The DOUBLE Yorkshire 3 Peaks FKT

Think of Strava segments and you're probably imagining a short fast sprint on the road or a lung-busting effort on a trail. For most of us mere mortals, this would pose enough of a challenge. But for Salomon ambassador Nigel Hockin and fellow trail runner Jordan Eastwood, something so short would merely be classed as a warm-up.

Not satisfied with aiming for the fastest loop of the Yorkshire 3 Peaks (Y3P), this dynamic duo decided to set the bar a little higher, as they looked to break the FKT for the DOUBLE Y3P! That's right, two back-to-back loops of Yorkshire's most famous trail circuit, 48.5 miles in distance with over 10,000ft of climbing!

Historically, Jordan had the FKT in 2020, running it in 9 hours and 52 minutes. However, it was broken two weeks later by Andrew Hyde in a time of 9 hours and 13 minutes. In 2021, Paul Haigh set a new record of 8 hours, 53 minutes, and 43 seconds.

This was the time to beat!
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We spoke to Nigel about their bold attempt;

After a year of racing in the Salomon Golden Trail National Series, we wanted to see the year out with an FKT attempt. Both being from Yorkshire, the home of the famous 12-hour walking challenge, as well as us both of us having previously raced the route before, with Jordan in the Pennine Barrier 50-mile ultra and myself in the Yorkshire 3 Peaks race, it had a special place in our hearts and we wanted to go back and reclaim the record for Jordan.

We began our attempt in November at 8am to make the most of daylight. Our plan was to go fast on the first loop and expect a slower pace on the second. We finished the first loop in 3 hours, 44 minutes, ranking 6th on the "Yorkshire 3 Peaks Challenge Official" Strava segment, surpassing our expectations considering the muddy terrain from recent heavy rain slowing us down with less response on the flats and less grip downhill. This said, the Salomon Thundercross, with 5mm lugs, was the perfect shoe of choice, because it has a high-level of cushioning, ideal for the harder ground on flagged and road sections. The soft upper also provided comfort and added protection from the endless time spend on our feet.

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Starting the second loop was the bit we both feared the most mentally. Our strategy was to keep a steady pace with minimal breaks for refuelling. It worked, as we ate quickly at the points where we had organised support and kept a steady pace where we could move well. Although we kept going whole way, as expected the second loop was slower and we finished it in just over 4 and a half hours, making a new time to beat for the Yorkshire Three Peaks Double FKT* of 8:31:19.

*This record attempt has since been verified - click here to view.

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SportsShoes would like to congratulate Nigel and Jordan on their incredible new FKT for the Double Yorkshire Three Peaks.

Click here find out more about the Salomon Thundercross in our in-depth review.

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