Kielder Marathon 2021

durhamrunner

Hello

I have signed up to participate in the 2021 Kielder Marathon, but having done this on a bit of a whim without properly researching the run profile, I'm not sure this has been a wise decision! I am a regular runner, generally completing a few 5ks and a 10k a week, and have run 8 half marathons in the last 5 years, with a average time of about 1 hour, 40 mins. I did have a year out in 2018 following a knee injury and arthroscopy, which didn't show anything serious. The knee does, however, give me some pain from time to time, which concerns me because of the course's undulation (a word I never knew existed until now!). I appreciate that it's harder to blag a full marathon and anticipated having to properly train for a full marathon.

Am I being over ambitious with this challenge or should I embrace the challenge I've already set myself with proper training? Any advice or tips would be much appreciated, particularly from others who have experience with the course!

Thanks!

Michael

Northumberland Runner

 I ran the Kielder Marathon in 2019. It's the hilliest, hardest marathon that I have ever done. It's quite feasible for you to do it, but start increasing your longer runs and follow a marathon schedule. Make sure that you use a route with some hills in for your long runs, as this will prepare you for a hilly marathon.