Veteran runner urges people to join her for the Kielder Marathon weekend

The Kielder Marathon weekend will return in October, with a marathon, half marathon, 10K, run-bike-run, and a series of junior runs.

Judith Sadler, of Great Whittington, has decided to celebrate her 70th birthday by recruiting 69 companions to join her in one of the races and met up with Kielder Marathon founder Steve Cram and event partners to encourage more aspiring athletes to get involved.

Founded in 2010 and dubbed ‘Britain’s most beautiful’, the Kielder Marathon weekend now attracts over 3,500 participants for a series of races. The event will take place on October 5-6 at Kielder Waterside Park.

The event is being organised by Events of the North, in partnership with Northumbrian Water, Northumberland County Council, healthcare charity Bright Northumbria, and Places Leisure.

Along with leading club athletes from around the region and further afield, many who take part will be there to achieve a personal goal, or to raise money for good causes, such as baby loss charity 4Louis, the event’s official charity partner.

Judith will tackle the Kielder 10K to celebrate her 70th birthday and as part of a fundraising drive for Alive and Kicking, a social enterprise that supports sustainable employment in Zambia and Kenya.

She said: “I only started running in my 50s and I’ve since experienced the positive impact that getting so active has had on my physical and mental health.

“I want to do what I can to encourage more people to try running for themselves and that’s what inspired the idea of bringing together 70 runners for events over the Kielder Marathon weekend.

“There are races for everyone and it’s such a beautiful place to run, so please join us, or just sign up separately and we’ll see you there.”

Cram said: “Judith is a brilliant example of someone who has found running relatively late, but is making the absolute most of what the sport offers.

“I echo her call to runners of all ages and abilities to join us at the Kielder Marathon weekend in October. We’ve got an option for all of you.”

For more information and to book a place, visit www.kieldermarathon.com