Lapping The Shores

Two mums who met at work in Penrith have completed a gruelling challenge by running around the region’s largest lakes. Sarah Lewis-Briggs explains how and why they did it

- Sarah Lewis-Briggs

A group of runners shivered on a chilly March morning, waiting to race 10 miles around Crummock Water. For two of us this was the start of a challenge which was going to see us clocking up plenty more miles. Penny Oliver, my friend and training buddy, had decided that to celebrate turning 50 she was going to run around the 16 biggest lakes in the Lake District, and she asked me to join her.

You’d think running around lakes would entail relatively flat routes, but having chosen to run off-road at times we were away from the shore and upon the surrounding fells, dramatic climbs rewarding us with stunning panoramic views of lakes, such as above Aira Force on the Ullswater Way.

We had to fit the runs in around family life and work, but we have completed the challenge, clocking up almost 150 miles in the process.

Penny and I met not long after I started working at the North West Development Agency. She was at the Forestry Commission and started coming in about a day a week to work in our office. She happened to sit next to me and we got talking about running and triathlons – and then we started going running at lunchtimes.

Since then we’ve run through heartache and happiness as well as snow, wind, sun and rain. Although we’re both ‘incomers’, we both love the county and it would take a lot to make either of us move away. If either of us is upset or fed up, we can run upon the fells or by a lake and exult in the scenery (whatever the weather).