The race is an 11km (7mile) event with 1,000 feet of ascent, set in the Derbyshire countryside not too far from the tramway museum and monument and is one of the main feature events of the Crich fete.
On a nice sunny day, Stuart Gregory was the only Stilton Strider to make his way to the start line. A modest mile of undulation started the runners off, before a marked descent into the Derwent valley, which took some early victims due to the uneven nature of the ground. This was then followed by a nice canal run of around 2 miles before the ascent to the monument began. They early part of the climb is quite steep before levelling off and, with most people walking that section, a steady march helped Stuart to pass a few competitors who were finding the early climb a struggle.
After a short downhill section, they were off again and a strong push up the steepest part of the route saw off a further five competitors. Some splendid views over the top of the course before a moderate mile downhill to the finish which saw Stuart overtake what remained of the back of the race with just 400 metres to go, to finish in 1hr 24min 39s. It would be great to see a few more Striders vests in attendance next year to add to this cracking event. [Stuart]