Most of the Belper Harriers pre event start. Around 22 of us in Sunny Todmorden!
Another year, another successful Belper Harriers UK Fell Relay event! As you may know if you’re a fell runner in the club or have seen our Fell Relays page on the website, every October we try to get as many teams as possible into this prestigious event. Some years we get lucky and get 4 teams in, some years less so with zero – this year we were glad to get 2 teams in, sadly leaving the fast young guns back in Belper to wait for another year when they get lucky.
I always encourage people to local Peak District Fell Races reiterating that they’re never that hard and it’s not about pace. Sadly this event is quite hard and fast! The organisers aim to pack the maximum amount of climb and technical difficulty into the courses for all 4 legs. Teams comprise of 6 runners (leg 1 Solo short, leg 2 Paired Long, leg 3 Paired Nav, leg 4 Solo short).
We’d had quite a few injuries and drop outs in the week running up to the event so we really were on our last legs before we started but that didn’t stop us having a superb day and more importantly a great club mini weekend away.
We had many come along to cheer and support with the club organising the accomodation, the liftshares to the event as well as the celebratory meal after – it really is a welcoming team event! Look out for it next year.
Rachel has very kindly given us her write up with words added from Rich. She certainly captures what a great event it was for us all!
BACKGROUND
On Saturday, Belper Harriers fielded a Ladies Open and Men’s Over 50’s teams at the 2026 UK Fell Relays in Todmorden, Yorkshire.
A long established annual event, it’s an opportunity to have a go at some tough courses in new areas and also to spot some fell running royalty, if you are lucky.
A group of us and supporters arrived on the Friday evening at Hebden Bridge. Jan Forrester and I were feeling particularly nervous, having put ourselves down as reserves, only to be called up on the Wednesday night due to other members being ill or injured.
Still, we were all able to enjoy an evening out , with some team members testing out the theory of how many pints improve your performance the next day. It had not escaped our notice that we were sharing a hostel with teams who looked considerably younger and fitter than us, but more about that later.
RACE DAY
Saturday morning arrived with glorious weather. Sunshine, almost no wind and beautiful autumn colours. Perfect running conditions! Unusually, the event was located near a town centre, so we were able to travel there by train, which was stress free and convenient, something I understand that Northern Rail customers don’t normally experience, so another bonus.
Cathy and Yvonne, Leg 2 Long Paired
A five minute walk took us to race HQ and soon it was time for Jan and Andy Paisley to set off on Leg One at 11am. It was a real buzz watching the mass start and cheering on our team mates. Clubs were also able to set up tents next to the finish funnel , which meant that we were easily able to spot Andy and Jan flying home later.
The courses for Legs One and Four were very similar, so they were able to give me the heads up about “the steps” that I would be facing later. Next it was Marcel, Frank, Cathy and Yvonne’s turn to set off on the long Leg 2 ( around 10 miles) with plenty of challenges.
Cathy and Yvonne had never run together before but got on very well and got to know each other on the course and were all smiles on their return, looking very fresh. Marcel got an unexpected attack of cramp which slowed down his descent, but he and Frank had an absolutely storming finish, both looking very strong.
Watching from the sidelines, it was also great to see the front runners coming in, in incredibly fast times, some looking like they were barely breaking a sweat and others looking like they couldn’t wait for it to be over. I’m pretty sure there was one man who was running in with his eyes closed, so must have been a tough day at the office for him.
Leg 2 Frank and Marcel
Once Pete, Mark Steele , Esther and Jenny set off on Leg 3, the nerves that I had had all day started really kicking and both Ant and I were left chatting about how we just wanted to get going now, whilst Jan enjoyed a well -deserved glass of wine or two after successfully completing Leg One, having cleverly re-purposed her plastic water bottle as a wine flask. It does feel like a long wait to start on Leg 4, so we were glad to get going at 3.05pm on the mass start.
Whilst the course didn’t have the same level of ascent and descent as some previous years, in certainly presented some challenges in terms of terrain , with bogs, tussocks and a section that felt like we were running along the edge of a cliff. Then came “the steps”, which were very steep , seemed to go on forever and made me feel quite nauseous for a while and turned my legs to jelly.
However, this was followed by a good downhill stretch into the finish funnel, where the whole team and supporters were waiting for me with hands outstretched for high fives as I came past. It was the best feeling and made all the waiting around worthwhile.
CELEBRATING IN STYLE
Then it was time to celebrate , first in a local microbrewery near to the station, with excellent beer and where no-one seemed to mind my bizarre attire of fleece, skort, fur lined ankle boots and bobble hat. Then onto dinner and drinks in Hebden Bridge, there was even some dancing later with Ripley Running Club. Turns out the young people we had seen at the hostel were members of Carnethy running club , who won the event overall and they celebrated by singing loudly at 3am , but I slept through the whole thing, so good luck to them.
The following day, we enjoyed a reviving walk from Hardcastle Crags to Lumb Falls, with a very brief and bracing dip, which soothed tired legs and meant we had earned some of Emma’s delicious ginger bread. We’ve done a wild swim after the relays now for three years, so I think that definitely qualifies it as a tradition.
It was great to have non running supporters along on the day as well, really boosted the team morale, here are Richard’s more eloquent reflections below
Trepidation to tears and joy.
Belper Harriers running amongst the best fell runners in sunny Todmorden.
It’s always a massive privilege to support my fellow club mates at the fell relays.
The relay legs are tough, it’s a very long day, but everyone running gives their best effort ~.
The encouragement everyone receives is very special and being part off that is equally very special.
Everyone finishes with a smile. And tears, which then turned into a big wine induced smile.
The support at the finish was brilliant, a brilliant event, with brilliant people.
Hebden Bridge was a wonderful base.
And another cracking walk, and wild swim spot.
A fab weekend.
A final reflection from me, it’s been a real privilege to be part of the Harriers Fell Relay teams for four years. It’s always a great weekend away, thanks to Alan’s organisational skills and the camaraderie and support from fellow team members and supporters is so life affirming.
It also feels like a big adventure and I am always buzzing at the end of it. That said, I felt everyone of my 56 years on the course on Saturday, so I would encourage any younger women members who are interested in fell running to give it a go next year.
