep you’re scrambling up clinging onto tree roots. That’ll be Parkin Clough then, our route up Win Hill which sits high above Bamford with views over Lady Bower Reservoir far below.

We all gathered in the start pen, our fear temporarily replaced by bemusement when one official tried (and failed) to shout audible instructions while the chap next to him used a load hailer for his bit? Weird, maybe it was his personal loud hailer and he didn't want it sullied by anyone else?

Anyway, I’m no mountain goat and was very edgy about falling off a cliff face, so took the first flattish mile and a half of the race nice and steady. I wanted fresh legs when I hit that mythical climb. The mercury was pushing 30 (it was the hottest May day on record), plus I’m (hopefully) coming back from an 8-month injury, another couple of reasons to hold back.

Dom had driven me and Ryan up there, about an hour from Kimberley. Ryan’s riding a peak of performance after his 3:04 at London. He’d had a nasty fall at The Trunce though, which battered most of his body and might have led a lesser runner (me, say) to give this one a miss. We all knew he’d be off strong, which proved the case as he disappeared in a cloud of dust at the start.

Dom and I ran that flattish bit together, up some slight inclines before turning sharp left up onto Parkin Clough. Here we go! Dom’s our resident Trail Leader, one of the club's most experienced hill runners, and he was mega excited about the Clough. I’ll be honest: I didn’t kill myself getting up this thing. From the bottom the steep series of stone and earth steps appeared to swing off into heaven like something from SpaceX. Endless unforgiving ascent. I’d no idea how my legs would respond but I was pleased to see (a) no-one was making any attempt to run (b) it was a decent path, not much chance of falling off the hill and (c) it was shaded under trees.

Dom legged it off like he was running down Church Hill, working his way through the string of competitors and out of sight. I got my hands on my knees and kept up with the Beeston runner just ahead. A few day hikers had their downhill progress stalled by us lot piling up and were stood to one side (if you're reading this, and this was one of you, many thanks!). Some had taken to heckling from the side of the trail. Good natured stuff. I shared a high five with one bare-chested, high spirited lad after accusing him of being an ‘evil b*stard’ for telling us we were nearly there, when we clearly nowhere near.

Eventually, having failed to kill us, the Clough spat us out in disgust onto open moorland. We all took to running again to get away before it sucked us back in. Half surprised we could get our legs shifting again (in my case anyway). Only a wee relief it turned out as the trail turned evil again. More steep hillside towards the trig point, back to hiking. More heckling too that we ‘were supposed to be runners’. Fair point, and I suspect the leaders had indeed run up here, but back around 60th place, no-one was running up that bad boy.

The trig point is a short out-and-back and a bit of a buzz. We were all given wrist bands at registration which we held against phone-like devices as we entered the start area, beeping our way in. Another device at the trig point registered we’d actually gone up there and not just hidden in the bushes and nipped back to the trail home (tempting). The terrain up here was rocky, easy to catch a toe and go down (well, easy for me), so it was a steady jog staring at the floor, ignoring the no-doubt magnificent views.

Given the heat, the organisers had somehow dragged cases of water bottles up near the top. I’d drunk enough to satiate an elephant before the start so ran past. Glad I did as there was nowhere to chuck the bottle and I needed my hands on the descent. Not for clinging to tree roots now, more for flailing about trying to maintain control.

I enjoyed the way back, a couple of miles, all of it down. It felt fairly safe, grass and trail, not too steep. A few gates to navigate. The occasional ‘oh sheet!’ moment when a fast section gave way to a tricky bit. It’s notoriously muddy in wet weather, but the ground was rock hard for us. Dom had borrowed a pair of trial Inov8 shoes from a stall at the start, which he found too aggressive for the hard ground. Much to my surprise he didn’t buy a pair, to add to his collection of ‘hundreds’ back home. He’s had to build an extension, where he keeps them all in glass cases, including the ones which are truly past it.

I could just about make out Dom’s maroon vest in the far distance. He was teeny-weeny, maybe half a mile away when I was at the top and moving fast. It gave me a target, but I didn’t hold out much hope of catching up. Using the ungainly-but-effective windmill technique, I was making decent progress downhill, gradually reeling in a few runners.

Dom appeared to be getting just that bit closer. I got tucked in behind a lady who dragged me along, making sure I didn’t get too close on the narrow path. If someone ahead falls on this stuff you’ve no choice but to try and vault them. Hurdling’s not my forte, so I held back a bit. A chap hosed us all down from his garden as we passed. Another nice touch and something we’ll all remember on a scorching day.

Eventually the trail dropped us back onto the wider paths we’d run out on, the end wasn't physically in sight, but mentally it was. Dom had grown that bit bigger, perhaps half actual Dom-size. The lady I was behind took off, again pulling me along and with just two or three hundred metres before we ran back into the event field, I overtook him. He somehow had the breath to utter words of encouragement.

Hat’s off to Dom. On flat courses I’m quicker than him, but he really showed his mettle in those conditions and was the devil’s-own job to catch. I could sense him working to try and get back past me as we went full pelt towards the small crowd at the entrance to the field. I was very relieved when I crossed the line a few seconds ahead. Checking afterwards my heart rate was over 180, which equates to my ‘nowt left’ zone, I was deep in the red by the time I staggered about beeping my wrist band at the end (used for position, not timing).

Ryan had been hanging about for hours by the time me and Dom got in. We’d joked at the start he had a massive weight advantage as he sweats out roughly 2kg of water a mile. Over a hilly 4.5 mile course, he’d dropped roughly 20 to 30kg and was left prune-like. In all seriousness he’d run magnificently which, we all knew, meant he’d soon be issuing a stream of self-criticism. This time he was unhappy he couldn’t physically fly or something, no matter how hard he flapped his wings. He’s got high expectations our chairman!

We all fist bumped and jabbered on a bit before stumbling back to Dom's car to try and achieve mission impossible of drying off under a furnace sun. Back into the event field we got refuelled. Having supported various cold drink, burger, ice cream, golf ball and cookie stalls, we plonked down in three seats and tried to establish what the shepherds were up to.

Five dogs later, we were cooked (shade was in short supply) and headed over to watch the gnarly lithe-looking winners being called out. The crowd was applauding like they personally knew them, which we think they generally did. Most of the podium placed runners sported the brown vest of the Dark Peak, this is their turf after all. The main category winners were allowed to pick from a selection of delicious-looking enormous cakes. Finally, we made off to the air-conditioned heaven of Dom’s motor for the drive home.

A cracking day out in a very friendly atmosphere. I was nervous of the course, of course. It turned out to be fine for me. Although I’ve had a few falls recently, deep down I know I’ve done this kind of stuff over the years and can handle it, if I'm careful.

I did feel for the runners coming in a full hour behind us, they’d perhaps been caught out by just how tough that climb was in that heat (I saw two youthful looking lads dropping to one side as I climbed). Maybe not a course for absolute newbies, but I am intrigued whether I could knock a few minutes off the dreaded Clough? Anyone up for Bamford 2027?  
   
 Cheers, Jay

Thanks to Angela for this report from a recent Trunce fell race.

I don’t do mud, I’m not particularly keen on hills and the idea of three river crossings with my little legs was a scary prospect so I can only put it down to guilt on Dom’s birthday that I found myself being driven to the little village of Oxspring about an hour away to take part in one of his favourite events, The Trunce.

The Trunce is a series of off road races that takes place throughout the year. Each season there are 9 races. The race route is just over 4 miles and involves three river crossings and about 400ft of climb and descent. You get points if you finish in the top 20 of your age category and points for beating your previous PB.

Six of us made the journey to the third race of the season on a sunny, but not particularly warm evening. There’s plenty of parking in a field which is well marshalled. Upon arrival you need to register, which is to just give your race number and £3 cash to the guys and make your race number with a marker pen. You register once and keep the same number forever more which was quite cool as a number of participants have had special shirts made with their numbers printed on them (an idea for Dom’s birthday next year perhaps…)

Dom told me that it’s great fun, but there is a really hard hill. If Dom is describing a hill in anything remotely negative then it must be bad!

Lauren and I took our ‘party at the back’ positions declaring that there was no benefit in going too fast as you get points for beating your PB next time. We decided that less than an hour would be a good target. My new running mantra that is currently serving me quite well is ‘Don’t die, don’t cry’, I’ll admit that it’s quite a low bar, but it takes the pressure off and, to be honest, I just want to get to the end of my runs and be happy rather than hating life which has been the case on many events over the last couple of years!

As is usually the case with being at the back you only hear a mumble when the officials are talking, there’s often an applause that we have no idea what it’s for and a few sentence fragments that float our way. Yesterday all I heard was “we gave them some money too so that’s nice”.

The juniors get set off first and then when they are a safe distance away they unleash the adults, the juniors complete a shorter course without the wet feet.

The start is uphill for a bit before going to a narrow track where we almost walked to the familiar photo gate where we enjoyed the respite of an orderly queue. The ground was very uneven with narrow paths, tree roots, wonky cambers, rocks and stiles made for longer legs than mine.

The first river crossing is quite early in the route and is erm “refreshing”, its’ really shallow though and although the banks are muddy they aren’t particularly steep.

The second river crossing was the one I was worried about with the friendly advice of “if you get stuck in the middle of the river just shout and someone will help you”, Dom said it’s above his knee so I reckoned that was mid-thigh for me. Again, the trickiest bit was getting in with some big rocks there to navigate as you walk through. I’m not sure if the photographer here was to double up as a lifeguard or was just waiting for someone to take a dunk?

I can’t remember the route particularly well and auto stop on my watch wrecked it a bit but it was just a mix of all sorts. The final climb back up seemed relentless, we had already said we were walking the two big hills, but it felt more like crawling at times with some cheeky false summits. Lauren was right behind me though, whispering sweet nothings in the form of positive comments to keep us going. It was reminiscent of my Bestwood sub 30 with Jay being the mental coach. She was right though, “we are amazing!”.

The wall at the top of the hill was more of a challenge on my jelly legs that it should have been and I declared enthusiastically to the marshal that I loved him when he told us it was genuinely all downhill now!

The last kilometre and a bit was all downhill as promised and in true KADS style, Lauren and I were met by Coach Sam to run us in, with the rest of the gang cheering us in just before the finish. Lauren’s positive mantras clearly worked as she left me in her dust at the end, we were in the same age category as we discovered earlier, so fair play! There’s no mercy when the funnel is in sight, I just couldn’t keep up!

247 adults and 26 juniors took part last night with the first adult finisher coming in at 25:30 and the final finisher being 1:07:16

Our team on the night finished as follows-
Ryan 26th place in 31:41, 10th in VM, 11 points
Dom 54th place in 35:19, 22nd in SM, 0 points
Sam 146th place in 44:21, 9th in VF, 12 points
Bev 167th place in 47:17, 3rd VF60, 18 points
Lauren 229th place in 56:48, 30th VF, 0 points
Angela 232nd place in 56:58, 31st VF, 0 points

So how was it? It was blooming tough!

I finished 232nd out of 247 runners in 56:58 so I’m happy. As the path narrows so quickly, we definitely lost some time by starting right at the back, we did overtake a fair few people when it got wider. It also didn’t feel like we were slow in finishing or holding anyone up, which has been the case on some events where I’ve had marshals packing away signs before people have gone past on the second lap. I do absolutely think it’s suitable for anyone who can run a league race, it’s not at all easy but you’ll feel really proud of yourself afterwards!

After changing into dry shoes and socks and layering up we went to the pub for a well-earned drink. The pub opens specially for the Trunce so it’s nice to say thanks in that way as they let us use their toilets before the start.
​
The verdict-
Did I enjoy it? A teeny bit I guess, it was really hard.
Am I glad I went? Absolutely, you have to give it a go.
Do I recommend it? Yes, it’s something really different and a great personal challenge for anyone.
Would I do it again? Well, I got a cup of tea and chocolate at the end so that’s a strong maybe.

 Blue water gently lapping against the shoreline, blue sky but lots of hills and sharp winds. Not quite a gentle run along a beach but Carsington 7.5 (used to be known as 7+ but they now declare the last 0.5 mile)

Seven KADS donned the maroon and silver at Carsington 7.5 miles on a cold May morning. Reluctantly shedding hoodies after a warm up, walking up to the start line. I was questioning what time I'd written in the predicted time box which had meant I were in the first wave (so was Sam).

It started fairly smoothly, until Zoe and I observed runner go down screaming within the first mile. Runners around him were quick to help. It was a reminder of how a misfooting can lead to serious injury. 

The route spans the circumference of the reservoir, the many uphills and, what seems to be, not that many downhills. With it being a sunny day, the exposed parts of the route were hard. The trees provided welcome comfort.

Those familiar course from the Carsington DRL will know it finishes on a hill. Whilst it's tempting to speed up at Millfield car park, its still 2km to the visitors centre. Those 2kms involve a long stretch across the dam. 

Today the wind was high, battering those trying to run against it. Many with magnetic number clips having to hold them on, my race number felt like a sail. Personally I struggled to get my breathe, I felt like it was 1 stride forward, 9 strides back. Eventually that 400m sign appeared in a tree line giving a respite from the wind and the opportunity to finish strong albeit battered from the wind. 

It was a great day for KADS. All seven crossing that finish line, even if a little wind swept with Matt achieving 7th place overall. 

​Emma

Ryan Stocks, KADS Chair, ran the 2026 London Marathon under the club's ballot place. This is his race report.

The Fellsman isn’t just another long run—it’s a proper test of endurance, navigation, and stubbornness.

Held every spring in the Yorkshire Dales, the route stretches roughly 62 miles (100 km) from Ingleton to Threshfield. On paper, that’s already serious. In reality, it’s tougher: around 11,000 feet of climbing, rough fell terrain, bogs that swallow shoes, and weather that can flip from sunshine to full-on survival mode in a few hours.

This year at the Fellsman:

• 394 registered
• 357 made it to the start line
• 244 finished

That’s a 68% finish rate and a 32% DNF rate (113 runners) 

Four of us myself, Emma, Sarah and Zoe, ventured out for The Butterfly Effect – Birdwing by Rasselbock, setting off on what started as a wet and drizzly morning… and very quickly escalated into full-blown torrential downpours.

The rain caused flooding around sections of the course and turned the woodland trails into what can only be described as a full-on muddy slip and slide. Despite best efforts to stay upright, gravity eventually won for one of us and no, it wasn’t me! Poor Sarah decided to inspect the mud a little more closely than planned. Thankfully there were no injuries; she bounced straight back up and carried on like the absolute superwoman she is.

Between the four of us, we turned up looking like we were heading off-grid for a long weekend. Enough food, medication, spare clothes, and kit to survive several days in the wild we even brought a tent and a flag! These stayed firmly packed away though, mainly because the field was completely waterlogged and the bag drop room was absolutely brilliant.

A huge shout out goes to David, our fantastic support crew for the day, although he did briefly disappear for a cheeky Weatherspoons breakfast (can you blame him?).

We didn’t necessarily run together throughout the day, but some of us crossed paths. Each of us had our own personal goals and targets in mind. Some of us hit them; some of us may have slightly overdone them (no names mentioned… Emma), and some of us weren’t quite where we wanted to be fitness-wise, but overall, it was excellent training for what’s ahead.

• Emma is building towards the Manchester Marathon in April
• Myself, Sarah and Zoe are all training for the Glasgow to Edinburgh Ultra in October

Despite the weather doing its absolute worst, we genuinely had a really lovely day. Great trails, great organisation, great company and the kind of conditions that make for unforgettable memories (and very muddy kit).​

So far, myself, Emma and Zoe have already booked onto the August edition of the event. Sadly, it clashes with Sarah’s son’s birthday, so she may not be able to join us, but if anyone else fancies coming along, we can’t recommend it enough. It’s a fantastic event by Rasselbock, a genuinely great day out and hopefully next time it’ll be a lot warmer with significantly less mud!
​
Coach Sam

Thanks to Chair Ryan for this report from Mallory Park:

I can't imagine the cashier at Morrisons had the first customer through the door at 8am on a Sunday morning buying only 'bananas and Vaseline' on her bingo card yet there I was, awkwardly buying them together. For clarity the bananas were for eating and the Vaseline to ward off chafing. Take your minds out of the gutter. 

The drive down was wet and foggy and I was regretting my decision to enter this event. Thankfully I managed to avoid the crash that held up the Myers clan and I was there in good time, unlike them. We did manage a quick pre-race brief when they eventually arrived just before the start. 

Two things I've never been very good at in my running life, lapped events and pacing myself. Those that know me know I go out too fast and tend to capitulate on lapped events, succumbing to giving up. So today I had to contend with pacing myself at marathon pace (6:57-7:05) and doing 8 laps of the same course (approx 1.6 miles). The plan was to run at least 10 miles at marathon pace and pick up for the final 3. 

How did it go? Surprisingly ok. The stats will say barring mile 1 I was slightly quicker than marathon pace (I imagine a lot of people had money on that). But I felt comfortable, never really feeling like I was working too hard and mostly switched off. I made a mental decision to reset every mile. Being part of the 'competitive d**kheads union' it was a real battle to not go after people. Rich was pepper potting past me now and again doing his own plan and I really appreciated his encouragement at the switch back point. Super Kev Roughton was also on course and gave us a lot of encouragement. Being a lapped event the leaders (including former KAD Bruce) came past us around lap 6/7. Around that time the 5/10k had started and it was a bit of carnage maneuvering through the start/finish point which did result in a few disagreements between people. The organisers really didn't make the turn wide enough to be honest. 

The last 3 miles I was supposed to kick. In the confusion of laps I kicked at mile 9. But it felt great actually having energy at the end of a race instead of feeling sluggish. The plan worked quite well, negative splits over the last few miles was such a good feeling and I finished strong. 

For 8 laps it wasn't too bad mentally, the weather held out, the wind died down and it was good conditions. Plenty of work still to do, we are only early in the plan and sustaining this pace between 6:50-7:00 will feel difficult but it's a target. 

On a side note, it was great and such a lift to see other KADS at an event. Whenever I go to a race nowadays and don't see any KADS, it feels like your first day at big school, all alone with no one to talk too! Thanks to Sarah Neilson for the photos/video, Mrs Myers for the support and Rich and Chris for the encouragement.

Thanks to our men's captain Dom Devlin for this report from his time on the Pennine Way last weekend:

This was the hardest thing I’ve ever done.

After having an amazing time and doing well on the Spine Sprint last year I was excited to take it to the next level with this race and was once again blessed with perfect winter conditions, which was what I wanted. These are supposed to be ‘Britian’s most brutal’ races and this has definitely lived up to that. I had never done a race of 100+ miles before but my mantra for years has been ‘go harder or go home’ so picking the most difficult one I could find seems like a good idea.

Training
Anyone who has spoke to me at all in the last few months is probably sick hearing about my plantar issues so I won’t go into too much detail here but I didn’t get to do anything like the amount of training for this race that I wanted to. I was running around 50 miles a week including a hill session and doing two strength sessions in the gym. Trying to balance training for something like this with recovering from injury was difficult and while I definitely was undertrained going in, I had been feeling positive about my running for the few weeks before. I did manage to get a few days out on the course including recces of everything after Hebden, which meant that I had seen the entire course at least once before the day.

Build up to the race
In the week before the race it became clear that we were going to get the winter conditions, great for the race rubbish for getting to the start line, my train and all others into Edale cancelled for Thursday and Friday. After a bit of scrambling around I manged to get a lift to Edale from Kerstine on the Friday afternoon, thanks so much to her for getting me there. No issues with kit check, I was using mostly the same gear as last year so was comfortable with everything. I go with 20l bag for most of my kit then 3l waist bag on the front for my food. The start of the race was delayed until 10 on Saturday morning which then meant I had time for a normal wake up time and a good breakfast.

Edale to Hebden (48 miles)
I really enjoy the first section of this race and was really having to hold myself back running across from Edale to Jacob’s ladder on a beautiful snowy morning, up Jacob’s and off over Kinder. The snow was pretty deep over the top and was tough going but good fun. Out over Bleaklow is hard going in the snow, but probably preferable to Bleaklow without snow. I refilled my water at the mountain rescue CP at Torside and was moving pretty well in the section after that over Laddow rocks and Black Hill, couple of nice climbs with some good running in between, even if it was through snow and pretty sapping. After this the path down by the reservoirs was quick, followed by the sharp decent to the river crossing and immediate climb back up and across Marsden Moor.

By the time I made it to the mountain rescue CP at Brun Clough I was cold and tired and very glad of the tea and rocky road they provided. I paused for long enough to drink it then pushed on to Nicky’s food bar. I hadn’t planned to stop here but was very glad I did since having some actual hot food made me feel and lot better, plus I also got a couple of chocolate bars to add to my food bag, which were a welcome change. It seemed to take a long time to get to Stoodley Pike, I always think this because you can see it in the distance for ages.

It then seemed to take a long time to get from there to the checkpoint at Hebden Hey. I was running with another couple of guys and we were all feeling a little rough by this stage, I had already decided that my pre-race plan of get in and out of Hebden as quick as possible was going to need to change because I needed some rest. The climb out of Hebden Bridge before even get to the checkpoint is really difficult, it’s a steep path that winds through some nice houses. Looking back and seeing the headtorches on the other side of the valley was pretty cool. The checkpoint itself was down another steep path that was covered with ice, similar to much of what was to come the next day.

Hebden Checkpoint
The fire was lit in the drop bag room in Hebden and it was nice to be in the warm for a minute. I had decided that I was going to have an hour of sleep after I’d changed and eaten. On opening my drop bag I discovered that a fork that was in my food bag had pierced the side of an iron bru can and it had gone over all my food and some other stuff, fortunately my clothes were in a dry bag so didn’t get soaked and I had another can to drink. Still took over 20 minutes to get everything out, dried and sorted, food replenished for the next stage (sticky but mostly fine). I had two bowls of chicken broth with rice and got into bed with my alarm set for one hour later.

Bed was a top bunk in colder room with a few people already sleeping and I only managed twenty minutes of sleep in that hour. Kit check, bottles filled and off into the night. After climbing back up the hill and through the little town I stopped to take off my fleece layer since I was warmer than expected and when closing my bag the zip burst. Impossible to repair by the trail side I had to improvise by stuffing everything into my bivy bag and wedging it in so nothing could fall out, it was sticking out the side of my bag for the rest of the race.

Hebden to Gargrave (78 miles)
As we went into the early hours of Sunday the rain started and since the ground was still frozen there was a lot of sheet ice to deal with throughout the day and the rest of the course. There are some nice flat reservoirs to run past here and the climbs are some of the less taxing ones but the whole section was made harder by the cold and ice. Everything seemed to be taking a long time to get done and I was certainly hampered by being more runner than hiker because there was not a lot of running and I am not as fast when I drop to a walk as I would like to be, probably need to do more of this in training for mega races. I was also misremembering the order in which things came and always seemed to think I was closer to the next milestone than I actually was.

The weather on Sunday was miserable and the day is a bit of a blur, I had started to develop a chesty cough overnight which got worse through the day and my left elbow was starting to hurt from using trekking poles more than I usually do, luckily my existing foot injury was giving me no trouble at all. At what felt like lunchtime, but may have been later, I stopped in the Hare and Hounds in Lothersdale and had a cup of tea and some chips. It’s a great pub that I previously stopped in on a recce day and lots of spine runners were using it as a pit stop. I put my fleece layer back on at this stage and kept all my layers from here until the end. The course around here is undulating and through quite a few farmers’ fields some rough track and a couple of road sections, again with a lot of ice. I saw some red squirrels as well. When I finally got to Gargrave I had a couple of minutes in the public toilets to change my socks then got a meal deal from Co-op and headed on towards Malham.

Gargrave to Malham Tarn (87 miles)
After Gargrave there are more farmers’ fields to cross and some beautiful scenery, that I seen none of because it was dark by this point. I know checkpoint 1.5 is at Malham Tarn, I know where that is, I have ran past before and marked where it was and yet on the day of the run I had convinced myself it was in Malham itself, 4 miles earlier, which in the tired state I was in felt like a massive blow. It felt like I was running in circles through the fields at this point and I kept thinking I’d made nav errors when I hadn’t and doubting myself and was glad when the runner behind caught up and I ran with her for the next couple of miles.

There was a barn owl sitting in a tree too which was pretty cool. After 10 minutes rest in the toilets in Malham we set off for the cove. I had to put my yaktraks on here to get over the ice in the next section and thankfully after the massive stair climb at the cove, we were diverted away from the limestone rocks and to the other side for safety reasons. The climb after Malham Cove was a real slog, I was flagging badly and really needed the checkpoint. Hallucinations started here, rocks were becoming sheep, cows, bits of discarded gear, people, all of them were just rocks. The weirdest one was a guy in full workman’s clothing leaning on a wall that turned out to just be the wall. Even the run around the lake to the visitor centre seemed to take an age and the half hour sit down at the checkpoint was badly needed. I put my socks on a radiator, wishing I brought another spare pair so I could have had clean ones, and taped up my blistered feet.

Malham Tarn to Horton (94ish miles)
Pretty soon after Malham Tarn comes Fountains Fell, a slog of a climb into a headwind. I really like this hill and the challenge it presents, you keep thinking you are at the top and then there is another climb. As I said to the safety team I met part of the way up ‘fountains fell at 3 in the morning in the dead of winter, where else would I rather be?’ On the way back down there was no respite from the wind, straight into my face and the footing was terrible with the ice, a very difficult section, my right knee had started to play up and my cough getting worse. In the valley between there and Pen-y-gent there were lights in the distance everywhere (except there weren’t), people camping out in tents all over the place (except there weren’t) and a creature that may have been a dog and may have been a bear jumped out from the side of the trial at me (except it didn’t).

All of these things were just tufts of long grass by the side of the trails, again the hallucinations were mad. As is usually the case when it is windy and icy we were diverted off Pen-y-gent and given how I was feeling at that point I wasn’t unhappy about this so instead the route followed the slabbed path down into Horton, with my knee now really starting to hurt.

Horton to Hawes (Finish)
Horton is a lovely little village, the carpark has a public toilet, there’s a train station and a couple of nice pubs. There is however nowhere to get a cup of coffee early on Monday morning, and I really wanted a cup of coffee. From here there are two climbs left and a long descent to the finish. The fist climb is smaller and I enjoyed it quite a bit while trying to work out a strategy with my remaining food because I was getting dangerously low on stuff. My knee was hurting on the short downhill between the two climbs and I really wanted to run but every time I picked up the pace I started coughing.

​I was seriously flagging on the second hill up the Cam High Road until I took a paracetamol with caffeine and it seemed to perk me up. I started to really enjoy myself running, more of a plod than a run but better than a walk, over the icy flat section at the top until finally I came to the 3 mile descent to the end. The rain was hammering down at this stage and the side of the fell and the last few fields were incredibly muddy, but then I love running in muddy fields and thought to myself if I’m going to run I may as well run fast, so I picked up the pace and ran hard through the fields with a smile on my face, then over the flagstones, out of the alley and up the road to the post box.

Afterwards
I was very well looked after at the finish with food and warm drinks. The medic took a look at my knee and said it should be ok in a couple of days and I rushed off to get a train to Leeds where Ryan was picking me up.

I have no idea how I finished this race when around 44% dropped out, I’m not as fit as I could be but I do seem to have a mental edge for this stuff. I think being stubborn is a big part of it but so is being able to deal with discomfort and push on anyway. The biggest advice I would give anyone getting into ultrarunning is get comfortable with being uncomfortable. I wouldn’t advise anyone to do this race, if it’s something you should do you’ll already know.

A massive thanks are due to Kerstine for driving me there, Ryan for picking me up, Angela for putting up with me though this whole thing and to everyone who watched my dot, sent me words of encouragement and supported me along the way. There were times where I could have quit this race and a big part of why I didn’t was my friends willing me on along the way.
​
P.S. A couple of people have asked if I was raising money for charity, I wasn’t, I do running just for fun and the love of it. However if I have inspired anyone to donate to a charity any of the peak district mountain rescues would be appropriate, they do such an incredible job keeping us all safe in the hills.

These are the messages sent to Dom through the race's messaging system during and after the event:

You bloody legend! Massive congrats Dom! So pleased for you! 👌🏻👏🏻🙌🏻😁
Shaun cooper12 Jan 26 18:37
Happy tears for you mate ! Huge congrats 👏 🙌 ❤️ 💖 💙 💕 👏 🙌
Zoe Furley12 Jan 26 16:21
Legend!!! So proud of you mate. ❤️💪❄️✊️
Jay12 Jan 26 16:14
Congratulations!!!! Amazing effort. Well done!
Gill12 Jan 26 16:10
Well done Dom! We just managed to watch you over the finish line! What a cracking effort 👏👏
Claire H, Lisa D an Sam12 Jan 26 15:45
Woohoo awesome 🙌🏻 🥰
Brigid12 Jan 26 15:45
Congratulations Dom!! Smashed it!!!
Sarah Hill12 Jan 26 15:44
Whey yes yes yes 🙌 👏 😍
Dad12 Jan 26 15:44
Congratulations! Can't wait to hear all about it in maths on Thursday!
Tilly in year 912 Jan 26 15:43
Smashed it mate!!! Congratulations!! 💪🏻👏🏻
Stu12 Jan 26 15:42
We love you uncle Dom keep going!
Eilish and Maria12 Jan 26 15:11
Come on Dom, that beautiful little village is literally in sight! 😁💪🙏🏼🍀
Katie N12 Jan 26 15:05
Nearly there Dom, keep pushing!!
Eve12 Jan 26 15:05
Wow wow wow 😀 I've never done so much dot watching! You are absolutely amazing!
Karen Layton12 Jan 26 14:59
Just a parkrun to go mate!!! Absolute legend!!! 👊🏻
Stu12 Jan 26 14:54
Just a map run with the boys left or a couple of laps of Bestwood. You got this!! can someone phone Heidi and get him an extra day off though or move his classroom?
Angela12 Jan 26 13:28
Unreal Dominic, excellent stamina proud of you lad well done 👏 👏👏
Dad12 Jan 26 12:58
Home stretch! Phenomenal effort Dom 👏
Simon12 Jan 26 12:43
You are so close to the end. Just keep plodding on. You’re a super star
Kerstine12 Jan 26 12:14
Almost there, you've got this!
Helen12 Jan 26 12:12
Go on DOM ! Home stretch lad 💪💪💪
Zoe Furley12 Jan 26 12:09
My hero
Paul12 Jan 26 11:41
Just incredible!! Bring it home my friend!
Oli12 Jan 26 11:36
Doing amazing Dom! The last bit now! Keep focused 💪🏻💪🏻
Shaun cooper12 Jan 26 10:58
Can’t believe you’re still running!! Keeping you in my prayers x
Granny12 Jan 26 10:24
Keep going Dom, last part now, you’re doing amazing. One foot in front of the other.
Sam12 Jan 26 09:47
Nearly there now Dom, keep pushing! We are all so proud of you!! 👏
Sarah and David Hill12 Jan 26 09:10
Go on Dom! You can make it back for briefing at this rate
Stash12 Jan 26 07:55
Go on Dom, you madman! Nearly there now keep pushing!
Eilish and Maria12 Jan 26 06:35
Go on Dom, you’ve got this!
Dodsleys12 Jan 26 06:10
Well done Dom. Amazing effort you’re putting in through the night!!
Neil12 Jan 26 02:44
Proud of you Dom, you’ve got this.
The Cassidys12 Jan 26 01:27
Cracking run so far.
Chris12 Jan 26 00:24
Cracking effort out there Dom, absolutely tenacious
Adam11 Jan 26 23:13
You’re doing an incredible job, Do , and as the night draws in, we are all still rooting for you. Full of admiration for your strength and tenacity! Keep digging deep. You’ve got this!👊👊🙌🙌🙌
Cath Agius.11 Jan 26 21:10
Keep ‘er lit lad … you are awesome 😘☘️
Brigid11 Jan 26 21:00
Keep going you are doing amazing and are such an inspiration 😀
Bev11 Jan 26 20:52
Keep it up Dom
Dad11 Jan 26 20:43
In awe of you man. Keep putting one foot in front of the other
Tony11 Jan 26 20:33
Last push Dom! All of BC is watching you in awe.
Kat11 Jan 26 20:20
Brilliant job Dom, doing yourself and your club proud!
Jason Buckley11 Jan 26 19:43
You’re doing amazing pal stick at it mate
Adam Tomlinson11 Jan 26 19:12
Keep going Dom! You are doing so well and we are all willing you on! You’ve got this 💪
Claire H11 Jan 26 17:46
Get into the Co-op at Gargrave, Dom, and fuel up with some warm food (and maybe a coffee?). Can't believe you are going so well in such horrendous conditions. You've done too much to stop now - keep digging in and keep fuelling. Amazing achievement.
Pete D11 Jan 26 17:32
I’m so amazed by your strength.. keep going Dom your bloody amazing xx
Sarah Hill11 Jan 26 14:40
Legend. Keep going mate, you got this! X
Helen11 Jan 26 14:23
Keep going Dom. We are thinking about you and dot watching. Keep going- this is what you have prepared for, you can do it. Love Team Crouch
Dawn Crouch11 Jan 26 14:11
Dom, we are completely in awe. You are doing a Herculean task and you just keep going 🙌🙌 Incredible effort. All of the BC clan are rooting for you. Howay the lad!👊👊🙌🙌
Cath Agius11 Jan 26 11:46
Keep going Dom, Amazing achievement. I'm in awe
Rob Gibb11 Jan 26 10:00
Keep going Dom - absolutely brutal and brilliant what you are achieving - keep pushing through. 👍
David Hill11 Jan 26 08:49
Great work Dom! Incredible effort mate, on your way home now fella. ✊️
Jason Buckley11 Jan 26 08:48
Unbelievable stuff Dom, can’t quite believe it when I look at the map! Keep going mate, you really are a legend. X
Katie Newton11 Jan 26 08:44
Dom you are doing so well! Good call to have a stop and a rest overnight- now you can push on in the daylight today. We’re all so in awe of what you’re achieving- just keep putting one foot in front of the other. You Got This! 💪
Lisa Deacon11 Jan 26 08:36
You’re my hero. Keep it going Dom your doing amazing
The Iron bru man11 Jan 26 07:59
You’ve got this mate. Keep moving forward. You do it because you love it. Sending the biggest of ‘you crazy butter’ hugs. Kerstine xx
Kerstine11 Jan 26 06:48
Half way is approaching mate, absolutely smashing it!!! 💪🏻
Stu11 Jan 26 04:22
Amazing stuff Sir Dom 👏, keep up the unbelievable work, you got this!
Simon11 Jan 26 00:22
Go on Dom ! Thinking of you bud through this night section 🙌💙 you've got this mate
Zoe Furley10 Jan 26 21:11
Keep going Dom! You’ve got this!
Claire H10 Jan 26 20:55
Dom you got this! Thinking of you on this epic journey!
Oli, Smara, Alina, Shaun and Tom10 Jan 26 20:52
Cracking effort pal. Good luck through the night. See you tomorrow babe x You can tell me all about it on the journey home. I’ll bring a beer for you.
Ryan (no.1 fan)10 Jan 26 20:51
Hi Mr Devlin!!! You're doing great! You can do this! Keep going!!!
Tilly in year 910 Jan 26 20:34
Keep going Dom, you're doing awesome. Hopefully you've got some food in you now and you're back on it 🤞
Olwen10 Jan 26 20:25
Tough going watching the dot ,keep er lit lad
Dad10 Jan 26 20:19
Keep Going Dom!! You’ve got this 🤩
Eve10 Jan 26 20:18
You're amazing Dom! Keep going c:
Kat10 Jan 26 20:09
Phenomenal effort, Dom. I know it's hard going into the night but you have trained hard for this and I know you are stubborn as hell. Relentless Forward Progress - Pain is temporary, glory is forever!! You're a legend!! Best of luck,
Pete D10 Jan 26 19:56
Smashing it Dom! Doing awesome Pal! 💪🏻💪🏻
Shaun cooper10 Jan 26 19:50
Well done Dom!!! Keep going!!
Sarah Hill10 Jan 26 19:45
You are doing so well Dom - keep going! #Slay king
Huma Saeed10 Jan 26 18:34
Keep going Dom, keep strong through the night, rest when you need too.
Sam10 Jan 26 18:22
You’re doing brilliantly, Dom. We are in awe! Keep on running 👊👊👊 Cath & the Agius clan.
Cath Agius10 Jan 26 17:53
Looking at the ice here and thinking of you. Keep going!! Good luck
Gill10 Jan 26 17:33
Hey Dom!! Looking strong, keep going!! You have got this!! Your my inspiration 😊
Sarah Hill10 Jan 26 17:10
Keep going you are doing amazing 👍🏼
Bev Barnes10 Jan 26 17:10
Keep going strong Dom! 💪🏽
Dani10 Jan 26 16:55
hey sir, most people would have given up by now but don’t be people! (from your favs)
amari and nell10 Jan 26 15:03
Tracking you 😊 amazing run.
Karen Layton10 Jan 26 13:45
Keep going Dom, you can do it! Shell
Shell10 Jan 26 13:02
Be awesome Dom even though I think you're nuts 😂 And most of all enjoy yourself!
Helen10 Jan 26 12:39
Good luck Dom, take care
Mick10 Jan 26 11:35
Go Dom go!!! Wow, you’re absolutely bonkers! I hope the snow and ice isn’t too bad, and the sun is shining for you. Go get those miles Superman!
Clare x (KADS)10 Jan 26 10:47
Best of luck from your festival friends!
Beril&Toni09 Jan 26 22:12
Good Luck mate…give it your best!
Ben Betts09 Jan 26 21:20
Good luck Dom, go and be the best you can and enjoy! 💪🏃‍♂️😊
Sam09 Jan 26 20:57
Good luck Dom, go and be the best you can and enjoy!
Sam09 Jan 26 20:57
Have a blast Dom
Dad09 Jan 26 20:54
Be awesome, there is no try (or spiders) Send me your list of demands for your triumphant return meal on Monday. Love you lots you crazy hallion xx
Angela & Pasco09 Jan 26 20:50
Go and have a fantastic run, Dom! Enjoy the adventure and looking forward to watching your dot heading up to Hawes 💪
Lisa Deacon09 Jan 26 19:06
Go Dom, go! We are sending you our best and willing you on, you mad fool! The Crouch family xx
Dawn Crouch09 Jan 26 18:57
Have fun with it Dom! Or whatever you get instead of fun?
Kat09 Jan 26 18:27
Hi, this is from your 3 favourite maths students, George, Dom and Josh, Hope you smash it👍
George09 Jan 26 17:06

Thanks to Coach Sam Garside for this roundup of the North Midlands Cross Country race series 2025-2026.

Men’s
The men’s team got their North Midland Cross Country League campaign underway back in October 2025, in surprisingly summer-like conditions!

Race 1 – Markeaton Park
The opening race of the league at Markeaton Park saw Ryan Stocks, Liam Johnson, and Nick Tennant representing KADS in the Masters category.
Results on the day were:

• Ryan Stocks – 131st
• Liam Johnson – 139th
• Nick Tennant – 236th

These performances brought the Masters team home in 13th place overall, a solid start to the league.

Race 2 – Kettering
Race 2 took place on a beautiful afternoon in Kettering. On this occasion, Ryan Stocks was the sole male KADS representative, finishing in a strong 97th place.

Race 3 – Allestree
Race 3 at Allestree delivered classic cross-country conditions, with muddy terrain, a cheeky hill, and drizzly weather throughout the afternoon. Unfortunately, Ryan was unable to participate due to injury, but he was still there on the day, providing full support to his teammates Liam Johnson and Dan Bailey.

Results on the day were:

• Liam Johnson – 108th
• Dan Bailey – 112th

A determined effort in tough conditions from both runners.

Race 4 – Bulwell
The final race of the league took place at Bulwell Hall Park on a snowy afternoon, making for a challenging but exciting finale. Ryan returned to racing, joined by Kev Johnson.
Results on the day were:

• Ryan Stocks – 94th
• Kev Johnson – 112th

These results brought the Masters team home in 11th place overall, rounding off the league on a high.
A fantastic league from the men’s team, showing real commitment, resilience, and team spirit throughout the season. Well done to all the lads who represented KADS across the months — a brilliant effort from start to finish.

Ladies
This year, the ladies joined the league with a delayed start, entering from Race 2.

Race 2 – Kettering
On a beautiful afternoon in Kettering, Sam Garside joined Ryan Stocks on the road trip and began the KADS ladies’ North Midland League debut. Sam finished in 79th place.

Race 3 – Allestree
Race 3 at Allestree delivered classic cross-country conditions, with muddy terrain, a cheeky hill, and drizzly weather throughout the afternoon. This race marked a big milestone for the KADS ladies, as we fielded our first ladies’ team, competing in the senior category.
The team consisted of Lisa Deacon, Zoe Furley, and Sam Garside, with some fantastic performances:

• Lisa Deacon – 46th
• Zoe Furley – 88th
• Sam Garside – 104th

These results brought the team home in 14th place overall, a brilliant achievement and a proud moment for KADS. A big thank you to Ryan Stocks for being the ladies’ support crew, cheering us on and keeping spirits high throughout the afternoon.

Race 4 – Bulwell
The final race of the league took place at Bulwell Hall Park on a snowy and icy afternoon, making conditions tough underfoot. Once again, we proudly fielded a ladies’ team of Lisa Deacon, Zoe Furley, and Sam Garside, with outstanding results:

• Lisa Deacon – 20th
• Sam Garside – 71st
• Zoe Furley – 83rd

This placed the team 10th overall in the senior category, an incredible result and a real testament to the progress the ladies made over the months.

What a fantastic way to finish the league. We are so proud that we successfully had a ladies’ team representing KADS at two out of the four races in our debut year in the North Midland Cross Country League. Hopefully, next year we can build on this success and possibly field a couple of ladies’ teams?

Huge thanks to all the KADS teammates who came together to make the season such a positive experience.
​
Roll on 2026/27!

Coach Sam

Not so much a race report, but an annual KADS tradition and one which I hope continues. On Monday 22nd December, 15 KADS took a trip up the motorway to Alfreton to run Alfreton Jogging Club (AJC)'s Reindeer. The 4.4 mile course creates a rather stunning strava reindeer.

After a year out, the Reindeer was back for its 10th Birthday. Unlike previous years where we could just turn up, this year it required booking. This was purely for safety and one I think we can appreciate as there are no road closures (just a few bemused drivers).