I never listen to music when I’m out in the Peaks; I tune into the sounds of nature instead.
Football was my main sport for a long time, but after breaking my leg in 2007, I decided I needed to knock that on the head. I figured I’d get into something else following my recovery. I’d always been a runner since I was a kid, and around the same time a colleague of mine entered the London Marathon, so I built my fitness back up with running and ran that race in 2009.
It was initially road running to begin with, but I later started tagging along with a neighbour who would run out on Blacka Moor and that’s what introduced me to fell running. Living in Dore, I had the Peak District on my doorstep, so running out there quickly became my default workout and before I knew it, I’d started entering fell running competitions.
I was quickly hooked. In the mornings before work, I often try to get out for sunrise, and as an activity it fitted in perfectly with my amateur photography hobby. Sometimes I’ll run from home, out as far as Castleton, and other times I’ll drive into another part of the Peaks and explore from there. I love the variety that fell running offers, I enjoy the more challenging weather conditions once you get higher – the wind, the rain, the snow. I never listen to music when I’m out in the Peaks; I tune into the sounds of nature instead.
Whereas road running was largely about hitting certain times and beating PBs, out in the Peaks the main decision is really just how long you’re going to be out there for – sometimes it’s 3, 4 or 5 hours of being totally immersed in your surroundings.
The great thing about Sheffield is it doesn’t really feel like the other big northern cities – Leeds, Manchester, Liverpool – as literally a third of it lies in the Peak District.
I think something that symbolises that city/countryside dynamic well is the Sheffield Round Run route: you’re within a major city but constantly passing through all these green spaces at the same time. It’s a very special thing to have.
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