The route is over firm compacted limestone and cinder surfaces on former railway tracks making road running shoes ideal. There is one road crossing, at about 14 miles on the marathon course.
The marathon starts at Thorpe and follows the Tissington Trail, up the dales to north of Parsley Hay, where it then joins the High Peak Trail. From here it undulates level until it joins the half marathon part of the route at Friden. After this the track descends in three stages, at about 21, 22½ and 24½ miles, the last descent being about 1-mile-long down the steep incline to the Cromford canal at High Peak Junction.
At this point, the canal crossing directly ahead is ignored in favour of a right turn and heading along the canal path for a short distance until the next bridge is reached. After crossing the bridge and turning left, there’s just over a mile to go along the towpath before turning right into Cromford meadows for the finish.
Cut-off time for the race is 5 hours 30 minutes. To achieve this time, runners should reach Friden (13.1 miles) by 02:45; Minninglow (15.5 miles) by 03:15; Longcliffe (18.5 miles) by 04:00 and Middleton Top (23.5 miles) by 05:00 hours. Any runner after these cut off times will be asked to retire, and will be taken by car back to the finish. Any runner choosing to complete the course may do so, but will not be included within the race results.
💙 I just want to say a big thank you to everyone involved in yesterday’s races. It’s been 8 years since I’ve been able to run a marathon for several reasons, and that made being able to complete the marathon yesterday very special. It may have been my second slowest time – but it was the first time I’ve won a prize – which was very exciting!
Please pass on my thanks to everyone involved in the event – I have been that person marshalling and supporting etc, and it is really appreciated, even if it doesn’t seem to be when we stagger past you 🤪
I always recommend your events as being special, and I hope to be able to join you again next year or the year after. Obviously I’m hoping to be faster again 😁
Again, thank you to everyone involved – it’s a beautiful marathon x💙 Just wanted to say thank you for such a brilliant event on Saturday. Amazing course. Brilliant organisation. The MAC volunteers couldn’t have been more helpful. I ran the full marathon and will be back time and time again. Hope everyone at the club is proud of this wonderful event.
💙 Just a really quick note to ask if you’ll pass on your thanks to everybody for an amazing event yesterday. It was just so friendly, well organised and in such a simply stunning location. Hopefully the marshalls and helpers enjoyed the weather at least.
I know how much organisation and time goes into these events, and you should all be really proud of yourselves. Hope you raised some valuable club funds too.
Thanks again, it was unforgettable.💙 Really enjoyed the day. Thanks to all at Matlock AC for your excellent organisation 🧡🏃🏻♂️🏃🏽♀️
💙 A big thank to you guys for organising this event.
Much appreciated
Below is a ‘Relive’ view of the course from Tim Slack
Baggage Drop at the start line
All competitors must read the race information pdf with full information
