Skipton Sweetie Skedaddle
The Skipton Sweetie Skedaddle, organised by ‘It’s Grim up North Running’, took place on Sunday 1 February 2026. The event offers a complete set of race distances, from 5k to ultra. The races start and finish at the town’s leisure centre and follow the gentle hill down to the Leeds and Liverpool canal and from there the route is entirely flat.
Each distance has its own turning point, although the marathon is 2 ‘laps’ of the half. Due to the recent rain, the towpath was quite wet near to Skipton, but it improved as runners got a few miles into the race. The cool day meant that conditions for running were ideal, although at times it became heavily congested due to the number of runners, walkers and dogs on the towpath. After the race, there were unconfirmed reports that a runner had booted a dog.
For their efforts, runners received a medal, a collapsible water cup, cake, crisps, and as many sweets as they could possibly carry.
Two MACs took part in the races, with Lisa Walton taking first female in 20-mile race and Dan Ashcroft completed the marathon. Both courses measured long. Dan was pleased because, according to the results, he beat the fastest mouse in Mexico.
