White Peak Marathon 16 May 2009 Gavin Long reports: It is definitely a course with PB potential. Entirely off-road, the surface is hard packed limestone and cinder on former railway tracks which make road shoes ideal. The first 21 miles is an almost imperceptible incline along the Tissington and High Peak Trails. It then shoots down dramatically in 3 steep stages before a final half mile along the canal. They also offer a half-marathon (known as a ‘Swift Half’), which is almost guaranteed to give you a PB. I started off a bit too slowly and couldn’t really get into the pace I wanted. I reached halfway in 2:03, so at least my first ever negative split was on the cards. I ran the next 7 miles at a decent pace with a guy running his 496th marathon - “they never get any easier” he told me. Unfortunately, my thigh pinged at mile 21, just before the downhills. I hobbled across the finish line in 3:55.