Race Report: Maverick Peaks Merlin Ultra 55k 2025
- Jen Bloss
- Aug 3
- 8 min read
Because sometimes you need some sheep to cheer you on
How I Picked the Maverick Peaks Merlin Ultra
After my incredible race in Patagonia in May, I found myself curious… could I squeeze in another ultra on short notice? It’s time consuming and difficult to ramp up training from zero to ultra, so I was hoping that I could get one more race out of my current training block. I’m on a mission to run an ultramarathon on every continent, and it bugged me that I had run a marathon in Europe, but not an ultramarathon. So I needed to redo the continent. But because it felt both necessary and superfluous, I didn’t want my European ultra to be a super expensive trip or one with lots of fanfare. So I started searching for a race in the United Kingdom- a location that is easy to get to, easy to get around, and can be done in a short trip. And I found the Maverick Peaks Merlin Ultra, scheduled for just 5 weeks after the Patagonia Running Festival- and it turned out to be a great choice!
Journey to the Start
In the five weeks between races I did my best to both recover and train without getting injured. I ended up with 2 long runs of 11 and 14 miles, and decided it was better to not push my luck on injury by trying to overdo my long runs. In the first week of June, I started my solo journey to England. I always forget how far away Europe is from California. It took almost 2 days between all of it! Anyways, I arrived in the cute little spa town of Buxton, in the UK’s Peak District. I was immediately enamored by the old stone buildings, vibrant green grass and trees, and how walkable the town was. I stayed in an adorable bed and breakfast run by a lovely older couple that made breakfast for me every morning. It felt very iconically British and I loved it.
International Curiosities
I’ve done a couple of races in Europe before, and had a great time at them. Back in 2014, I ran my first international race, the Three Countries Marathon, which goes through Germany, Austria, and Switzerland in one race. And in 2017, I ran the Chester Half Marathon in England. I just love seeing how the running culture is in different places. In Germany, the race didn’t start until a leisurely 10 or 11am, and the aid stations had black tea and non-alcoholic beer, and cheers included a lot of “bravo!” In Chester, I was pleasantly surprised to see the race measured in my familiar miles instead of kilometers, a beautiful medieval town, and cows along the course. Each different place has some fun surprises!
The Maverick Peaks Merlin Ultra had something I have never seen at a race before: a tent at the starting area with the most INCREDIBLE selection of bakery treats I’ve ever seen in my life, people cooking up EGG and BACON sandwiches on a griddle, and barista-made espresso drinks. WHAAATT!!! I definitely bought a pastry for post-race (okay... I ate half of it before the start). As incredible as those eggs & bacon smelled, I couldn’t imagine who would eat that before a run. Maybe that was catering towards the race staff and volunteers?! But nonetheless, it was awesome. Even just the smell made me happy! Anyways, onto the more important race details!
The Race: Logistics
The race was located in Bakewell, a small town about 25 minutes driving from Buxton. The race started and finished at the Bakewell showground, which had free parking. However, I didn’t want to rent a car for this short trip. Aside from it being a hassle, I didn’t want to drive on the opposite side of the road solo when super jetlagged. So, I arranged a taxi on race morning to get to the start. It was ridiculously overpriced ($50), but that was the only option as Uber does not operate there, and I ended up having the nicest driver who was also an ultrarunner! However, the Bakewell Showground was only a 5 minute walk from a bus station. So to get back I just took the bus for about £6, and it was simple. Thankfully the race had a gear check area at the start where I was able to store a bag with clean clothes for after the race.
Side note: Bakewell is also an adorable old English town. I took the bus to Bakewell the day before the race to explore, get a famous Bakewell pudding, and tour the famous Chatsworth House where Pride & Prejudice was filmed. Chatsworth House was spectacular and totally worth the entrance fee. If you come visit the area for the race, definitely take a day to explore Bakewell and Chatsworth!
Race Distances and Check In
The Maverick Peaks Merlin Ultra had 4 race distances: the Ultra Route 101k, Long Route 55k, Middle Route 28k, and Short Route 10k. I chose the Long Route, which had 1214m of elevation gain, 2 ITRA points, and is also a UTMB Index Race. When you check in for the race and get your race number, they also give the Ultra and Long route runners a GPS tracker. If you had purchased a race shirt, you also got that. I’m not a fan of having to spend extra money for a race shirt, but I did anyways since I made a big effort to travel to and run this race. The morning was pretty chilly (50s) and had a light drizzle, but thankfully wasn’t too cold before the start.
An Unusual Pre-Race Briefing
I enjoyed the race instructions and pep talk from the race director as everyone gathered in the starting corral. First of all, we were reminded that we would be running through farms and private land with livestock, so please shut all gates you go through. If you’re nervous about running past cows by yourself, wait for another runner and then go together- something I’ve genuinely never thought about in my life. And the best advice: ask yourself, “What if I can?” Like, “What if I can run a bit faster?” “What if I can go a bit further?” I loved that perspective and reminder, because we all hit low points in races and sometimes forget what we are capable of.
Maverick Peaks Merlin Ultra: The Course
If I had to pick two words to describe the course of the Maverick Peaks Merlin Ultra, they would be: green and sheep. Everything was SO green! Forests, grass, trees! It had been raining during the week and nature had come alive. Also, I’ve never seen so many sheep in my life. They were absolutely everywhere, baa-ing along like they were cheering on the runners.
A English Delight for an American Runner
I just couldn’t stop thinking to myself how British this race was- it felt like I was in a movie. The countryside was wide open expanses of hills and grass with stone boundary fences running up the hills. Quaint stone homes. Sheep and cows. And LOTS of gates. We ran up on ridges with views all around. We encountered people on their weekend walks in the hills with off-leash dogs jumping in mud puddles and having the time of their lives. Much to my delight, the race course actually went in front of the Chatsworth House! It was amazing to run along its entire length and see it before the front lawn gets covered in cars. And in true English fashion, it never got hot and we had a few bouts of rain during the race.
An Adventure of Many Terrains
The course was very diverse. There were pine forests, fern forests, and uh, normal forests we got to run through. Some brief sections of roads through little villages. We ran on a lot of grass too, which actually feels like nice soft padding during a long race. However, there were SO. MANY. ROCKS. One section on top of a big ridge was very flat, but impossible to pick up speed on, because there were so many rocks to navigate. It felt like you almost had to be a ballerina in order to find the right spots for footing. It actually made me quite nervous, and I was so thankful when I completed that section. And while the course was hilly, I found that the hills were relatively runnable. Not the whole thing, but sections of each hill, for sure. They didn’t seem as steep in person as the race profile makes them look. However, I rarely pass up an opportunity for a good power-hike!
The last few miles of the race are on a flat, packed trail. This is especially nice because it was easy, reliable footing for the end of the race when your legs are just barely holding on!
Aid Stations and Post-Race Area
I was very excited when I saw the aid station spread at this race. Again, delightfully British! Jaffa cakes, Jamaican ginger cake, Haribo Starmix, Soreen Maltloaf, Custard Cremes and Bourbons, TUC biscuits. But also fruit and PB&J sandwiches, plus some other standard fare. It was a cupless race, per usual these days. The nutrition company for the race was called Styrkr. I didn’t try their electrolyte drink, but I did try a gel and wasn’t a fan. The wafer cream cookies really hit the spot for me this time. I relied mostly on my own supply of snacks, like Tailwind and GU Roctane drink mix, a selection of leftover gels from my closet, Little Debbie snacks, Pop-Tarts, and gummy worms. Definitely going to retire some of the Little Debbie snacks from my repertoire now and put them in the “I’m SO over it” category. Sometimes a snack is a winner for a while, and then something just tips it over the edge and you can never eat it again.
The aid stations were well stocked, but they could have improved on their efficiency. There was usually just one jug of water and one jug of electrolytes. So a giant line would form at the water as everyone was refilling their large water vessels, which is a slow process. Several of the aid stations had toilets, and the 26 mile aid station had a REAL bathroom in a building with running water! Oh how I value being able to actually wash my hands!
Post-Race Amenities
In the Bakewell Showground post-race, the bakery & coffee tent was still going, but the pizza truck was also now in business. The pizza was delicious, and really hit the spot! It only took a few minutes to make and was reasonably priced. There were also some non-alcoholic beers and protein drinks from sponsors. Also, there was a massage tent! I really wanted to partake, but part of me just felt too gross for it, even after changing my clothes. I feel bad for the physios that sign up to work with all the sweaty runners haha. There was a brief but torrential downpour about 20 minutes after I finished. I was SO glad to not be out there in it. Thankfully there were some covered spots under a tent to seek refuge and eat pizza in, and I hung out there until it was time to catch the bus back to Buxton.
Maverick Peaks Merlin Ultra 55k: the Overall Experience
This race just felt like an adventure! The geography changed so much throughout the race that it stayed interesting the whole time. The race was very well organized, the aid stations well stocked, and there were lots of friendly people. And lots of friendly sheep. I loved the Britishness of it all too- it definitely added an element of fun for me. I met some lovely runners along the way that I chatted with here and there to pull me out of the tough moments when my mind started to get a bit negative. The weather was often overcast and in the 60sF, which is pretty cool for a summer race! There were some moments of sun and also bouts of rain, most of which were pretty light while I was on the course. The Maverick Race Series has so many races in the UK and they all seem pretty cool, I would definitely want to return one day and run another one!
And next time, I’m buying more pastries at the start.
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