Greigs Go For Gold In Kielder
'Britain's Most Beautiful Run' was back at the weekend with a romantic twist in the marathon distance...
Blessed with glorious sunshine, thousands of runners turned out in force to take part in the Kielder Marathon Weekend at Northumbrian Water’s Landal Kielder Waterside Park, with the backdrop of the stunning Kielder Reservoir.
In total, some 3,000 people joined in the weekend’s activities which included marathon and half marathon distances as well as junior races and a 10K and Run Bike Run.
In Saturday's 10K event, Mark Snowball of Morpeth Harriers and AC was the first male finisher, crossing the finish line in 35:40 and beating his time of 2021 when he also won. Another member of Morpeth Harriers and AC winning female was Rachelle Falloon with a time of 39:34.
Sunday's marathon winner was Kyle Greig from Metro Aberdeen Running Club, who crossed the finish line in just 2:45:57. Last year’s winner, Russell Maddams, took the runner up spot with a time of 2:48:03 and Mark Hope came third at 3:01:38.
Celebrations in the Greig household must have been big on Sunday night with Debbie Greig coming first in the womens race with a time of 3:07:12. Marathon winner Kyle bought his wife, Debbie, her place for their anniversary and announced that her gift was to have a ‘run around the woods’!
Stefan Szablewski was the winner of the Half Marathon, finishing in 1:15:36 while the first female was Luisa Dorward who crossed the line in 1:25:50.
You can take a look at all the results from Kielder Marathon Weekend via the the runABC results page.
Marcus Cram of Events of the North, said: “It’s been a challenging few years globally, and the importance of exercise to people’s physical and mental wellbeing has never been more evident. So to be able to bring people together to celebrate the joys of running and cycling has resonated more strongly than ever this weekend.
“As always, this amazing venue in Northumberland is a big part of what makes the event so special. It’s been brilliant to see people turn out to take part or to cheer others on, and we hope it’s a reflection of brighter days to come. Once again, Kielder has delivered and we look forward to returning in 2023.”
The Active Northumberland Kielder Marathon weekend is delivered by Events of the North in conjunction with Northumbrian Water, Active Northumberland, Northumberland County Council and Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust.
Mark Warnes of Active Northumberland said: “It has been a joy to be part of Kielder Marathon once again; seeing people of all ages come together to participate, support and enjoy the many events that run across the weekend, including a wellbeing lakeside walk held on Friday by Active Northumberland.
“The record number of participants shows how the event continues to go from strength to strength to celebrate the country’s most picturesque marathon.”
Image: Events Of The North/Northumbrian Water