My marathons

Great Cumbrian Run

Run on 4 October 2026. Next race: date not out yet. Carlisle
Carlisle Cathedral
Carlisle Cathedral. Photograph by Diliff, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons

The course

The 42nd Great Cumbrian Run took place in Carlisle on Sunday 4 October 2026 with a half marathon, a 10K, a 5K and a family fun run, under the name Cumbria Waste Group Great Cumbrian Run.

The course in short 3 lines
  • The 42nd run, on 4 October 202642nd edition, Carlisle, 4 October 2026: half, 10K, 5K and fun run.
  • The 10K through the city, Rickerby Park and the Memorial BridgeCity centre, Brampton Road, Rickerby Park, Memorial Bridge, Sheepmount track finish.
  • Shorter distances finishing on the Sheepmount trackThe 5K and the mile-long family run both finish at Sheepmount.
Course notes 3 short reads on the course
Whole courseTacticsThe 42nd run, on 4 October 202642nd edition, Carlisle, 4 October 2026: half, 10K, 5K and fun run.

The organiser calls it Cumbria’s leading half marathon. Better and Sport in Action manage the event, and the 2026 race had four charity partners.

Sourced

Whole courseLandmarkThe 10K through the city, Rickerby Park and the Memorial BridgeCity centre, Brampton Road, Rickerby Park, Memorial Bridge, Sheepmount track finish.

The 10K starts alongside the half marathon. The runners return by a new path to Bitts Park before the finish on the Sheepmount track.

Sourced

Whole courseFinishShorter distances finishing on the Sheepmount trackThe 5K and the mile-long family run both finish at Sheepmount.

The family fun run covers about a mile through Bitts Park to the finish on the track at the Sheepmount Athletics Stadium.

Sourced

Race fuel

Energy gel
An energy gel sachet
Illustration · drag to turn

2 gels for Carlisle, plus 1 spare

Finish

One every 40 minutes, by the clock:

  1. km 7.3mile 4.6
  2. km 14.7mile 9.1

Our pick: SiS BETA Fuel gel, box of 6, strawberry and lime. 40 g of carbohydrate a gel, about twice a usual gel, from two kinds of sugar your body takes up side by side.

Easy to forget on race morning: pack them with your bib the night before.

Get it on Amazon

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In Canada the button opens GU Energy Gel, Salted Caramel, 24-pack, the best seller there.

Outside the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Austria and Switzerland, the UK and Ireland, Spain and Portugal, Italy, the rest of the EU and Canada the button opens GU Energy Gel, Chocolate Outrage, 24-pack on Amazon.com, the best seller there.

Anti-chafe
Compeed Anti-blister stick
Photo: Compeed

Compeed

Compeed anti-blister stick, 8 ml

Best selling on Amazon amazon.nl, read 2 Nov

An invisible layer before the start keeps seams, straps and shoes from rubbing skin raw.

Put it on before you leave for the start: heels and toes, inner thighs, under a bra or heart-rate strap.

Try it on a long run first, like everything you use on race day.

Get it on Amazon

We earn a small fee if you buy through these links. The price is the same.

Number belt
A race number belt
Illustration · drag to turn

Compressport Race Belt

Holds your bib without safety pins through your top, with loops for up to 8 gels.

Clip the bib on the night before, so it goes on with your shorts in the morning.

Keep the number on the front, where officials and photographers can see it.

Get it on Amazon

We earn a small fee if you buy through these links. The price is the same.

Electrolytes
A tube of electrolyte tablets
Illustration · drag to turn

SiS Hydro electrolyte tablets, tube of 20

One tablet in a bottle puts back some of the salt you sweat out.

One tablet in 500 ml of water in the hour before the start.

Only if you have used them in training: nothing new on race day.

Get it on Amazon

We earn a small fee if you buy through these links. The price is the same.

Blister plasters
Compeed Blister plasters, medium, 6
Photo: Compeed

Compeed

Compeed blister plasters, medium, 6

Best selling on Amazon amazon.nl, read 2 Nov

One in a pocket cushions a blister if one starts.

Put it on clean, dry skin and leave it until it comes off by itself.

Give a couple to whoever comes to cheer, so they are there at the km you need them.

Get it on Amazon

We earn a small fee if you buy through these links. The price is the same.
distance
21.1 km13.1 mi

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