Beverley Athletic Club’s Darren Rodmell also recorded a new personal best for a marathon last weekend. He crossed the finishing line in Windermere in 3:12:30, three seconds faster than his previous best which was set in Windermere last year.
He finished in the top fifty overall and was 23rd in his age category. He said “I felt like I was running well for twenty miles but the last six were tough and that last hill was one too many!”
Hills feature strongly on the scenic marathon course which follows the roads around Lake Windermere. Serious hills at 3 and 7½ miles test the fitness of runners early in the race and the series of challenging climbs between 14 and 16 miles forces them to dig deep into their reserves of physical and mental stamina.
Fortunately weather conditions were very good. Although there was a lot of wind and rain during the weekend, the rain stopped before the race and the route was sheltered from the wind.
There were 677 finishers and the race was won by Stephen Littler of Wesham Road Runners in 2:32:08. The first lady was Nicola Shaw in 3:11:53.
Reported by Kay Farrow