Langdale Half Marathon 25 September 2010 Rebecca White reports: Rumour has it that this is the hardest road half-marathon in the UK, and it certainly felt like it. Feeling more like six back-to-back fell races than a half-marathon, the hills were unrelenting. I naively thought I had done lots of hill training for this, but the rolling hills of Essex just don't cut it against these 15-20%ers. Although the downhills offered a great rest, the steepness means you can really feel this race in your legs in the days that follow. So you may be thinking, why would anyone choose to do this one . . . well, it is definitely the most scenic half-marathon in the UK, you are constantly surrounded by lakeland fells, the Langdale valley is also one of the driest places in the country so you can be pretty much guaranteed a crisp sunny day. If you really want to punish yourself you can do a full marathon, which is two loops of the half. I was surprised at how many people were crazy enough to take on this challenge, including a man in a penguin suit and flippers (respect!).