Peak Divide: Shuffling 76km across the Peaks

by Becky Morris 

On the 26th April 2025, I set off on the biggest challenge of my life (so far!) with my Bird Outdoors compadres from the Vimto Statue in Manchester. Ahead of us was a 2-day, 76km on-foot commute across the Peak District and over to Sheffield. Peak Divide is not a race, it's a ‘shuffle’, and is described as an adventure for the ultra-curious. I arrived at Track Brewery some time after 8am, kitted pretty much head to toe in my cheap gear from Decathlon, a trail pack full of borrowed kit (shout out to Wendie!) and some trail shoes that looked suspiciously clean. The room was full of what seemed like old friends catching up, who had incredible quads, stylish moustaches and were head to toe in high end brands. I followed my training plan to a tee and carb loaded to perfection, I knew I could finish it, but why did I feel so out of my depth?

I have been running for 4 years, starting out as a burned out ICU nurse during the Covid pandemic, desperate to escape from a busy mind. From couch to 5k, I quickly progressed to 10k distance, then started to book onto multiple half marathon races before eventually completing Manchester Marathon in 2024. My focus at the time was on getting faster (shout out to iron tablets for that one!) but following injury I felt a calling towards slowing my pace, finding enjoyment in running again and spending more time in nature, so trail running made sense to me as my next new challenge. I have dabbled in trail running many times before but have never really felt confident in my abilities due to my lack of experience of being an ‘outdoorsy’ person.

Day 1 was a run along the canal before heading up to Kinder Scout via Werneth Low. Fuelled by Gnocchi and Ginster's pasties, I really felt like I came alive on Kinder Downfall; after quite a lot of power hiking, it was the first runnable section in a while. I have never been up there before and it was so beautiful, I felt magical bouncing from rock to rock. With the sight of the Bird Outdoor flag in the distance at 40km, I knew the end was close. But first, Mount Malibu. Shot girl first, founder of Bird Outdoors second, our lovely Hannah served me my first shot of Malibu in about 15 years, which was actually pretty delightful.

Peak Divide saw me camping overnight in Edale, for the third time ever in my life (and in the last 12 months!) which had mostly chilled vibes (excluding the chaotic egg and spork race) and good food. After clocking 42.4km and over 1000m elevation on day 1, Day 2 was met with beautiful sunny skies; perfect conditions if you did NOT have to run 35km with circa 850m elevation. The second day was HARD, and me and Elle walked the vast majority of the route. With a bad knee, blisters, a rolled ankle combined, at about 10km to go the shuffle to the end began. It wasn't fast nor pretty, but I made it to the finish (conveniently uphill) at Perch Brewhouse in Sheffield, with arguably the most practical medal I’ve ever received: Henderson’s Relish with some purple string.

If I’m honest, imposter syndrome seems to tell me I’m still not a trail runner despite the TWO DAY ULTRA I completed. Despite the ethos of Peak Divide, I left thinking “could I have run this better, or faster?” It is a difficult shift for me mentally to get out of the mindset of running hard and fast without walking, which is completely ok and acceptable to do, especially on the trails. At the end of the day, we are all just out there having a go at new things, trying our best and that’s literally all we can do! I hope with more time and experience I will be able to call myself a trail runner and really feel like one, maybe I should go again next year?!*

For those starting out, you definitely do not need all the latest gear, my Decathlon stuff was more affordable than high end brands, good quality and have served me well so far. For those with no interest in trail running whatsoever, the train from Manchester to Sheffield is just under an hour. 

Thank you to Peak Divide for an unforgettable weekend and to Bird Outdoors for the privilege of representing our wonderful community. I never would've dreamed of being capable of ever doing anything like this. Even though I am fairly  new to Bird Outdoors, it just goes to show what can happen within an empowering and supportive community of women and NB folk!

*note from the editor, she is a trail runner!

Thanks to James Chapman for the fantastic photos.