Races

QUID GAMES: The Dark Edition 18.01.25

Are you ready to break free from the ordinary?

From the team that brought you Podium 5K and in partnership with British Orienteering, Quid Games is here to shake up the trail running world with a fast-paced, fun, and utterly unique races.

The aim of the games is to inspire and encourage athletes of every age and ability to try something new and really put Orienteering on the map! (excuse the intentional pun!).

Get ready to experience the next evolution of adventure running - let the Games begin!

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Image credit: Nathan Phua

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Quid Games: The Dark Edition 18.01.2025

Our inaugural event, The Dark Edition was held on Saturday 18th January 2025, at Broughton Hall Estate, near Skipton, with top-tier sponsorship from Silva, Rab, SCARPA and OTE Sports Nutrition.

The race started and finished in our event village, with the opportunity for all entrants to test the latest Silva headtorches, Rab apparel, SCARPA footwear and products from OTE. We also had some HUGE prizes on offer, including a total of £700 SportsShoes vouchers, the latest range of Silva head torches, plus ££££'s of Rab apparel, SCARPA footwear and OTE Sports Nutrition.

We were also joined by North Pizza, arguably the best in the Yorkshire Dales!

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The Concept

A race with equal parts of thrill, strategy, and mystery, The Dark Edition challenged athletes to think on their feet and outpace the competition—all whilst navigating the stunning Broughton Hall Estate through an unpredictable series of checkpoints and surprises.

With just 60 minutes on the clock, 10 secret checkpoints to find and all loaded with incredible prizes from our sponsors. Each control was worth 10 points, with a maximum score of 100 points. As this was a score event, checkpoints could be visited in any order, so it meant planning your race strategy the moment you picked up a map.

It wasn't just about crossing the finish line—it was about how you played the game.

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Image credit: Nathan Phua

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This race was cleverly designed for athletes of every age and ability, but it was also the perfect chance to test your navigation skills and race against some of the very best orienteers, road, trail and mountain runners in the country.

We invited some of the UK's elite athletes from every discipline, plus one very special guest - Olympian Alistair Brownlee!

But, the question on everyone's lips - who would come out on top?

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Image credit: Nathan Phua

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The Race

After a 'perfectly planned' frantic and chaotic start, our runners headed off in every possible direction and compass bearing (for those who knew how to use them!) and it was a joy to watch!

Some aiming for the overall win and the biggest prize pot, whilst others opted for a different race strategy, instead heading straight to a particular control to try and grab individual prizes from the brand sponsored checkpoints.

In the men's race, it was GB orienteer and HOKA athlete Kris Jones, who really showed his class, blowing away his nearest rivals towards the end of the race and claiming 1st place overall in a mind-boggling time of 25:53!

Young orienteer Euan Tryner was in hot pursuit, narrowly beating the experienced Jonathan Crickmore by 3 seconds to claim 2nd place on the podium. The pair running 26:05 and 26:08 respectively.

The elder statesmen of the Leeds City A.C Harriers, Graham Rush, claimed the win in the veteran class, finishing in 5th place overall in a time of 26:13. He was just 5 seconds quicker than Olympian Alistair Brownlee, with less then a minute separating the top 9 men!

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Pictured: Kris Jones being interviewed by Ben Mounsey at the finish. Image credit: Nathan Phua

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The women's race was just as exciting to watch.

With former World Orienteering champion, Megan Mitchell, sidelined with injury, it was difficult to choose a pre-race favourite. In the end, the star of the show was young GB orienteer Niamh Hunter, who claimed a famous victory in our inaugural Quid Games event. She ran an incredible time of 31:03 and finished in 17th place overall!

Joining her on the podium was New Zealand orienteer, Laura Robertson in 31:15 and Fiona Bunn, a household name in British Orienteering, just 14 seconds behind in 31:29.

And it was Heather Roome who emerged victorious in the women's veteran category, clocking a seriously impressive 38:21, over two minutes ahead of her nearest rival, local legend Lucy Needham.

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Pictured: Niamh Hunter being interviewed by Ben Mounsey at the finish. Image credit: Nathan Phua

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Missed out on all the action and want to see what Quid Games is all about?

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Click here to watch our event reel

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Click here to view images of the event by Nathan Phua

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Click here to view images of the event by Jamie Rutherford

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Please credit both photographers if you use any of their images online.

We would also appreciate you tagging and following the Quid Games instagram account and those of the photographers (links provided above) - sharing is caring!

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The Results: Quid Games The Dark Edition 2025

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Are you ready to break free from the ordinary?
Do you want to compete in the next edition of the Games?
Keep an eye on our site and socials for future announcements!
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SportsShoes is committed to organising the most exciting and unique races, whether it's on the track, road or trail. Keen to find out more? Then check out our Races category for more information about events, latest news and results. Because it's no fun standing still.