The Peak District Challenge 2025

The Peak is chic! 😉

If you're dreaming of adventure, summits to conquer, ridges to navigate, and you don’t mind getting a bit (or a lot) muddy 🟤, then we've found your Holy Grail: the Peak District Challenge. Set your course for Hathersage, a little slice of paradise nestled in the heart of Derbyshire. Be prepared: over there, “challenge” is no joke ❌. This event is tough 💪, enough to make your legs tremble just reading about it 💥.

What’s on offer? 4 distances in the Peak District National Park: "Gold", "Silver", "Bronze", and "Copper". We start strong with the Gold Challenge 🥇: a 100 km ultra, 3,300 mD+, kicking off at night at 9 PM (because apparently, just being challenging wasn’t enough 🌙). The goal? To finish in under 24 hours 🕰️. Yes, you read that right, the "Gold" is "for the Bold". Twenty-four hours of clambering through marshes, ridges, valleys, and cliff edges ⛰️. But if you feel that Gold might be a bit too... Gold for you this year, then the "Silver Challenge" 🥈 welcomes you with 75 km, 2,235 mD+, also with a 24-hour limit. And good news: the first night, you can walk with a guide if solo navigation by headlamp isn’t your thing 🔦. You'll cross the same postcard-perfect landscapes—or survival movie setting, depending on the weather 😬—and join the "Bronze Challenge" route in the second half 😮‍💨. And believe us, you’ll feel like a hero crossing that finish line 🦸.

Speaking of it, the "Bronze Challenge"🥉: 50 km, a “sprint” format in this world of tough trails 🫠. Well, a relative sprint: you have 12 hours to complete it. It climbs right from the start, you pass through Hope, Bamford, Castleton and the stunning valleys of the White Peak. It’s the kind of trail where you switch from euphoria to distress, then to serene contemplation, all in under an hour 🤠. And if you just want to taste the myth without wrecking your joints, there’s also the "Copper Challenge": 25 km of pure pleasure (or almost), to complete in under 9 hours. This gives you time to enjoy the panorama, watch the sheep 🐏, and even have a chat with your inner self ("Why am I doing this again?" 🥵). You'll tread along the edges of Curbar and Froggatt, conquer the Padley Gorge and finish in style with a magical descent towards Hathersage. Honestly, it’s almost a walk in the park... except you're the one being walked, and your health, well, it's somewhere in the background at that point 🤣. Do all these challenges sound a bit too easy? Allow us to impress with the "100 miles in 24h", a tough challenge for the most seasoned adventurers. This grueling course takes you on the 100 km "Gold Ultra" route, then loops back to the "Bronze" route for 50 km 😮‍💨. To finish on time, you’ll need to maintain a pace of 7 km/h for 4,800 mD+ 💥.

In short, the Peak District Challenge is a true journey; you'll encounter breathtaking landscapes, muscle-burning ascents, slippery descents, golden volunteers, and an atmosphere that would put any regular race to shame 😨.

And after conquering your challenge like a warrior 🦾, comfort is never far away! Start by visiting Sheffield, a few kilometers away 🚗. There, you can sample all the local specialties: English breakfast, pie and peas, scones... Still craving nature? 🌿 Head back to the Peak District National Park for one last dose of cliffs and plains before departing ➡️. And for the curious, the mysterious caves of Castleton are waiting for you 🫵.

So, Gold, Silver, Bronze or Copper: which medal are you aiming for? Or rather… How many times will you shout “never again” before signing up for the next edition? 🙃