A RECENT study has found that a Lake District marathon has been ranked higher than many major international events around the world.

According to a report published by Hotel Follower, the Windermere marathon was ranked as the second most popular event, beaten only by the Kosice Peace Marathon.

The report found that almost 1 in 5 (18%) applicants for the 2020 London Marathon were from countries other than the UK.

The hotel website compared the cities that hold some of the world's most popular running events and analysed each for a range of factors that every runner will need to take into account when planning for a marathon abroad.

This included the entry fee, average temperature during the event month and air pollution levels in the city, as well as the price of a locally brewed beer… because who doesn’t want to celebrate after such an achievement.

Windermere's position was improved by Ambleside’s pollution levels being low.

It was ranked second in the study for this factor with a score of only 10.71 out of 100.

Like Košice, it is a great-value event that takes you through the Lake District countryside for £45.00 in a likely optimum May temperature of 15.5°C. It is by no means the cheapest for accommodation though, ranking 42nd out of 50 for its average hotel price of £181.00.

The Best Marathon Cities Around The World ranked:

1) Kosice Peace Marathon - Kosice, Slovakia

2) Windermere Marathon - Ambleside, United Kingdom

3) Valencia Marathon - Valencia, Spain

4) San Sebastián Marathon - San Sebastián, Spain

5) Ljubljana Marathon - Ljubljana, Slovenia

6) Loch Ness Marathon - Loch Ness, Scotland

7) Madrid Marathon - Madrid, Spain

8) Vienna Marathon - Vienna, Austria

9) Marrakech Marathon - Marrakech, Morocco

10) Frankfurt Marathon - Frankfurt, Germany

For the full study visit https://www.hotelfollower.com/best-marathon-cities-around-the-world/.