£100,000 expected to be raised in tomorrow's Brathay Windermere Marathon
There are 925 people signed up for tomorrow's marathon around Lake Windermere and organisers hope this will raise £100,000 for a charity that works with young people in the north of England.
For 15 of the runners this will be their final marathon in a series of ten which they began last Friday (8 May), the 10in10. The rest are competing in the one day Brathay Windermere Marathon.
In its ninth year the event has already raised £1million for the Ambleside based Brathay Trust enabling them to work with over ten thousand disadvantaged and vulnerable children, young adults and their families.
Starting and finishing on the front lawn of Brathay Hall they will run 26.2 miles in an anti-clockwise direction around England’s longest lake taking in the honey-pot sites of Hawkshead, Newby Bridge, Bowness-on-Windermere and Ambleside.
Crowned the UK’s most scenic marathon by Runner’s World magazine last year, and for the second year running shortlisted as a Cumbria Tourism event of the year, it attracts sports tourists and their families and friends from across the UK and overseas.
Two hundred volunteers, drawn from local organisations as diverse as the Freemasons, Rotarians, Cumberland Building Society and armed service veterans, will act as marshals, operate water stations and man stalls, stands and car parks at the accompanying Family Fun Day. Trudi and Paul Dewar from the Stan Laurel Inn in Ulverston and 23 students from the University of Cumbria are providing extra support to the 10in10 runners.
Brathay’s Head of Fundraising Scott Umpleby explained that runners are £26,000 short of their collective target. He is urging people to support them by texting 70070 with the message MARA26 and the donation amount.
Brathay’s event officer Ali Young says people can also help out and have fun by coming along to the Family Fun Day. She said: “In addition to all the usual things on offer like canoeing, a high and low ropes course, zip wire, live music, food, drink and local produce stalls we are organising a fun run for six to 17 year olds. Even if you’re not into running it’s a great day out on a glorious estate on the northern shores of Windermere and all in aid of a good cause. Everyone is more than welcome to join us."
Brathay Windermere Marathon and Family Fun Day 17th May 11am to 4pm.
brathaywindermeremarathon.org.uk