Trail Pursuit Half Marathon, 29 May 2021

Last Saturday I took part in the Trail Pursuit Half Marathon event in Ambleside, the Lake District, with a group of university friends. The weather could not have been more perfect! The sunshine was glorious! The half marathon route was across a mixture of terrains and on fells, with a total of 775 m elevation. The first 5 km or so was mostly through forest trails and we set off at quite a pace. It was so picturesque passing by Blelham Tarn. Then we were hit by the first steep climb of the day on our ascent up Latterbrow. Sections of the climb had a 45% gradient! The majority of people found it easier to walk up. The remaining ascent towards the summit of Latterbrow was a tough climb, but totally worth it for the views! We wound our way scrambling up and down, and up and down rocky tracks and though woodland adjacent to Lake Windermere. The final section of the run was 3 km of uninterrupted lakeside running, before heading back to the finish line. Tim, Jonny and I had been running the trails together, running at a similar pace throughout, but waiting for each other on the more technical sections. We perfectly timed the run so that 1 km from the end we caught up with our fourth team mate, Ellie, who had started in an earlier wave. We ran the final section together so that all four of us crossed the finish line at the same time, and all with smiles on our faces! We very much enjoyed a post-race dip in the lake too! The Trail Pursuit Half Marathon was an unforgettable experience. I felt like a mountain goat running on some epic trails and surrounded by stunning scenery. I can’t wait to enter the event again next year - and I’ll aim to race the marathon distance!

Jenny Carter