The Future of Peak Running: A Journey of Community and Adventure

Back in the Spring edition of DOACIC, I shared that we’d been doing some deep thinking about the future of Peak Running. We want to keep supporting the amazing community around us, even with our limited resources.

Part of that reflection has been about going back to our roots — the passions and values that sparked this whole thing in the first place. We've learned so much over the past nine years.

A lot has changed in that time, both for us and in the world around us! So, in this edition of DOACIC, I’ll take you through that journey – the thought process, the lessons, and, most importantly, the plans for the next chapter.

Why I Started Peak Running

Our little enterprise was born out of my desire to help people improve their lives through the simple act of going outdoors and putting one foot in front of the other.

I felt it should be something that enriched people’s lives for many years to come. It’s not just about chasing fast times, longer distances, or medals. Health, mental well-being, and self-confidence are at least as important as physical fitness gains.

This belief comes from my own lived experience. I've seen the amazing things that any “ordinary” person can achieve over time if they set their mind to it. Unfortunately, I’ve also watched too many in the running community push too hard, too soon. They often end up injured and frustrated because they followed advice that wasn’t quite right for them.

Much of the advice out there is well-intentioned. But, especially with the rise of the internet, the amount of it instantly available can be overwhelming. Most of it is aimed at growing social media followings and selling products rather than helping individuals. As a result, there’s more contradiction and confusion about the best ways to run faster or further.

So, the idea behind Peak Running was to strip all that back and focus on the basic things that help us thrive as human beings. These are:

Time and Space

Finding the time and space—physically and mentally—within your already busy life to do something for you.

Health

Putting your long-term health first, rather than smashing ourselves into the ground in pursuit of short-term goals or kudos.

Enjoyment

Approaching it in a way you genuinely find enjoyable.

While all these aspects are equally important, if I had to single one out as the most crucial, it would be enjoyment. You’re much more likely to find space for something in your life if you enjoy it. Plus, you’re less likely to take risks with your health if it might stop you from doing what you love.

Experience and observation over the past 30-odd years have shown me that running—and any other outdoor pursuits, for that matter—is something people usually enjoy most when three aspects come together in someone’s life, like a kind of Venn diagram.

Of course, we can’t have all of the above all the time. But finding opportunities to bring two or more of them together regularly makes the magic happen.

So, in a nutshell, what I set out to do with Peak Running was to (i) bring people together and enable them to feel part of a community, (ii) show them wonderful places to explore, and (iii) equip them to have their own adventures.

This formula not only enriches lives but can also lead to people achieving things they didn’t previously believe possible because of improved fitness and skills.

What We’ve Learned Along the Way

Having looked back at the ‘why’ and what I believed back then, it turns out not much has really changed. If anything, those ideas have become even more solid.

But wow! We’ve learned a heck of a lot along the way. The experience has shaped how we see things now and our plans for the future.

There’s way too much to unpack everything here, but here are the big takeaways.

Organising Races

Since the early days, organising races has been part of what we do for three main reasons:

1. To bring the community together in person.

2. To give people opportunities to challenge themselves, have a bit of an adventure, and see what their improved fitness and knowledge could help them achieve.

3. To generate funds to support our mission—helping as many people in our community as possible to enrich their lives through being active outdoors.

   
   

I think we’ve done a pretty good job of the first two! We’ve built some fantastic events that brought people together and inspired countless achievements.

However, the third goal has proved tougher than it might have looked from the outside. Staying true to our values as a social enterprise means we’re not about chasing profit. But the effort, time, and mental energy that goes into organising events and managing the risks involved is huge compared to what they bring in. It can leave us feeling stretched thin and without enough capacity to focus on the community work that was the main point in the first place.

Plus, we noticed that many people saw us as an events company that did a bit of community work on the side, rather than a community organisation that happened to put on a few events. That didn’t sit quite right.

While we could have predicted it, the truth is that the events industry has changed massively since we started. Covid, the cost-of-living crisis, rising costs, more red tape, and the rise of big commercial operators have all made things much harder for small, non-profit organisers like us.

Changes to the World Around Us

Since I first sent a form off to Companies House in 2016 to register Peak Running as an entity, lots has changed in many ways.

The number of people out running on the trails, hills, and moorland in our area has increased massively. Whether recreationally or taking part in fell, trail, and ultra running events, it’s been wonderful to see many people in our community progress on their own journeys. For many of them, they’ve become an inspiration to others who were perhaps nervous about stepping out of their comfort zone.

I’d like to think we’ve played a small part in this increase locally. But there are lots of other factors at play too. Not least the massive advancements in kit, technology, and resources out there. These advancements have made it much easier for people to feel able to head out there themselves, without the support of a guide or coach.

These advancements are fantastic on one hand, as they enable many more people to enjoy the benefits of exploring the great outdoors. But they also pose a threat for those who make a living in the ‘outdoor’ industry.

Joining Forces with Jog Derbyshire

When they decided to close at the end of 2022, Community Sports Trust CIC (known as Shift Together in its latter years) approached us about taking on the role of supporting the Jog Derbyshire network of community jogging groups.

It made perfect sense for us to continue their work, which was funded by Derbyshire County Council, as our ethos and goals aligned well. This meant the initiative could continue to thrive.

Since then, lots of good things have come from that move. However, as is often the case when two well-established names come together, it’s been challenging for everyone to understand how the pieces fit.

By design, Jog Derbyshire groups operate quite independently, which is brilliant because it means they can shape things to suit their own communities. But it also means that some people still see Peak Running and Jog Derbyshire as totally separate entities.

For many participants, that distinction might not matter much. But, for us, it’s important to make the connection clear. Everyone should understand that there’s one shared mission.

Words Matter, and So Do First Impressions

We’ve become increasingly aware that the term ‘running’ (and putting the word Peak in front of it) can be off-putting for those at the beginning of their physical fitness journey, especially if they don’t know us well.

The word ‘Jog’ can also be off-putting for both newbies to physical activity who may perceive jogging as too hard for them, and experienced runners who may not want to be seen as merely joggers.

The truth is that we’ve always been strong advocates of walking. Walking helps build the foundations for running, or it can be enjoyable in its own right. We’ve also preached the value of jogging. Quite simply, you can’t run before you can walk, and jogging is just low-intensity running—not really about speed.

Many people who have become part of the Peak Running and/or Jog Derbyshire communities over the years have shown us that they want purely walking and hiking activities. These activities provide an accessible way for those who can’t run to get involved and can also be enjoyable for those who can but want to enjoy things at a more leisurely pace sometimes.

While it’s really only semantics, what people perceive from their first contact with our name, website, socials, etc., is important for us. We’ve been giving a lot of thought to how our names and branding can better reflect what we’re all about.

Mental Health & Wellbeing Matters a Lot

Way back in the last century—long before the idea of Peak Running came about—I realised that getting out for a run or walk was really good for my head as well as my body. I noticed that, no matter how stressed, anxious, or mentally drained I felt from work or other things that life threw at me, getting outdoors for some exercise always lifted the weight.

I became an advocate of its mental health benefits, and when Peak Running came to life 20-odd years later, it naturally became an important part of the equation. This led to what became referred to as ‘Trail Therapy’.

The Covid pandemic reinforced these ideas. During that period, many of us realised that simply being able to get outside for some exercise was not just a pastime but actually a lifeline. It became essential for our well-being to have the freedom to explore beyond our immediate surroundings and to spend time with people outside our ‘bubble’ (remember them!).

The downtime of lockdown sparked a curiosity to explore and understand more about why these factors are so important to us. We want to weave those lessons into what we do to support our community going forward.

Personal Impact

Those of you who know me well will understand that Peak Running was a passion project I hoped would make a positive difference for people, not for personal gain. But, such is the “don’t do things by half” part of my personality, before I knew it, I’d thrown my life at it, and it had become a full-time pursuit—and more!

It turns out there’s a big issue with driving so hard in pursuit of a passion. This is common among founders of small businesses. It becomes all-consuming, and you can’t switch off from it. There’s always more you could do and a multitude of things to worry about.

As a result, the passion that was your ‘escape’ to help keep your mental well-being on an even keel becomes your main source of stress and anxiety too.

I recognised a while ago that this was becoming a reality for me, which is kind of ironic, really—especially when much of what we were doing was designed to help people with their mental well-being.

I had consciously started working towards reducing my workload and handing much of the control to others. I hoped this would enable the enterprise to live on for many years to come without reliance on me. It would also help me get a better balance in life, maintain my health, and retain my passion.

The process sounds easy, but, to be honest, it’s really hard in reality. While I’m still seen as one of the leaders of the organisation, I’ll always feel the weight of accountability for its success on my shoulders. Others will look to me to provide energy and direction.

I’ve been pondering how long I wanted to continue at the helm of Peak Running for a while. A recent climbing accident, which resulted in a triple leg fracture, has put me out of action for an extended period and really brought that question into focus.

I’ve decided to step down as a director and relinquish my formal involvement with Peak Running CIC at the end of this year.

In the short term, I’ll be taking some time to focus on my rehab and some long-overdue personal admin around the house. In the longer term, I hope to be back out and about in the great outdoors with friends, doing the things I love. I also hope to be involved in the running, jogging, hiking, and walking community as a volunteer in various ways.

Basically, I want to practice what I preach and gain enjoyment from the people, places, and adventure paradigm explained above.

My personal plans don’t really alter the strategy for the future of the enterprise, which will be taken forward by my very capable colleagues, Lucy Bartles, Joy Walton-Power, and Chris Frost, as explained below.

The Template for the Future

So, bearing all the above in mind, and after talking to lots of people in our community, here’s an outline of the strategy going forward.

Community Commitment

The work to support and develop our community will be front and centre of what the organisation does. This will address the perception that we’re primarily an event organiser.

As explained back in March, we will scale back on the breadth of things the organisation does, particularly the number of races/events organised under the Peak Running name.

However, we are endeavouring to keep the legacy of what we’ve created alive through partnering with other organisers and supporting local groups and individuals that share our ethos in hosting events that appeal to our community members.

Group Development and Support

The backbone of our offering going forward will be the support role to the Jog Derbyshire groups and the community-focused activities that come under the ‘Trail Therapy’ umbrella. These include bRUNch Club, Feel Good in the Forest, Walking Talking Tuesday, and Men’s Movement.

The aim is for all these activities to remain free or very low-cost to participate in, delivered by licensed volunteer leaders. Any surplus funds, including profits generated from races/events, will be used for:

• Expanding and developing the knowledge and skills of our volunteer workforce, who we see as the most important people in delivering our mission.

• Initiatives to enable more people to participate in these activities, particularly those from harder-to-reach communities, which we can only do thanks to our volunteers.

• Enabling groups to improve and expand what they do, such as including walking-only activities and/or activities in green spaces.

  
  

Exercise by Referral / Social Prescribing

We’ve been working behind the scenes on a better system for supporting people with health conditions to become more physically active, in conjunction with various partner organisations.

A key part of this is moving from a system where referring people to gym or pool-based activities for a set number of sessions is the norm, to one where they are supported to become members of community-based activity groups like those organised by Peak Running/Jog Derbyshire.

The benefits of doing this are obvious to us, but there’s still a lot of work to do to make it happen. So, it will need to be a key part of our focus going forward.

Training and Education

Investing our efforts and resources in the knowledge and skills of our volunteers and participants—many of whom we hope will become future volunteers—remains a key part of our strategy for the future. Quite simply, it’s essential for the other parts of the strategy to succeed.

Going forward, this will include courses and materials available to help develop our volunteer workforce, and potentially paid courses and materials available to the public.

As is the case already, it will involve a mixture of activities delivered directly by us (such as co-leader training) and facilitating access to training by external providers (such as run leader, first aid, and mental health first aid).

Names and Branding

For the reasons mentioned earlier, we’ve been pondering for a while whether the names Peak Running and Jog Derbyshire are right for the future or if they’re off-putting for much of our target audience.

While some ideas have been kicked around, no firm decisions have been made as yet. Given the changes in the organisation—i.e., my departure—it’s sensible that this be something developed further by the team, in consultation with the community, in the new year.

Future Leadership

As mentioned above, my colleagues Lucy Bartles, Joy Walton-Power, and Chris Frost will continue as the operational leaders of the organisation.

So, notwithstanding the fact that we’d been going through a period of evolution anyway, it will be business as usual for Peak Running and Jog Derbyshire for the time being.

Thank You!

Thank you for reading this much longer than intended edition of DOACIC. I felt obliged to give you guys an explanation of what’s going on. It’s been quite a journey over the past nine years, and it’s hard to distil things down into a few words.

Finally, I’d like to say a huge heartfelt thank you to all the wonderful people who have helped and supported me during my journey with Peak Running over the years. It’s been a blast and so rewarding in many ways. Not least to meet and become friends with lots of inspirational people and to watch many friendships blossom between those who have met through our various activities.

It's not a goodbye from me, though—just a change in role. I intend to remain part of the community and hope to be back as a participant and volunteer as soon as my creaky old body allows it!

Have a great Christmas and best wishes for 2026 and beyond.

Andy

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