Windermere Verses Windermere

2025 is the first year that two versions of the Windermere marathon have been held. The first was the Brathay version in May which ran alongside Day 10 of the Brathay 10 marathons in 10 days challenge. It used the same course that Brathay have been using since 2007. Between 2007 to 2024 there have been around 1000 runners taking on this event each year. Sadly, this big event, which had become etched onto the marathon race calendar, was not organised by Brathay as they normally do and only a hardy dozen of us got the opportunity to run alongside the 10in10ers this year. The future of this event is uncertain, but it does look like a significantly slim downed version of the event will still continue.

On 15^th June, I was back at Windermere to run the inaugural Great Run version of the Windermere marathon. For the time being at least, it looks like Brathay are passing on the batten over to the Great Run organisation to keep a mass marathon going around Lake Windermere, with 444 finishers this year.

Both of these events are official road marathons and go around Windermere in an anti-clockwise direction, but they do have noticeable differences. I thought it would be good for me to reflect over the two events, compare them and share my thoughts with you.

Brathay Windermere Marathon

The Brathay Trust have been holding the Brathay Windermere marathon for just shy of 20 years, from 2007 until 2024, with almost a thousand runners taking on the challenging course each year. This means thousands of runners have experienced the course and many of them return year on year due to Brathay’s excellent organisation and the Lake District’s spring beauty. Many who read this will be a part of the Brathay Windermere marathon community and will not need the course describing, nor the beauty of the area explaining. However, for those who haven’t, I feel it is my duty to share my experience and thoughts of the course.

I have completed the Brathay 10in10 TEN times and have also ran the main marathon on a number of occasions. As I write this, I have completed the course 112 times, so feel I have plenty of knowledge and experience of the course to share.

Brathay’s marathon starts on the road in front of Brathay Hall and is set off by the Gamekeeper dressed in full costume, firing his shot gun. Probably the best race starting gun I’ve ever seen.

I would be lying if I said this was an easy marathon, it is anything but that, although there are a few road marathons out there that are more difficult. This course has many hills, especially at mile 7, called Devils Gallop, between mile 14 and 18 and lastly at mile 21, which we runners affectionately call Ice Cream Mountain. It is a hill really, not a mountain, with a car park at the top. Often parked there is an ice cream van, hence the reason why runners have given this hill its affectionate nickname.

The Lake District is always beautiful, but in my eyes, the best time of the year is May and that is when this run is held. During May the blue bells are out, so is the wild garlic with its lovely aroma and all the mature trees have just gone into leaf, creating a fabulous lime green canopy which glows when the sun shines through it. I cannot think of a more spectacular place to run.

As well as the natural scenery, there is the quaint village of Hawkshead which we run through and the lovely Swan Hotel and bridge at the bottom tip of the lake. There are also many picturesque individual cottages and houses along the route to distract you from the effort of running a marathon.

The marathon finishes on the beautiful lawn in front of Brathay Hall, overlooking Lake Windermere. The setting of the finish could not be held in a more fabulous spot in the Lake District.

In fact, everything about this race is special and makes it a truly iconic marathon event.

Great Run Windermere Marathon

The Great Run Windermere marathon commenced this year, with its new purple logo. It has different locations for the start and the finish, which when you first look at it seems a bit problematic. It certainly isn’t as easy on race day as a course where both the start and finish are in the same place but with them only being about 2 miles apart and with a special bus service provided (at an additional cost) the issue isn’t that bad. It seemed like most runners parked near the start and then made their way back to the start after finishing on the organised bus service or, like me, just walked back. The start was on the Windermere shore near Ambleside pier, the road was completely closed for this section of the event, making for a really lovely setting to start a marathon.

Within 1 mile this course passes the driveway of Brathay Hall and the start of Brathay’s version of the marathon. The two courses continue along the same route for just over a mile before Great Run’s new route makes a left turn, taking the runners past the front of Wray Castle with its impressive, gated front. The course then winds through pretty, hilly countryside, passing some idyllic cottages along the narrow lanes. This course skirts the edge of Hawkshead and passes the east side of Esthwaite Water before reaching a brow of a hill at about 8.5 miles where an unexpected opening displays a stunning view of Lake Windermere. At 11 miles there is an incredibly steep hill – I didn’t see anyone run this section. The course continues along the pretty narrow lanes before rejoining Brathay’s course before Lakeside.

The two courses mirror each other passed the Swan Hotel and back up the east side of Lake Windermere with basically the same traffic management and gorgeous views of the lake. The course continues through the bustling tourist town of Bowness and up to Ice Cream Mountain. It is just a couple more miles before the finish at Brockholes, a holiday park with lots of space and amenities for both spectators and runners. The final few hundred meters through the park are a steep downhill giving the runners the opportunity for a sprint finish.

This new Great Run version of Brathay’s iconic event is in many ways the same but also significantly different. For myself, after running the Brathay course so many times, I found it a really enjoyable and refreshing change.  People who enjoy running in the Lake District or have enjoyed running Brathay’s marathon, I believe would really enjoy taking on this new version of a classic.

Two Windermere Marathons

At some time in the future, I hope the original larger format of the Brathay event will return to Brathay Hall, as it is truly missed by many runners. I believe it is a missed opportunity for the Brathay charity to share their message of what they do for children and young people, and also to showcase and share the beautiful Brathay Hall and its surroundings.

Maybe there is room for two BIG and wonderful Windermere marathons?