Publish date: 1 October 2022

Thousands of runners and spectators flock to Kielder Reservoir as the Active Northumberland Kielder Marathon weekend gets under way

A cyclist with a rainbow behind them.

More than 1,000 runners and cyclists took part in the first day of races (Saturday, October 1) for this 12th year of Britain’s most beautiful marathon weekend.

The Run Bike Run duathlon, which breaks the marathon route down into three phases, and the Kielder 10k, were the highlights of the day, while crowds and runners will return on Sunday (October 2) for the Marathon and Half Marathon, as well as Junior races.

Daniel Mirfield was the first individual through the Run Bike Run and he did it in 1:58:55. The first female individual in the Run Bike Run was Emma Cochrane in 2:35:25. The team event was won by Too Fast Tofu-rious.

In the 10K event, Mark Snowball of Morpeth Harriers and AC (pictured below) was the first male finisher, crossing the finish line in 35:40 and beating his time from 2021 when he also won.

A man crossing the finish line of a race.

Another winning member of Morpeth Harriers and AC was Rachelle Falloon with a time of 39:34 in the 10k.

The Active Northumberland Kielder Marathon weekend is delivered by Events of the North in conjunction with Northumbrian Water, Active Northumberland, Northumberland County Council and Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust.

Marcus Cram, from Events of the North, said: "It’s fantastic to be back at Kielder for the 12th Active Northumberland Kielder Marathon weekend and day one has been amazing once again. We’ve really enjoyed watching the runners and riders in action, and the crowds who turned up to cheer them on, despite the rain.  

“Getting the event organised and bringing everyone together has been an amazing feat, as it always is, with so much hard work behind the scenes. Huge thanks go to everyone involved, from the participants and our wonderful volunteers, to our hosts Northumbrian Water and all of the event’s sponsors and partners. Bring on tomorrow, when we go again with the marathon, half marathon and junior events.”

David Hall, head of commercial strategy and rransformation at Northumbrian Water, said: “What an incredible start to the weekend of the Active Northumberland Kielder Marathon. Kielder Waterside has been buzzing with excitement all week during all of the preparation, and despite battling the rain, day one has not let us down.

“As Saturday draws to a close, we know that we have another thrilling day lined up tomorrow and, like all of the spectators here, we can’t wait for the main event, the Marathon itself, to get under way.”

Race information

Kielder 10k:

1st male and overall winner – Mark Snowball, Morpeth Harriers and AC- 35:40

2nd male – Paul Turnbull, Tyne Bridge Harriers- 37:27

3rd male – Neil Sillence, North Shields Polytechnic Club- 37:48

1st female – Rachelle Falloon, Morpeth Harriers and AC- 39:34

2nd female – Rose Mather, York Knavesmire Harriers- 39:57

3rd female – Ewa Zielinska- 46:39

Kielder Run Bike Run:

1st team – Too Fast Tofu-rious- 2:04:40

2nd team – Sedgefield Specials- 2:14:30

3rd team – Lion Monkeys- 2:16:31

1st male individual – David Mirfield- 1:58:55

2nd male individual – Jamie Pugh, University of Nottingham Triathlon Club- 2:02:40

3rd male individual – Matthew Fretwell- 2:03:50

1st female individual – Emma Cochrane- 2:35:25

2nd female individual – Vanessa Armstrong- 2:40:07

3rd female individual – Polly Dickinson- 2:50:43