*Wildest Peaks Trail Run – 2024 Update

We are really sorry to announce that due to the continued illness of Oli Holmes, the event organiser and owner of Dark and White Events, that the 2024 Wildest Peaks will not be taking place. An email has been been sent to all entrants who had their 2023 entry transferred to the 2024 event and the following instructions on how to request a refund through Si Entries.

Refunds

As most payments are now nearly a year old, entrants will need to cancel their entry through SiEntries, which will prompt you to add new card details for the refund less booking fee to be paid to.

This can be done by following the cancel link below, or go to the My Entries tab in SiEntries and click the Cancel button next to your 2023 entry.

Cancel Entry

All other Dark & White Events will continue to be suspended during this time,

Wildest Peaks Trail Run
Event Information
Saturday 21st January 2023

Wildest Peaks Trail Run | Event Information
Saturday 21st January 2023

The sixth edition of this superb winter trail running event across the high level moorland and woodland of the Eastern Moors and National Trust Longshaw Estate. Both the 25.7 km long and 10.6 km short routes provide a variety of top quality running trails and the opportunity to gaze over some of Peak District National Park’s most stunning scenery.

Please find all the relevant event information below, and please do not hesitate to get in contact with us if you have any queries. Final details will be sent out via email to all competitors in the week prior to the event which will include additional event details not found below.

Entry Fees 

Standard Entry
Long (25.6 km/15.9 miles): £24 *£23
Short (10.6 km / 6.6 miles): £16 *£14

*Affiliate £2 discount per event – for competitors who are either; a member of a UKA affiliated club or the Trail Run Association.

Entry Limit 

Maximum of 200 participants, with a limit of 50 on the short course.

Classes

M: male 18* to 39
MV40: male 40 to 49
MV50: male 50 to 59
MV60: male 60+

F: female 18* to 39
FV40: female 40 to 49
FV50: female 50 to 59
FV60: female 60+

*Min age for the short course is 17

Age Limits

Minimum age is 17 for short (10.6 km) or 18 for the long (25.6 km).

Safety Disclaimer

All participants must complete and sign our event safety disclaimer, you can either do it online or print and bring a filled out form to registration. Links to both versions of the form will be supplied with the final information and on the website in the lead up to the event (approximately 1 week before the event).

Failure to either bring a signed form to the event or submit the electronic form will result in a non-start.

The Courses

The entire route of both courses will be clearly marked with blue and yellow arrows.  The running terrain will vary from smooth fast tracks to rockier muddier paths. The short 10.6 km course is 100% off road, the long 25.6 km course has a couple of very short sections of connecting country lane (total of 1 km). There is some climb on both routes however this isn’t a fell race so we have always tried to make the climbs as runnable and manageable as possible. To find our more please read the route description.

Route Map

The route will be easy to follow – in addition a full colour OS route map with emergency numbers on the reverse will be provided at registration.

Distance

Long – 25.6 km/15.9 miles
Short – 10.6 km/6.6 miles

Course Records

Long – Men: 1:51:47 | Women: 2:19:38
Short – Men: 52:38 | Women: 56.39

Route GPS/Strava Map

The provisional route GPS files can be downloaded from the links below. Links to the finalised routes will be provided in the final details (sent via email to all competitors)

Long Route | Short Route

View the routes on Strava

Long Route | Short Route

Event Venue

The Moorland Discovery Centre, Longshaw Estate, Sheffield S11 7TZ (click for area map)

On the day of the event look out for Dark & White yellow/black directional road signs. More details about the parking will be provided in the final details. If in doubt as to the event location, please contact us BEFORE the day of the event.

The onsite parking is National Trust Pay & Display.

Please car share where possible

Registration

Long Registration
Open from 7.30 – 9.15 am 

Short Registration
Open from 8.45 – 9.30 am

In order to make sure there is steady stream of participants through registration please do not turn up more than 1 hour before your designated start time. The only exception being those with an early start time 8:30/8:40 who may enter registration more than 1 hour before. That way the queue will be minimised and it will be easier to minimise indoor congregating.

Please ensure you plan your journey to the event so you can register and start on time.

NO DISCLAIMER = NO RACE

Registration Process

At the registration event staff will provide you the following in a sealed plastic bag:

  • EVENT MAP
  • RACE NUMBER AND SAFETY PINS
  • SPORTident TIMING CHIP – you will be required to self-strap your Si Timing Cards (dibber) to your wrist and wear it for the duration of the event. A member of staff will be available for assistance if required but participants are urged to do it themselves.

Participants will be required to use their SPORTident timing chip at the START, CHECKPOINT(s), FINISH and DOWNLOAD. Details of how to do this will be explained in the EVENT SAFETY BRIEFING VIDEO (released a week before the event).

*The SiTiming Chip is being loaned to you for the day, take care of it, if you lose it you will be charged £30 for a replacement.

****The Golden Rule – if you are unable to complete your course you MUST let the organisers know either in person or telephone that you have retired. If you do not, you will be held responsible if the police or mountain rescue team is called out to search for you. A central telephone number will be provided on all event route maps.

Rolling Start Windows

Start – choose your start window when entering
Long:  8:30-8:40 | 8:40-8:50 | 8:50-9:00 | 9:00-9:10 | 9:10-9:20 | 9:20-9:30

Short:  9:40-9:50 | 9:50-10:00

All courses will close at 2.00pm.

To help prevent congregation at the start we will implement rolling starts rather than having a series of group starts every 10 minutes as we did before Covid.

You will now be able to start anytime you wish within your chosen 10 minute start window.

You may start individually or within a social group.

NO START LINE BRIEFING

Instead there will be a compulsory EVENT SAFETY BRIEFING VIDEO that all participants must watch before attending the event.

ARRIVE AT THE START READY TO RACE

Participants must arrive at the start line at their allotted time and must turn up ready to go, with all the compulsory equipment.

SELF DIB TO START

The START SPORTident timing box will be fixed to a stake/table/chair at the start and it will be up to participants to dib their timing chip into the timing box. How to do this will be explained in the EVENT SAFETY BRIEFING VIDEO.

Start Location

The start is located at the foot of the Burbage Valley approximately 10 mins walk from registration, the route to start from registration will be marked.

Event Safety Briefing

Rather than having a start line briefing we will now record a video briefing that will be available to watch online before the event. A transcript of the briefing will be available to read.

Last minute updates if required will be provided to the participants at the start line.

You will not be allowed to start without having watched/read the briefing!

Compulsory Kit List

You are required to carry the following for the duration of the event to ensure you have adequate clothing in case of emergency.

  • Off Road Running shoes that in the organiser’s opinion are fully suitable for the type of off-road terrain to be encountered (NB road shoes are not suitable!).
  • Waterproof jacket (the jacket must be waterproof i.e. not just windproof/showerproof)*
  • Wind or waterproof leg cover*
  • Hat & gloves*
  • Other waterproof & warm body cover appropriate for the prevailing weather conditions.*
  • Event map with emergency contact numbers (provided at registration)
  • Mobile phone.
  • Money (in case you get stranded somewhere!)

You should also carry sufficient food/drink to sustain you for the duration of the event – you should not totally rely on the feed station (long route only) for this purpose.

This is a winter event held on exposed moorland, you therefore need to carry appropriate kit for an emergency – wearing skimpy shorts and a thin running vest whilst carrying no extra kit is an absolute guarantee that you won’t be allowed to start!

Event officials will disqualify anyone who in their opinion does not meet the above compulsory equipment criteria.

*These items may be relaxed on the day depending on the weather conditions, however the final kit list wont be disclosed until the morning of the event so please bring all of the above to the event. Please check the updated kit list board at registration or ask an event staff member if you are unsure.

Course Checkpoints

There are compulsory checkpoints on both courses – 2 on the long course 1 on the short course. At each checkpoint you will be asked by a marshal to stop and dib your Si timing “dibber” into the Si timing box  

CP1 – 6.4 km / 4 miles – at the first road crossing (both courses)

CP2 – 13.4 km / 8.3 miles – at the feed station (long only)

Feed Station Cut off Time(long route only)

There will be one feed station at 13.4 km / 8.4 miles on the long route, this will also be the second checkpoint location.

Cut off time: 11:30

After 11.30 am the feed station will close and if you arrive there after that time then you will not be allowed to continue and you will either have to make your own way back to the finish using the map or make contact with an event emergency number (on the back of your event map) and wait to be transported back to the event centre.

We strongly advise those concerned about either the checkpoint cut off time or the finish closing time to ask to be moved to an earlier start time – please contact us if you are concerned.

We recommend that participants are self sufficient for water and food for the duration for the event. This will help reduce contact and congregation at the feed station.

Please be prepared to have to wait at the feed station. Please sanitise hands before touching anything and try and maintain social distancing.

Participants will only be allowed to fill up their own water bottles and collapsable cupsno plastic cups will be provided.

Only sealed/ individually wrapped OTE bars and gels will be available.

WE URGE ALL PARTICIPANTS TO BE SELF-SUFFICIENT.

Timing Awards*

There will be Gold, Silver and Bronze time awards on each course (NB separate times for men and women) Certificates will be self collect after download.

25.6k: Men: Gold sub 2:20 Silver 2:20-2:55 Bronze 2:55+
25.6k:: Women: Gold sub 2:40 Silver 2:40-3:15 Bronze 3:15+

10.6k: Men: Gold sub 1:10 Silver 1:10-1:20 Bronze 1:20+
10.6k: Women: Gold sub 1:15 Silver 1:15-1:25 Bronze 1:25+

* Timing awards may be amended on the day of the event depending on ongoing underfoot and weather conditions.

Finish

The finish is located here.

At the finish line there will be FINISH SPORTident timing box that all participants must stop and self dib into. If you don’t stop and dib you won’t be classified as a finisher.

After finishing all participants must return back to download (at registration).

COURSES CLOSE AT 2:00 pm

Download

All participants must return to the event registration building to download their time, hand back their SPORTident timing chip and collect their certificate.

When you reach the download table you must:

SELF DIB

Self dib into the download SPORTident box.

REMOVE DIBBER

Remove the dibber using the provided scissors, give it wipe to remove all sweat and then place the dibber into the ‘dibber return’ plastic box and the used strap into ‘strap’ plastic box.

COLLECT CERTIFICATE AND RESULT PRINT OUT 

You will be provided with your timing award certificate and result print out.

MINIMISE INDOOR CONGREGATING

Once you have downloaded and collected your post event refreshments, please leave the venue building as soon as possible. This will help reduced the number of people congregating indoors.

Take Away Post Event Refreshments

At download we will provide take away refreshments which will include Tea, Coffee, Juice, Cake and Biscuits. These will be take away only and you will not be allowed to stay inside the registration building to eat and drink. This will minimise the amount of indoor congregating, as the event venue is quite small.

Results

Full results will be published on this website shortly after the event. Provisional results will be displayed on the day outside the venue.

2022 Results | 2020 Results | 2019 Results | 2018 Results | 2017 Results

Class Prizes

Prizes will be awarded to class winners and runners up on each course NB: classes may be merged if entries are low.

There will be no one the day prize giving, instead prizes will be sent in the post after the event.

No Dogs

We are sorry but dogs are not allowed on any of our trail running events in order to comply with UK Athletics Insurance Policy