Dark Peak Juniors meet for a fell run at 9:30-10:30 every Sunday during term time.

Juniors Ethos

We think fell running is fun.

We like running in the Peak, up hills, through puddles, down hills, through mud, over rocks and occasionally up trees.

We don’t care if you’re fast or slow, if you and your child likes the same things, come and join us on a Sunday.

We share a similar ethos to our parent club, Dark Peak Fell Runners – who are one of the country’s longest-standing fell-running clubs, with the largest membership of any fell running club in our area. The iconic DPFR club vest is brown, with purple and gold stripes, representing the colours of Peak District fell running (peat, heather, and hopefully sunshine).

How does it work?

We meet every Sunday morning somewhere in the Peak District. Runs start at 9:30, please arrive and be ready to run by 9:20. We will be back at the cars by approximately 10:30. All details of runs are listed on the DPFR calendar. 

Young people joining us need to be members of Dark Peak. You can join here.(£2 per year). 

Everyone is extremely friendly, please don’t be shy. That said, we’re aware that a group of energetic, excited kids can be worrying to some. If you feel your child might be nervous, we’d be happy to discuss whether there’s anything we can do to make them feel welcome, please get in touch.

Each week you can join one of three groups, colour coded to match the DPFR club vest:

Group	Distance	Description	Recommended age	Supervision
Brown	1 – 2.5 km	Running and games	(Minimum) 6 – 9	Group leader + responsible adult  required for each child/family
Purple	3 – 5km	Running with some games	9 – 12	Group leader + responsible adult  required for each child/family
Yellow	6 – 8km	Mainly running	(Minimum) 12 – 15	Group leader + 1 adult supporter

Other than the minimum ages for yellow and brown groups,  there is no strict rule on which group you should join. Pick a distance you’re comfortable running. If in doubt, try a shorter distance the first few times.

You can sign up each week via the events/calendar page on the website. If you’re on a phone it’s usually easiest to scan down to the event details below the calendar. All children under 12 will need to be accompanied by a parent or guardian on the run. Children over 12 in the yellow group can be dropped off and picked up at the run and will be with a group leader with one other named adult but parents and guardians are still welcome to join them.

If it’s your first time or if there’s anything you’re unsure about , please get in touch so we can find out who you are and your experience, and can make sure that week’s group plan will suit you.

Expectations

The emphasis is very much on fun and adventure on Sunday mornings. We want the kids to have a chance to enjoy themselves in the outdoors without curbing their adventurous spirit.

At the same time we are running in a group and the runs are led by volunteers. We ask designated “responsible adults” to make sure that their young runners are behaving in an appropriate way so that the sessions can run smoothly, everyone can hear instructions and ultimately, everyone has more fun.

We work as a group when we’re running. We ask “responsible adults” to keep an eye on any kids that are near you and offer a guiding hand when necessary – eg. a few words of encouragement if someone’s struggling or keeping an eye out for other path-users and making sure we’re not blocking the way.

We also ask that grown ups accompanying the run set an example by not chatting when the leader is addressing the group.

In short – we ask everyone to treat everyone else with respect.