A new record has been set in a Lake District marathon challenge.
Rob Harrison set a new course record at the Brathay 10in10 after completing 10 consecutive marathons around Windermere in a cumulative time of 28:14:19.
Rob secured the record on the final day of the event – surpassing Adam Holland’s previous course record of 29:03:27, set in 2022.
Rob also broke the Brathay 10in10 lap record with a time of 2:39:45.
Widely regarded as one of the UK’s toughest endurance running events, the Brathay 10in10 follows the original Windermere Marathon course from Brathay Hall and challenges runners to complete a marathon for 10 consecutive days around England’s largest lake.
Rob said: “It’s not quite sunk in yet. Coming into this, I thought there was a chance of a record, but I didn’t really believe it. It feels amazing.
“I knew I could do one or two at that pace, but I didn’t think there was any chance of doing it day after day.”
Rob was running in support of Brathay Trust, the youth charity behind the event, which helps young people build brighter futures through transformative experiences in the outdoors and targeted community support.
His wife Katie also completed the event and won the women’s category.
Together they have raised £6,690 so far for Brathay Trust, contributing to a total event fundraising figure of more than £70,000 so far this year.
Several runners from Cumbria and the wider Lake District also took on the challenge this year, joining participants from across the UK in completing one of the country’s toughest endurance events.
Rob said: “It feels like a family — everyone who works here and everyone involved is really passionate about what they do. You come into this bubble for 10 days and it becomes your whole life.”
Would he come back to do it again?
“Historically, I’ve always said no straight away, but I don’t know about this one. If I did come back, it would be to enjoy it a little bit more and take it a little slower.”
Teresa Jennings, chief executive of Brathay Trust, said: “We’re amazed by Rob’s achievement of smashing the Brathay 10in10 record!
“But also, hugely grateful to him and the rest of Team Brathay for raising a huge amount of money for Brathay Trust to help support the work we do with young people.
“The incredible fundraising from events like this directly enables us to support thousands of young people each year through life-changing experiences. Quite simply, without the commitment and generosity of these runners and supporters, we would not be able to deliver the scale of impact that we do.”
Over the 10 days, Rob averaged 2:49:26 per marathon while managing the cumulative fatigue and recovery demands unique to multi-day endurance racing.
This year marked the 20th year of the Brathay 10in10. Nineteen runners started the event on day one, with 14 completing all 10 marathons.
