Questars Adventure Race - Peak District - Stage Race
New Challenges and a Heatwave at the Questars 2 Day Race
Press Release / 26.07.2025
The following is a race report on the two-day, mult-stage, Questars race in the Peak District, written by Race Directors Kim and Joe Selby.
The fourth event of our 2025 Summer Series took place from Hope Valley College in the heart of the Peak District and, as well as the normal Questars Summer Series events, we had a two-day option for those looking to explore the area that little bit longer - and what a weekend it was!
Not only did we have a heatwave and the hottest weekend to date at our events, but we also had some of the hilliest courses we have ever put on!
When planning our two-day course, we wanted to put on events that would showcase the rich variety of terrain that the Peak District has to offer and that would feel quite different to each other.
Stage 1 was all about Ladybower and the area between the reservoir and Hope.
Stage 2 was all about ‘The Great Ridge’ and giving racers the opportunity to explore stunning scenery in fading light with views to reward the effort to get there!
Stage 3 started with a bus ride out to a remote start allowing racers to explore the delights of Millstone Edge and Hathersage Moor and abseil at Lawrencefield Quarry. Racers then had the option of a run back to Hope following the River Derwent or take a train or coach for part of the way.
Stage 1
For Stage 1, the kayak leg was on Ladybower Reservoir, a terrific place to paddle, and some racers were even treated to a rare fly-by from a Lancaster bomber! The run leg took in the area around Ladybower including a tough climb to the top of Win Hill where racers had a stunning 360-degree views of the Peak District. The bike leg also gave racers the option of exploring the bridleways around Ladybower along with those further afield towards Edale and Mam Tor.
The majority or racers (76%) decided to run first
We like to throw a few curve-balls into the mix of our two-day races and this year was no different.
The kayak was just over 6km and twelve teams completed the leg with Team Mandatory Fun (Duncan Sneddon, Richard Fielder) fastest in an excellent time of 52:49. All teams managed to finish within the one-hour time limit but there must have been some furious paddling and constant watch checking by some with two teams finishing within two minutes of the cut-off (and a 50-point penalty) including Eddie Winthorpe who completed the leg and avoided penalties by just 18 seconds! Team KickOn! (Katherine Hands, Serena Howell, Ellie Caple) were the only team in the female category to complete the kayak course in a time of 54:33.
It’s no surprise that Duncan and Richard had the most profitable kayak, picking up 2.65 points per minute whilst on the water followed by Team Leaping Fish (Nick Gracie, Katherina Pedersen) with 2.62 points per minute and Team Wilderness UK (Gary Davies, Mark Chryssanthou, Ian Furlong) with 2.61 points per minute. In the Novice category, Team Twyx (Dexter & Dora Twycross) had the best paddle picking up all but one checkpoint in a time of 54:06.
At over 22km and nearly 800m of climbing, the run course was big and brutal! There were four teams who completed it, all taking a slightly different route to do so. Campbell Walsh was fastest in a time of 2:21, ahead of Tom Gibbs (2:25), Mark Montgomery (3:30) and Team Lost but Happy (Gavin Hill, Joe Brownhill in 3:49).
Campbell Walsh also had the most profitable run picking up 2.69 points per minute followed by Tom Gibbs (2.62 points per minute) and Ben Hawkins (2.49 points per minute). In the female category, Kate Hargreaves had the most profitable run picking up 2.25 points per minute followed by Clare Dallimore (2.03 points per minute) and Helen Chapman (1.83 points per minute). In the Novice category, Team York Alpine Club (Simon Caldwell, Carmen Elphick) had the best run, picking up 235 points in a time of 2:31.
At nearly 50km and over 1,300m of climbing the bike route was another beast of a course and it was a reflection on how tough it was that nobody was able to clear it, with Tom Gibbs coming closest in picking up all but two checkpoints in a time of 2:41.
Tom also had the most profitable bike, picking up an average of 2.67 points per minute out on course, followed by Campbell Walsh (2.51 points per minute) and Steve Burnham (2.35 points per minute). In the female category, Clare Dallimore had the most profitable bike, picking up an average of 1.86 points per minute, followed by Team KickOn! (Katherine Hands, Serena Howell, Ellie Caple) with 1.77 points per minute and Team Spa Day Fail (Heather Kieniewicz, Anna Bramall) with 1.48 points per minute.
The results of Stage One led to some incredibly close battles with only seven points separating Tom Gibbs from Campbell Walsh in the Open Solo category and Clare Dallimore taking a 50-point lead over Kate Hargreeaves in the Female Solo category. Elsewhere, Team Wilderness UK (Gary Davies, Mark Chryssanthou, Ian Furlong) lead the Open Teams category, Team KickOn! (Katherine Hands, Serena Howell, Ellie Caple) lead the Female Teams category and Team Leaping Fish (Nick Gracie, Katherina Pedersen) lead the Mixed Teams category.
After stage one there was a chance for teams to rest and refuel, in preparation for Stage Two.
Stage 2
Stage Two was a trail run orienteering event taking in ‘The Great Ridge’ and rewarding racers with fantastic views out over the Peak District and the setting sun beyond. The Masters racers had two hours whilst the Novice racers had one hour. The Masters course racers had an extra challenge of having to solve three sudoku puzzles and a wordsearch to work out which of the checkpoints were ‘dummy’ checkpoints (i.e. worth zero points) and which of the checkpoints were worth double points.
Unlike our normal events, there were checkpoints in every location, including the dummy checkpoints and that allowed us to see how many teams actually visited the dummy checkpoints. A rather impressive 17 teams (nearly a third!) decided against solving the puzzles (or solved them incorrectly) and were rewarded with a trip to one of the dummy checkpoints. We can’t decide whether we are proud or disappointed …
At around 16km and with over 600m of elevation this stage was always going to be a tough ask, especially as racers had a full six-hours of tough racing already in their legs. There were some brilliant performances on the night with three teams managing to clear the course with Tom Gibbs fastest in a time of 1:49 followed by Ben Hawkins (2:01) and Campbell Walsh (2:02). Clare Dallimore had a terrific run to collect all but two checkpoints in a time of 1:47 for the third most profitable run of the evening at 1.67 points per minute behind Tom Gibbs (1.91 points per minute) and Team Wilderness UK (Gary Davies, Mark Chryssanthou, Ian Furlong) with 1.74 points per minute. In the Novice category, Team Twyx (Dexter & Dora Twycross) continued their superb weekend to come out on top with 82 points, just ahead of Team Fuel (Kirsty Bell, Tim Fudge) on 81 points and York Alpine Club (Simon Caldwell, Carmen Elphick) on 80 points.
After Stage Two finished, there was just time to compare sudoku skills and get a bit of fuel from the Questars Café before racers headed to bed to snatch as much rest as they could before the early start for Stage Three on Sunday morning.
Stage 3
Stage Three was a run, bike event with a surprise special stage thrown in for good measure. On the Saturday evening, we had announced that the special stage would be an abseil. We had also announced that the run route would follow the train line back from Grindleford to Hope and that racers were allowed to take either a train or a coach as part of their race time. We knew when planning this stage that there were a few things outside of our control, namely trains and coaches, but we felt that it was worth it to give the racers the chance to abseil and run in a spectacular part of the Peak District. Besides, Sunday trains are notoriously reliable…
Sunday morning came around and the omens were not looking good, the car park we were due to use was not open at 6am as scheduled meaning that only our medic vehicles could park there and the rest of our marshals’ vehicles were spread out over the Peak District. The coach then turned up 15 minutes late. The first train was then cancelled. What was meant to be a train from Grindleford to Hope via Hathersage and Bamford turned into a train from hope to despair via Fs, Bs and even the odd C. This did scupper the race plans of a number of racers, including Tom Gibbs, Campbell Walsh and James Williams, and for that we apologise.
Despite the lack of trains, racers seemed to really enjoy the abseil and the more ‘expedition-style’ linear nature of the run route.
The abseil was a challenge for a number of racers and it was great to hear stories of racers abseiling for the first time and of racers overcoming fears to give it a go, or to at least get to the edge of the rock.
The run route itself was just under 21km and an impressive seven teams managed to complete the course (likely a few more than had planned due to the cancelled train). Tom Gibbs was fastest in a time of 2:23 followed by Clare Dallimore in 2:46 with David Chaplin (2:47), Sim and Jonny (Simeon Adams, Jonathan Palmer – 2:52), James Williams (3:07), Lost but Happy (Gavin Hill, Joe Brownhill – 3:12) and Iain Tinkler (4:02) all also completing the course.
Tom Gibbs had the most profitable run, picking up 2.79 points per minute with Steve Burnham next (2.69 points per minute), followed by Eddie Winthorpe (2.63 points per minute) – both of whom took the coach from Hathersage skipping part of the route. In the Novice category, York Alpine Club (Simon Caldwell, Carmen Elphick) had the best run picking up all checkpoints apart from the section between Hathersage and Hope where they took the coach for 350 points in a time of 2:30.
The bike stage took in a different area to the south of Hope, but one that was just as hilly and challenging. It was meant as a big course to give racers lots of options, particularly should they decide to cut short their run route by taking a train/coach. In the end, the extended runs for a lot of teams meant that no one came close to clearing the bike course with Tom Gibbs closest dropping six checkpoints in a time of 2:30. A terrific effort after a tough weekend of racing.
Tom had the most profitable bike leg picking up an average of 1.85 points per minute followed by Team Wilderness UK (Gary Davies, Mark Chryssanthou, Ian Furlong - 1.78 points per minute) and Team Leaping Fish (Nick Gracie, Katherina Pedersen - 1.63 points per minute). In the Novice Category, Team Cream First! (Andy & Becki Read) picked up 130 points in 3:02, just ahead of Team Stupid Idea (-1) (Naomi Giffen, Elizabeth Sale) with 110 points in 2:50.
In the end, it wasn’t quite the Stage we had planned but a fitting end nevertheless to a brilliant weekend of adventure racing.
A huge thank you to everyone who came out and raced with us and adapted to everything that we (and Northern Trains) threw at you in such good spirits. For us, it was by far and away the most challenging event we have put on but also the one we have enjoyed the most. We really enjoyed the mix of competition and camaraderie that developed over the weekend and we have plans to do it all again next year. Watch this space!
Full results can be found here.
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