A slightly cooler and less humid evening after afternoon rains but still very warm and dry under foot. A smaller field this year as the late change to the Mount Famine date meant that few from west of the Peninnes turned up this year. However, large numbers are often a problem here and 146 was a little more manageable. A good Dark Peak turn out, 25 % of the field, for one of the best of the village courses with its three climbs and long, gradual run into Chatsworth Park at the finish.
Unfortunately the third change to the final descent in three years coupled with poor course marking caused some confusion. The first three stuck to last year\'s route (probably a few seconds faster), the next 14 followed this year\'s route to a new stile and the next group went along the original (and shorter) route. It made very little difference to the final results but provided plenty of talking points and confused a few spectators who had walked the half mile up from the finish to watch!
The front of the race resembled a DP club champs field and there would have been 10 Dark Peakers in the top 20 had Rob Hutton not twisted his ankle on the final rocky descent less than a mile from the finish. Further down the field it was good to see Jo Armistead, still a junior (a rare species in Dark Peak), coming in as the first of six Dark Peak women with a last ditch sprint past Deirdre.

146 starters