The first Kielder Marathon is set to take place on October 17, and former 1500m World Champion Cram believes the Northumberland beauty spot will be a hugely popular course with runners of all abilities.

The marathon will follow an almost entirely off-road course around northern Europe's largest man-made lake, Kielder Water,
Cram came up with the idea, having long wished for such an event to be staged in the area, which is not far from where he now lives.

He said: "Kielder Water and Forest Park is my favourite place to run and with the water's shoreline being 26 miles long, it's an ideal venue for the ultimate running challenge, the marathon."

The marathon will follow the newly completed Lakeside Way, a trail that stretches right around the shoreline of Kielder Water.

For the inaugural event, the organisers are limiting the number of entrants to around 1,000, and expect to attract runners and outdoor adventure enthusiasts from around the world.

Runners who are interested in registering a place should visit www.kielder marathon.com