Matlock Athletic Club keep busy with virtual races

The challenge consisted of a series of shuttle runs covering a total distance of 1.2km and was held in the bottom field of the Whitworth.

John Thorpe was the fastest of the day with a time of 4:47 with Lisa Jones taking the ladies win in a time of 6:02.

Emma Fitzgerald, Gary Jones, Jacob Jones, Dennis Belbin, Dave Clough and Pete Wilmot all decided that once wasn't enough and did it twice. They each managed to either beat or equal their times on the second attempt.

Other club runners taking part were Dave Curtis, John Hopkinson, Dan Ashcroft, Alaina Bond, Zach Clough and Josh Clough.

As the English & British Fell Running Championships has been cancelled, several Matlock runners entered the Virtual Fell Championship, a National event with teams from all over the Midlands and North of England.

It was a great chance to compete individually and as a team, with most competitors making use of their own local race routes.

The route doesn't have to start and finish in the same place, with race 1 (run between 27th June and 3rd July) four miles and 900 ft of ascent counting as a Short Fell Race.

Race two is a Medium Fell Race (run between 11th – 17th July) and is 8 miles and 1,800 ft of ascent and a Long Fell Race (run between 1st -7th August) is 12 miles and 3,000 ft ascent.

Over the weekend of 4th-5th July the club have organised the Virtual Belper River Relays, an annual event organised by Belper Running Club.

In the Matlock version there are teams of four to run a route of their choice measuring 5k, with each individual to undertake their run over the weekend with the times for each leg collated to find the overall winners. This event is an inter-club with 45 teams taking part.

Matlock have resumed the Thursday evening training runs and in line with UK Athletics six members including group leader are running a variety of guided routes.