Sunday 17th May 2026
Round 2 – Esk Valley – Chop Gate
Esk Valley Fell Club look forward to welcoming you to the North York Moors for round 2 of the Junior Championships. We are hosting the races in the quiet village of Chop Gate, the village has a local pub who serve food and drinks (the nearest shops and cash machine are in Stokesley – many of you will drive past on your way to the event).
The event centre is in the Village Hall where we will have “Spill The Bean Coffee Van” and a cake sale raising money for the local Mountain Rescue Team. We are also hoping to have our local running shop Let’s Run attending with a pop up shop (Pete Bland are unavailable).
Please note that there is no Mobile Phone signal at the parking or start / finish fields or village hall, this means cash will be required. Mobile signal is available further up the hill on the moor.
Parking is approx 300m south from registration, please take care walking from parking to registration as this is along the road most people will be driving in on and it doesn’t have a footpath.
The Start / Finish is approx 300m from registration.
Directions
If approaching from Stokesley follow the B1257 through Great Broughton and over the hill, the road descends the valley to the village of Chop Gate. Please drive carefully through the village passing the Pub (The Buck Inn) and village hall on the right hand side. Parking is 300m beyond the village hall in a field on the right.
Registration & Parking
Registration is in the Village Hall marked in green on Map below. All runners must register even if they have a bib from the previous round. Registration will open at 9:30. [Please note: no mobile signal in the area of registration/ start/ finish]
Address: Chop Gate Village Hall, Chop Gate, Middlesbrough TS9 7JW
what3words ///passes.exotic.towers
The Parking field is shown in blue on Map below. Parking has a recommended donation of £5 to Cleveland Mountain Rescue Team, please have cash as no mobile signal for card payments. The entrance to the parking is located at: what3words ///reading.chitchat.hesitate
The Start / Finish area is shown in Yellow on the Map below.
Toilets
Toilets are in the village hall car park, these are a mix of public toilets and portaloo’s.
Race Times
Races will start at 11am and be complete by 2.30pm
| Age Category | Race Start Time | Race Duration | Distance/ Ascent | Race Class |
| U10 | 11:00 | 15-20 mins | 1.1km / 100m | AS/BS |
| U12 | 11:20 | 25-30 mins | 2.6km / 190m | AS |
| U14 | 11:50 | 30-40 mins | 3.9km / 230m | AS |
| U16 | 12:30 | 40-50 mins | 5.3km / 240m | BS |
| U18 | 13:20 | 55-65 mins | 8.0km / 275m | BS |
Race Information
The races will take place on a mix of steep fields and open moorland with a mix of wide stone tracks and single track sections. Please give way to runners heading down hill if you meet on a narrower section.
All courses will be flagged and key turns sign posted you must follow the instructions from marshals.
Due to the event being during the main breeding season for a number of endangered birds we have been asked to ensure that any dogs with spectators are kept on leads. The area you will be running in is home to good numbers of curlew breeding which are red listed, highest conservation concern, as well as golden plover (typically on the higher ridges which have had controlled burns on) as well as lapwing & oyster catchers (typically around the grassy intakes/moorland edge but both them and curlew nest on the burnt Heather areas). We also have ring ouzel, wheatear, skylark, stonechat and luckily a good few pairs of merlin and of course red grouse.
Please ensure all runners keep to the marked routes, especially the main tracks on the moor top for longer routes.
Routes
All routes will be flagged with coloured flags.
| Age Category | Flag Colour | Map |
| U10 | Yellow | U10-U12-U14 Map |
| U12 | Green | U10-U12-U14 Map |
| U14 | Orange | U10-U12-U14 Map |
| U16 | Blue | U16-U18 Map |
| U18/ U20 | Red | U16-U18 Map |
Race Procedure
After runners have registered in the village hall, 10 minutes before the start time they need to be in the holding pen (near the race start)
The runners will be counted / bibs scanned before going to the start line.
Runners will be given a race brief by the Race Organiser before starting.
During the race, runners will be counted through the various checkpoints by marshals.
Once runners pass the finish line, numbers will also be manually recorded to confirm everyone has returned. This is in addition to runners having electronically chipped bibs.
Prizes
Prize vouchers will be available for 1st 3 places male and female in each race.
Results
Results will be published by ‘Crazy Legs Events’ via the FRA website usually on the day of the race.
Race Safety
All runners will receive a race brief on the start line summarising the race route. Also, there will be a reminder that if a runner is injured and cannot continue in the race i.e., ‘DNF’, they must inform a marshal so that everyone is accounted for. Runners will also be reminded to help any other runner who is seriously injured. If another runner is only mildly injured e.g. twisted ankle, racers should alert the next marshal they see on route.
Please note the race route is very steep for all races so good grips are essential. Runners should take extra care on the return leg.
Marshals will be briefed to inform the Race Organiser regarding any injury/incident. Marshals will provide basic first aid with their first aid kit.
If the runner cannot return to the finish unaided, a marshal will call for assistance to help the runner return to the finish.
If the injury is serious and the runner cannot be moved, Mountain Rescue will be contacted by 999.
An ambulance will be called, if required.
A defibrillator will be located at the start/finish area.
Any Questions ?
Please contact Ian Rowan by text, WhatsApp, mobile or email if you have any questions. 07854-912088
Good luck to all runners!
