Dales Traverse
- Total distance: 55 km
- Location: Kirkby Stephen
- Race Date: 4 Apr 2027
- Finish rate: 96%
- Entry Cost: £105
- Nearest Station: Kirkby Stephen East (1.9 km)
- Pacing Complexity: High (59/100)
Dales Traverse
- Distance
- 55 km
- Total ascent
- 1,688 m
- Town/Village
- Kirkby Stephen
- Date
- 4 April 2027
- Entry cost
- £105
Overview
No overview text has been written for this race yet.
Quick Facts
- Entrance Cost: £105
- Organiser: Ultra X
- Start Town: Kirkby Stephen
- Dogs Allowed: Unknown
- Start Date: 4 Apr 2027
- End Date: 4 Apr 2027
- Start Time: Unknown
- Final Cut-off: Unknown
Navigation
- Type: Unknown
- Closest Train Station: Kirkby Stephen East
- Distance from Start Line: 1.9 km
Eligibility
- Minimum Age: 18 years
- Gender Eligibility: All genders
- Minimum Entry Criteria: Unknown
Toilets
- Hand Washing Beyond Sanitiser: Unknown
- Period Products Provided: Unknown
- Female Only Toilets: Unknown
Family & Spectators
- Baby Changing at Start: Unknown
- Family Friendly Spectator Areas: Unknown
- Flexible Deferral or Cancellation: Unknown
Safety
- Marshalls at Isolated Areas: Unknown
- Safeguarding and Reporting Policy: Unknown
- Can Hide Location from Public Tracking: Unknown
Terrain & Elevation
The course covers a genuine mix of surfaces, with gravel (41%) and trail (32%) being the most common and neither clearly dominating. The terrain is highly fragmented, switching roughly every kilometre. This demands constant mental engagement and limits the ability to build a sustained rhythm from surface consistency alone. The longest unbroken stretch is 5.3 km of gravel. Climbs are mostly on gravel, though the surface varies across the ascents. Downhills are spread across a mix of surfaces, with gravel most common.
Dales Traverse has 20.7 km of gravel / track, this is in the top 32% of all our races.
- Gravel / Track41% · 20.7 km
- Trail / Path32% · 16.1 km
- Paved Road22% · 11.3 km
- Grass5% · 2.4 km
- Sand0% · 0.2 km
- Rocky0% · 0.2 km
Distance
53.6 km
Ascent
1688 m
Descent
1766 m
High Point
661 m
Compared against 27 other races of a similar distance, Dales Traverse has more total elevation gain than 70% of them, and more elevation gain per kilometre than 67% of them — hillier than most races of this distance.
Source: GPX Data
Gradient
7.32%
Average climb gradient
Do you have experience of moderate climbs like Dales Traverse's, which average 7.32%?
Dales Traverse's climbs average 7.32%. If your training never rehearses sustained climbing at that gradient, race day will be the first time your legs meet it.
4.82%
Average descent gradient
Do you have experience of gentle descents like Dales Traverse's, which average 4.82%?
Dales Traverse's descents average 4.82%. If your training never rehearses sustained descending at that gradient, the downhills will empty your quads long before the finish.
Source: GPX Data
Climate
Pacing Complexity
Dales Traverse scores 59/100 for pacing complexity, rated high.
Similar-distance races score a median of 51/100 (5 races compared).
Dales Traverse is among the more pacing-complex races at this distance. The challenge is not just the total distance or ascent — it is the repeated need to change effort level. A fixed pace target is unlikely to work here. The dominant source of complexity is terrain type changes, which means preparation should include training runs that deliberately mix different intensities in sequence.
Source: GPX Data
Aid Stations
No aid station data available for this race yet.
Are you ready for Dales Traverse?
Compare it to a race you've already run, or connect Strava and see the three biggest gaps between your training and what this course will ask of you.
