Untitled - Dark Peak Fell Runners

Spring 2003
Delight to roam for fellrunners
(Originally printed in March 2003 Peak District Magazine)
Andrew McCloy pursues a hardy breed, which like most flocks, is happiest when it's
ranging across the moors
For most of us the effort of walking up on to Kinder Scout, Black Hill or Bleaklow is
testing enough, but imagine running non-stop all the way? Then without a pause
continue at speed over the tops or along the edge, and for good measure run full tilt all
the way back down again. That, in a nutshell, is fell running, and it's the motivation
behind a small and supremely dedicated band of local athletes called the Dark Peak
Fell Runners, who have been bounding over the Peak District's northern moors for the
past 25 years.
Cross-country running has been a popular participation sport for well over 100 years,
and there are dozens of clubs around the country. Fell running, however, is slightly
different, since it involves rougher and more challenging terrain, requiring good
navigational skills, strength and adaptability. Fell running events are closely associated
with the Lake District, where shepherds used to race each other up to the hilltops and
back, but there are a number of races and routes held on the Pennines, particularly in
the Dark Peak.
Two of the most famous and long-standing are centred on Kinder Scout - the Marsden
to Edale Race, and the 'Edale Skyline' - and it was after one such event in the mid
1970s that the idea for the Dark Peak Fell Runners (DPFR) was conceived. The initial
group was mainly Sheffield-based, but soon the fell running club attracted members
from across the Peak District and even the Greater Manchester area. Some were
already members of cross-country running clubs, while others were former climbers
and cyclists, attracted by the Dark Peak's combination of open spaces and rugged
terrain that continues to enthral today. Twenty seven years on and the Dark Peak Fell
Runners are still pounding the moors all year-round and in every kind of weather. If
it's dark they wear head torches; if it's wet they just get wet.
The current secretary is Bob Berzins, who says that some of their 300 members train
as often as twice a day, especially before a big race. He goes out four or five times a
week, and depending on the terrain usually runs around ten miles each time. About
90% of the membership is male, but they do have a ladies team, and junior and
veterans categories. The club is funded entirely by subscription, and they hold weekly
runs from their hut near the Sportsman Inn at Lodge Moor, on Sheffield's western
flank. Many of the runners are Sheffield-based, perpetuating the city's reputation as
the breeding ground for so many energetic outdoor types, and they run either
individually or as part of a team in events up and down Britain.
1Q