Pete Stock Breaks The Lap Course Record in 6:41:02

Three attempts, one unfinished race, a second-place finish and finally a course record.

Pete Stock produced an incredible performance at The Lap 2026, completing the 47-mile circuit of Windermere in 6 hours, 41 minutes and 2 seconds to break the previous course record by just 35 seconds.

It was a record-breaking run made even more impressive by the conditions, with wind, heavy rain and slippery trails making the Lake District ultra even more challenging.

For Pete, though, this wasn’t just about one race. It was the culmination of a three-year journey at The Lap, beginning with a DNF through injury in 2024 before returning to finish second in 2025.

This time, he came back with the course record firmly in his sights.

We caught up with Pete after the race to hear the full story behind his course record, including his running background, disrupted training, race strategy, nutrition and that incredibly close finish.

 Pete Stock’s Running Background: From Fell Running to Ultra Running

For anyone who doesn’t know you, can you tell us a little about your running background and how you got into trail and ultra running?

I’ve always been active and played sports growing up, but my running really took off when I moved to the Lake District in 2017. I love spending time in the mountains and running seemed like a great way to travel further and see more.

In 2021 I joined a local fell running club and started racing a lot more, but still had a desire to go longer. Over the last couple of years I’ve really enjoyed the ultra-distance races.

 The Lap History: Pete Stock’s Three-Year Journey to the Course Record

What made you enter The Lap, and had you raced or recce’d the route before?

This has been a three-year journey to winning The Lap. I’d seen and heard a lot of good things about the event and entered myself in 2024, however had to stop at Lindeth due to a knee injury.

In 2025 I had a good race and finished second behind Barney. This year I was hoping for a third-time-lucky finish and hopefully the record.

Did Pete Stock Target The Lap Course Record from the Start?

Did you go into the race specifically targeting the course record, or was the plan simply to race as strongly as possible?

Yes, I went into the race this year with the goal of beating the record, but also wanted to feel like I had raced smartly and executed better than last year.

I wasn’t sure if conditions would allow for a record attempt but I had to try my best.

 How Did Pete Stock Train for The Lap Ultra?

How did you train specifically for The Lap? Were there any key sessions or parts of your preparation that made the biggest difference?

Training for The Lap hasn’t been the smoothest of journeys. After Ultra-Trail Snowdonia in May I struggled with some knee pain, and had a couple of setbacks in training and racing.

I think the biggest key to success here was listening to my body. I knew I was still fit, but couldn’t get the mileage I’d ideally have liked, but trusted that if I could start feeling healthy I’d get the best out of myself.

The Lap 2026 Weather: Racing Through Wind, Rain and Slippery Trails

Race day brought plenty of challenging Lake District weather. While the cooler temperature provided good conditions for running hard, heavy rain made some of The Lap’s grassy descents particularly difficult.

The weather threw plenty of wind, heavy rain and slippery trails at you. How much did the conditions affect your pacing and strategy?

The wind and rain didn’t affect me too much. The temperature was great for pushing hard and the wind only really affected me on the summits of Wansfell and Loughrigg.

The main issue was the slippery descents. I fell over so many times on the grassy descents and knew I was losing time picking my way down, so really tried to push the pace when grip wasn’t an issue.

How Pete Stock’s Record-Breaking The Lap Race Unfolded

Despite going into The Lap with the course record as his goal, Pete knew that starting too quickly could undo all of his work later in the race. The plan was to remain controlled early before taking advantage of the sections where he could run strongly.

Talk us through the race itself. Where did you feel strongest, where did you struggle, and when did you realise the course record was genuinely within reach?

I tried to pace the race smartly from the start so didn’t go out too hard and felt really controlled until Gummers How. This was the first slippery descent and I fell over straight away.

I knew that I’d have to make up the time I’d lose on the descents so tried to keep an honest effort all the way around. I felt like my legs were really good on the runnable descents, so pushed those as hard as I could.

At Troutbeck I was feeling really good compared to last year, so knew that I just needed to keep moving well and I’d be close to the record.

My lowest point was from Skelwith Bridge to Latterbarrow. I missed the aid station and started to feel like I was climbing really slowly, and not able to push the pace as well on the flat.

It was here that I knew the record was going to be really close, and it took a lot of willpower to keep pushing hard. I’d try and work out how far I had left, and my average pace, and knew it would be seconds rather than minutes that I’d either beat it or be behind it.

The Final Kilometres: Racing The Lap Record Down to the Second

After more than six hours of racing, Pete knew there was almost nothing separating him from the existing The Lap course record.

The final kilometres became a race against the clock.

How aware were you of the record time during the closing stages? With only seconds eventually separating you from the previous record, what was going through your head towards the finish?

I knew I was close to the record at Skelwith Bridge, but also knew that it was going to be incredibly close. For the last few kilometres I was working out the distance left and my pace and knew it was right on the line.

The final turn onto the finish straight I saw my watch tick over to 6:39, and looked at the finish gantry and knew it was going to be really close.

I just gave everything I had left and pushed all the way to the line!

Pete Stock’s The Lap Nutrition Strategy: What He Ate and Drank

Getting enough carbohydrate on board is a major part of racing an ultra at high intensity, and Pete had a clear nutrition strategy for The Lap.

His approach centred around consistently taking on carbohydrate throughout the race while adjusting his fluid intake to suit the cool, wet conditions.

How did you approach your nutrition and hydration before and during the race? What did you use, how often were you fuelling, and was there anything that worked particularly well?

Race morning I had two pots of Rachel’s rice pudding at 3:30am, then just water up to the start.

I used my own gels made from maltodextrin and fructose, and took on 80g/hr for the whole race, sipping on them whenever I fancied. My stomach felt fine for the whole race and energy levels felt good until the later stages.

Because it was very wet I didn’t force myself to drink too much, and averaged about 400ml/hr. I started with one bottle of electrolyte mix and then just filled with water or Coke for the rest of the race.

The Lap Course Record: Pete Stock’s Time and Result Explained

After almost 47 miles of racing, the result came down to seconds.

Pete crossed the finish line in 6:41:02, taking 35 seconds off the previous course record and completing the goal that had brought him back to THE LAP for a third consecutive year.

What did it feel like crossing the line in 6:41:02 and finding out you’d broken the course record?

It felt amazing! After the sprint finish I really wasn’t sure which side of the record I’d be on, but when I looked at my watch and saw I’d got it I was very happy.

I knew I’d given everything and raced really well, so was really pleased with my performance.

Pete Stock’s Top Tips for Running The Lap

After three years of experiencing THE LAP in very different circumstances, from being forced to stop through injury to finishing second and finally becoming course record holder, Pete knows the race better than most.

His biggest advice for anyone preparing to take on the event is simple: enjoy it, don’t get carried away early and save something for the latter stages.

What advice would you give to someone taking on The Lap for the first time, and what’s next for you?

Enjoy it! It’s an amazing course with amazing volunteers and aid stations so make sure you take it all in and know that you’ll be supported all the way.

Take the start steady and keep something in the tank for the hills after Troutbeck.

Next for me is some local racing and enjoying winter training before heading back to the Arc 50 in January.

Why Pete Stock’s The Lap Record Took Three Years to Achieve

Pete’s 6:41:02 The Lap course record was much more than one good day around Windermere.

His first attempt in 2024 ended at Lindeth with a knee injury. A year later he returned and finished second. Even his 2026 build-up was disrupted by knee pain following Ultra-Trail Snowdonia.

But Pete trusted the fitness he’d already built, resisted the temptation to force his training and arrived at The Lap ready to race.

Despite repeated falls on slippery descents and a difficult spell between Skelwith Bridge and Latterbarrow, he kept pushing, right until the final sprint for the line.

After 47 miles of racing, just 35 seconds made the difference.

Third time lucky, and a new The Lap course record.

How Much Carbohydrate Should You Take Per Hour in an Ultra?

Pete targeted 80g of carbohydrate per hour during The Lap, demonstrating just how important consistent fuelling can be when racing longer distances.

Your exact requirements will depend on your race duration, intensity, experience and individual tolerance, but practising your nutrition strategy during training can help you understand what works before race day.

For long-distance events, VOOM’s Fusion Fuel provides 90g of carbohydrate using a 1:0.8 maltodextrin-to-fructose ratio, while Pocket Rocket Energy Bars provide 45g of carbohydrate per bar. ElectroBytes and Hydrate Rapid Electrolytes can also be used as part of your hydration and electrolyte strategy.

The golden rule: don’t leave your race-day nutrition until race day. Practise your carbohydrate and hydration strategy during your longer training sessions.