Race Date: 20.01.19. Report by John Armitage.

Sunday 20^th January 2019 saw the third running of this superb high level/moorland trail running event with a choice of long (25.6 km) and short (10.6 km) routes starting and finishing at Longshaw Estate in North Derbyshire with a combination of top quality running trails and stunning Peakland views.

The organising team stood on Saturday morning ready to sign up the courses in freezing cold winter conditions in a thick fog poring over the weather forecast for race day basically wondering whether we were going to go ahead with the event or not. In the end they came up with the compromise of sole use of the short route course principally as sections of the long route are virtually featureless and the consequences of anybody going off-route and getting lost didn’t really bear thinking about. We made the right decision.

Come Sunday the conditions had slightly improved but there was still plenty of snow lying at higher levels which made the already tricky underfoot trails across Higger Tor and Hathersage Moor that little bit more “interesting” so to speak!

With the long route now consisting of two laps of the short course runners were faced with the choice/dilemma at the end of lap one to continue on for another lap or to call it a day and be classified in the short course results. Fair play the majority didn’t give in to the temptation of hot drinks and cakes instead headed out for another lap of “winter fun”.

The Long Course (21.5 km) was won by Chris Kilburn 1:40:38 of Absolute Tri, 1^st lady was Joanna Sutton 2:03:59 of Triathalon Coaching UK.

The Short Course (10.6 km) was won by Chris Jones 48:41 unattached (new course record), 1^st lady was Lucy Wasinski 56.43 of Glossopdale Harriers.

Striders Results;