Kielder stalwarts set for their 11th marathon run

Among them will be 19 stalwarts who have already tackled the course and beaten it ten times before.

When the last of those 19 crosses the line, they will have achieved a combined 5,434 miles of Britain’s Most Beautiful Marathon – each having run every one of the 26-mile races since the event was launched in 2010.

That’s 11 times up the mighty Bull Crag, 11 times across Kielder Dam, 11 times around the twists and turns, ups and downs, ins and outs of Kielder Water’s gruelling north shore.

But it will also be 286 miles each of running through some of Britain’s most stunning scenery.

The Active Northumberland Kielder Marathon is run by Events of the North, a company led by Olympians Steve Cram and Allison Curbishley, supported by event hosts Northumbrian Water, as well as Northumberland County Council, Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, and Active Northumberland.

Steve Cram said: “To complete the Active Northumberland Kielder Marathon once is a brilliant achievement. To do it 11 times is absolutely incredible and these 19 runners are awe-inspiring. There is something in them that just makes them want to do this again and again and we love them for it.

“Seeing people come back year after year is just brilliant – it’s part of what makes you know you’ve got an amazing event on your hands.

"Some of the ever-present group travel to Northumberland from outside of the region, from Scotland, Lancashire and South Yorkshire, joining those who live in the North East and celebrate their region – this beautiful part of the country – in this way.

“We are sure the knowledge that they will get a fantastic welcome as they approach and cross the finish line will spur them on all the way and we wish them all the best of luck on October 3rd.”

Places are still available for the Kielder Marathon, Half Marathon, 10k and Run Bike Run, which take place across the weekend of October 2 and 3. For more information, visit www.kieldermarathon.com.