By Christian
I have had this race on my running “to do” list for years, and this year was its 30th anniversary! It is well known for being popular, friendly, well-run, super-scenic and tough, and it did not disappoint. It was an 80 minute drive to get to Eyam village, which is in the Peak District, and parking was easy. We were lucky with the weather, sunny and still, but not too warm (just). The route is on rural roads (no tracks), and at times is truly beautiful. The marshals along the way were great, and there were 5 drinks stops, which definitely helped. There was lots of support in Eyam, and a fair bit along the route. Very few Leicestershire runners – I came across only one, and we had a nice parochial chat.
It is a tough course. The first 3 miles is all uphill, pretty steep at times. The next 5 miles are initially undulating (not really flat) and then downhill. From mile 8 to 11 there’s a lot of climbing again. The downhill finish does not start until about 11.5 miles, and it’s down part of the same steep hill you climbed at the start. You need to be in pretty good shape not to walk (I walked a lot). It’s also difficult to get into a rhythm. I am sure there are tougher halfs out there (as Fiona, Steve and Ricky can confirm after this weekend) but it’s definitely the toughest one I have done. So would I recommend it? Definitely! I loved it (what is wrong with me?) There’s a great sense of achievement. I plan to do it all again next year. And if there were a few Wreakies, we could nip off afterwards for a Sunday pub lunch. I drove past some nice looking ones on the way home.