Kielder Marathon organisers are thanking everyone who helped make the Active Northumberland Kielder Marathon Weekend such a huge success.
More than 3,000 runners took part in Britain’s Most Beautiful running events over the two days and in front of around 9,500 spectators at Northumbrian Water’s Kielder Waterside site.
Crowds were treated to fantastic weather, stunning scenery and amazing performances by athletes in a series of events including the 10k, the Run Bike Run, the Half Marathon and the Marathon.
Junior events were also held at the Kielder Waterside site on the Sunday (8 October).
More than 200 race volunteers gave their own time to help organisers marshal the course and keep events, and runners, on track.
The Active Northumberland Kielder Marathon Weekend 2017 is run by Events of the North, a company led by Olympians Steve Cram and Allison Curbishley, in conjunction with Northumbrian Water, Active Northumberland, and Northumberland County Council.
Other key partners involved in the running of the event included the BBC who broadcasted radio shows live from the site on both days and Look North on Marathon day, and The Forestry Commission who supported the delivery of the event with key personnel and the new Greenside car park at Kielder Waterside.
Race Director Steve Cram said: “The Active Northumberland Kielder Marathon weekend was a resounding success for everyone involved. The weather was fantastic all weekend and led to some great conditions for the runners, which we saw with some fantastic performances and timings in the events.
“I’d like to thank everybody involved throughout the weekend for their hard work. Our volunteers did an exceptional job keeping everything running smoothly and ensuring the weekend was a success.
“I’d also like to thank our partners at Northumberland Council, Active Northumberland, Northumbrian Water, The Forestry Commission and everyone else who came together and worked with us on bringing the event back for 2017. Without all of their help the event wouldn’t happen and you should all be very proud of what we achieved.
“Lastly, I’d like to thank the runners for coming and taking part in the Marathon Weekend, and all of their friends and families and supporters, they ensured that the whole weekend was fun and that there was a great atmosphere throughout.”
Northumberland County Councillor Cath Homer, cabinet member with responsibility for leisure said: “From start to finish it was a brilliant weekend. Kielder is such a unique location and thousands of people have travelled far and wide to come to Northumberland to take part - which is fantastic for the county, the surrounding rural businesses and for the many charities that will benefit through fund raising. Well done to everyone who took part and to all those involved in the organisation of such a fantastic event.”
David Hall, Head of Leisure Strategy at Northumbrian Water, said: “We are delighted with how the weekend went. It was fantastic to see Kielder Waterside thriving and so busy on both days and the lake is the perfect setting and backdrop for the weekend’s events.
“It’s an honour and a pleasure for us host the Kielder Marathon Weekend and I hope everyone who was at Kielder at the weekend enjoyed themselves as much as we did.”
To see images and videos from the weekend visit www.kieldermarathon.com or check out Northumbrian Water’s Facebook and Twitter accounts.
Link to final best bits video from the weekend - https://youtu.be/PeDZ1W0JAiA