Great Langdale Half Marathon Gavin Long reports: A fabulous Lake District weekend started with us watching my wife Ele compete in the Great North Swim - 1 mile in the bitterly cold waters of Lake Windermere. Although she was a little off the pace of the winners (Olympic medallists Dave Davies and Cassie Patten), we were immensely proud to see her finish in the top 25 of her wave of 200. The following day I ran the Great Langdale Half Marathon. The 33% climb after mile one was severe but suited me perfectly. I settled into a steady pace and enjoyed the spectacular views. The course twisted, turned and undulated continuously, so there was never any danger of developing a monotonous rhythm. Maybe hitting 40 isn’t so bad, as I finished 6th in the MV40 class. The finisher’s t-shirt features the runners names on the back, including Dr Ron Hill (former world record holder, 2:09 marathon runner, never missed a days running in 40 years). Although Dr Hill finished in a very impressive 284th position, it did mean that one of our family managed to beat an Olympian. As far as road races go, it was the perfect event for me. If you want a tough half-marathon in glorious countryside, then consider this for next year.