DalesRunner 40km

The Dales Bike Centre, Fremington
North Yorkshire
what3words: ///entitles.paths.sedative

Distance: 42km / 26.2m (roughly)

Shoe Recommendation: Trail shoes, there are a few boggy sections.

The route starts from the village of Grinton and follows a short road section before traversing moorland tracks. You will pass Maiden Castle Iron Age Hill Fort before ascending Whitaside Moor. The Apedale Road (track) takes you to Dent's Houses.

A track south takes you over the Wensleydale section of the course. You follow the moorland tracks over the Bolton Estate with wonderful views of Pen Hill, passing Green Haw Hut and onto Carperby Moor. The route then descends following Oxclose Road (path/track), under Ponderledge Scar before dropping down to the village of Carperby. Footpaths and fields take you through West Bolton to historic Castle Bolton before returning to Dent's Houses.

You will climb to the Heights of Greets, before descending to Grinton Smelt Mill. Enjoy the views from Sharrow Hill before descending through Cogden Hall and finishing at the Dales Bike Centre.

The course consists of hard packed footpaths and tracks, moorland trods and grassy pasture. There are some short road sections.

Early start option is available for anyone who estimates taking longer than 6.5 hours.

We will have one generous cut off on the course at the first visit to Dent's Houses (roughly 7.5m) at 12:30pm. This equates to 3 miles an hour pace for runners who start at 10am. Any runner who does not arrive at Dent's Houses by 12:30pm will be diverted onto the short course option (Harkerside Hustle) and complete the half marathon distance course instead.

Heading into autumn, this race has unpredictable weather, we have seen sunshine and storms on the day of this one. Keep an eye on the weather and remember we have a mandatory kit list!

The Mountain Weather Information Service has a three day forecast available for the general area.
MET Office shows a 7 day forecast for Semerwater itself.

Parking will be available in a field near The Dales Bike Centre, what3words: cook.famed.irony Please car share!

You will register at The Dales Bike Centre. You will collect your bib number here and there are toilets. See the timeline below for details on when we are opening registration.

We now have mandatory kit. We may be performing kit spot checks at registration or somewhere on the course. Anyone failing to have the mandatory kit will be disqualified.

• Map
• Compass
• Whistle

When the route is shared with the Harkerside Hustle (short course option) the race course will be well marked with orange barrier tape as well as orange pin flags. Trail junctions and turns will be well marked with coloured arrow signs to show you the way. All critical turns and road crossings will be manned by our marshals so you are going to have to try pretty hard to go wrong but be aware that course markings can be moved or stolen.

The Wensleydale Loop of the course will be unmarked and competitors will be required to self-navigate this section. There will still be marshals out on the course and road crossings will be marshalled. We strongly advise carrying a copy of the route map.

Competitors will be given a tracker and a GPX trace to follow.

The aid stations will stock water, sweet and savoury food and have a small stash of electrolyte tablets available. There will only be sweets available at Green Haw Hut (no water).

Please note we will not be providing cups at aid stations. Marshals will be happy to support you in refilling bottles and we advise you to consider carrying a collapsible/soft cup. Water will also be available at the finish.

NB: We don't use plastic cups at our aid stations, make sure you have either a soft flask, bladder or collapsible cup with you.

There will be toilets available at the Dales Bike Centre (start/finish) and at the Carperby Village Hall check point.

Post race, hot soup and a roll, provided by The Dales Bike Centre, will be included in your entry. Hot drinks and cakes are available for purchase.

Please respect the trails and the beauty of the dales by disposing of any rubbish at one of our aid stations or take it home with you.

Be polite to our marshals, first aiders and members of staff, these people are volunteering their free time to assist you in reaching the finish line and are doing everything they can to get you there.

Do not rely on marshals, photographers or other staff persons to direct you on your course. It is YOUR responsibility to know your course and follow the course signs.

Remember to always remain on the designated marked trails, no short cutting.

Poles are allowed (but probably not necessary), please be conscious of where you’re pointing them.

This course includes single track. If you are attempting to pass, please alert the runner in front of you before flying past them. Likewise, if you hear a runner approaching you from behind, attempt to find a spot to allow the runner to pass.

As a general rule, when passing a runner, announce, 'on your left'.

Uphill runners/hikers have the right of way to downhill runners. Remain in control as you descend and respect the other runners.

Everyone is after the same goal here so let’s be respectful of each other’s races and have fun.

Due to the nature of the course and the distance involved this race has an age limit of 18+ to enter.