Borrowdale Half-Marathon, 18th August 2024
Sarah Kerr, Anton Mirafsari and Jonathan Gilroy went for a weekend in the Lake District, and followed up Keswick parkrun with a far tougher assignment the next morning – a trail half-marathon around Borrowdale. Anton kindly sends this epic race report:
Borrowdale Half Marathon: Survived it mate
When we signed up for the Borrowdale Half Marathon, we thought we were in for an easy, scenic trail run through the beautiful Lake District. We saw the pictures: happy runners on flat, picturesque paths, and thought, “This is the one for us!” Little did we know, we were about to embark on one of the toughest challenges we’d ever face.
The Start: A Test of Endurance Before the Race Even Began
Our day began with an early wake-up call. Registration was between 6:30 AM and 7:30 AM, but the start line was over three miles away. Our team’s collective brainpower came up with a “brilliant” idea: park halfway between registration and the start to squeeze in a warm-up and cool-down. What we didn’t anticipate was the steep hill leading to the start line. By the time we reached it, we felt we deserved medals and t-shirts just for making it there!
The Race: A Journey into Trail Running Hell
The race kicked off on a nice, easy trail, and things seemed to be going well. Jonathan, Sarah and I pushed hard from the start, quickly moving up the field. We were feeling good, confident even.
But then came the climb. The first couple of kilometers traced along the side of Catbells, gradually ramping up in elevation and technical difficulty. Before we knew it, we were scrambling vertically up what can only be described as a smashed rock wall of hell. Jonathan powered on, moving up the field, while Sarah and I found a rhythm mid-pack.
We kept thinking the torture would end after a few kilometres. Spoiler alert: it didn’t. The grueling terrain continued, each step more brutal than the last. Around 5 km from the finish, we were given a brief moment of hope with some road sections—finally, a break! But this was a cruel trick, a red herring. Less than a kilometre later, we were back on the trails, this time facing another massive hill covered in sharp, unforgiving rocks.
The Final Push: Blood, Sweat, and a Little Help from a Friend
By this point, Jonathan had pushed up to 3rd place, but not without a scare. At one point, he lost his footing and tumbled off the path, saved only by a bramble bush that stopped him from falling down a cliff. A fellow competitor stopped to pull him back up—a true act of sportsmanship. Jonathan thanked him by quickly passing him and going on to finish in 3rd place, earning a fantastic wooden trophy and a t-shirt to commemorate his survival.
Sarah and I also finished strongly, though not without our own battle scars. Sarah crossed the line with the same injuries she started with—no small feat—and I finished just behind her, nursing a swollen wrist and grazed hip.
Not the Race We Wanted, but the Race We Deserved
The Borrowdale Half Marathon was nothing like what we expected. It wasn’t the easy, scenic trail run we had envisioned, but a brutal test of endurance, willpower, and a bit of madness. We laughed—maniacally at times—at how absurdly hard it was, but in the end, we survived. We didn’t get the race we wanted, but we got the race we deserved. And now, with our battle scars and stories to tell, we wear our medals and t-shirts with pride, knowing we conquered one of the toughest half marathons out there.
Next time we’ll read the race description, won’t we?
| Position | Runner | Time |
| 3 | Jonathan Gilroy | 1:48:10 |
| 28 | Sarah Kerr | 2:12:20 |
| 29 | Anton Mirafsari | 2:12:24 |
