This year there are three marathons in the same place in the north east. This might appear to be a bit disappointing, but its at Kielder Water and the route is almost entirely off road with a surface which is very comfortable to run on and the scenery is just stunning.
The first one was today and was for 100 marathon club members only. However, buried deeply in the entry form was the qualification that guests could run if there are any places left (there was an entry limit of 50). I asked if I could be a guest and I got in. It was also free, I just needed to take some cake to share with everybody afterwards. This is definitely my sort of marathon. Having done the first event last September, I remembered that it was an undulating course, but it seemed much harder this time. It was certainly windier today. We also started at the top of the reservoir and ran the longer south side first. However the north side is more undulating than the south side and it was into the wind, so it felt pretty tough, I was surprised how tired I was at the end.
My time 5hr 9min, was possibly a bit slower than last time, but it was a longer run today as a bit was added on to ensure that it was at least marathon length. The 100 marathon club members were very welcoming. It was a small field, 20 or so runners.
Lots of folk brought food and there was way too much. I hope they do this again next year, I like these low key events
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