Windermere Marathon

The Windermere Marathon is a point-to-loop road marathon around England's largest lake in the Lake District, Cumbria. Runners start at Waterhead, near Ambleside, and finish at Brockhole-on-Windermere (the Great North Swim site), with over half the 26.2-mile course on traffic-free roads or roads with a dedicated running lane. The route hugs both the western and eastern shores of Windermere, passing High Wray Castle and Beatrix Potter's Hill Top farmhouse, with roughly 600 meters of elevation gain across a hilly, scenic course. First held in 1982 with an entry fee of just £2, the race ran until 1986 before being revived by the Brathay Trust in 2007 and staged annually through 2024; since 2025 it has been organized by The Great Run Company, and it won Boutique/Specialist Event of the Year at the 2025 Running Industry Awards. The 2027 edition takes place on Sunday 13 June, starting at 8:30am, with a 6-hour-30-minute cutoff and finishers receiving a medal and a VOOM nutrition bar at the finish line. Entry is open to runners 18 and over.