The Loch Ness Marathon

Everything you need to know about the Loch Ness Marathon

One of Scotland's most fascinating running events, Loch Ness draws runners from all over the world every year. Stunning scenery, a great course and maybe, just a small chance of glimpsing the famous monster. You're likely to go home not fulfilling the third of these, but the first two will definitely be ticked off.

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Loch Ness

Pretty much everyone who travels will have heard of Loch Ness and its associated with the mythical monster that is rumoured to lurk in its depths. There is plenty of room for it to lurk, at some points the lake is 755 ft deep, with a surface area of 22 square miles, making it the largest by volume in the UK. It contains more water than all the lakes in England and Wales combined! Loch Ness is only 23 miles from Inverness, where the Marathon event village is located. Inverness is known as the capital of the Highlands and even though 63,000 currently live there it's one of Europe's fastest growing cities.

Visitors from all over the world are attracted to this beautiful part of the world and the same goes for entrants to the Marathon. Even though it is nearly 600 miles from London it doesn't stop hundreds of international visitors heading north to experience a unique event in a unique place. Before and after the race there are many attractions in the area that need exploring, especially in and around Inverness. One of these is Fort George, the mightiest artillery fortification in Britain, if not Europe. Its garrison buildings, artillery defences

and superb collection of arms provide a fascinating insight into 18th century military life. There's Inverness Cathedral where you can see the intricate craftsmanship and detailed carvings in both stone and wood alongside glorious stained-glass windows and also the Inverness Museum & Art Gallery where you can find out more about local life. The City's Castle is also well worth a visit.

And then of course there are the nine villages around Loch Ness, as well as Urquhart Castle. Once one of Scotland’s largest castles, Urquhart saw great conflict during its 500 years as a mediaeval fortress, with control of the castle passing back and forth between the Scots and English during the Wars of Independence. The last of the government troops garrisoned here during the Jacobite Risings blew up the castle when they left. Urquhart’s iconic ruins remain, and are a major draw for today's visitors.

The village of Drumnadrochit has the "Loch Ness Centre and Exhibition", not to be confused with The Loch Ness Exhibition Centre (formerly Loch Ness 2000). The latter, near the village of Milton, was established in 1980 and has consistently ranked as one of the most popular tourist attractions in Scotland. There are 6 different areas that detail the story of Loch Ness from the ice age through to the present, including of course the story of the monster, but also all other aspects of the Loch. It has just reopened after a major refurbishment.

The majestic ruins of Urquhart Castle on the shores of Loch Ness

The history of the Loch Ness Marathon

The very first Loch Ness Marathon was held in 2002, with Baxters as the title sponsor. Unusually for an event of this type they are still the principal sponsor, having supported the event as it has grown over the years. Since the event was established, entries have grown by a record 267%, with a record 9,500 participants in 2019 with 60 percent of marathon runners coming from outside Scotland and 17 percent from overseas. It's grown into a major running festival with distances for all abilities and aspirations and has recently been taken over by the organisers of the London Maratghon.

There is no doubt who is the star of the show at this event!

Race organiser

London Marathon Events Ltd

When is the Loch Ness Marathon

The race is held annually in October.

Distances

Marathon, 10k & Corporate Challenge and 5k. There's also an under 5's run.

Is there an expo?

The event expo is the biggest running show in Scotland held at the Event Village Bught Park in Inverness. Marathon runners collect their race pack (including timing tag and baggage label) here on the Saturday before the event. There are also plenty of running products to purchase and free sampling, product trials, demos, prize draws etc. There are guest speakers, and the opportunity to chat with other runners from around the world or just chill out with some traditional Scottish music in the Runners’ Café.

How many runners?

Around 9,000 across all events with 4,000 in the marathon.

The course

All marathon runners are transported by bus to the marathon start from Inverness Ice Centre on Bught Drive, Inverness, a 10-minute walk from the Event Village, where race bibs were collected. Buses leave from 7.00 am to 7.30m for the one hour drive to the start. There are other pick up points both north and south of the Loch. There is no vehicle access for runners to be dropped off at the marathon start. The Marathon starts at 10 am near Fort Augustus and is a point to point course, heading north along Loch Ness, before finishing in Inverness.

Just before mile 2 it's through Easter Drummond and shortly afterwards is Whitebridge, the first of the small villages that dot the course. With less than 100 residents most of those that live here are game wardens on local estates or work within the tourism industry. At this point and until mile 5 the course winds through remote rural roads, not joining the shore of the Loch until mile 7. A mile before that it heads through Foyers, past the Fall of Foyers to the left. It's a spectacular waterfall with a 140 ft drop into a gorge that winds its way through tall trees until it eventually meets Loch Ness. There's a pathway winding through stunning woodland and then down steep steps to the first of two viewpoints. At the upper viewpoint the surrounding rocks open up to give you a spectacular full view of the falls where you can capture some fantastic photos of the falls all year round. A visit for another day! Foyers is the largest settlement on this side of the Loch and is a village of under 300, situated where the River Foyers flows into the loch. Just past mile 7 is the Foyers Power Station and just before mile 8 is Boleskine house This Scottish manor house was once owned by author Aleister Crowley and later by Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin. After suffering fire damage in 2015, the house is now being restored. Continuing north, at mile 9, is Inverfarigaig Pier, built in the early nineteenth century by Thomas Telford.

There are spectacular views along the banks of Loch Ness.

Runners are now as close to the Loch as it's possible to get and there are many stunning viewpoints along this stretch of the route, with just before miles 10 and 13 being two of the best. Is there any better half way point of a marathon than this? Across the loch is Urquhart Castle and if it's a clear day there are few better views. At mile 16 avoid the Alpacas and then at mile 17 it's through the village of Dores, with amazing vistas of both Dores Beach and Loch Ness Beach. Dores is a tiny village with a church, village hall, welcoming country pub and the stunning beach. It also has bags of history, dating back to the 1st century. Its name comes from the Gaelic meaning “dark woods”. The course is now at the northern tip of the Loch and runners head inland slightly and finally at mile 21 the Loch part of the run is done. It's then along the small country road, the B862, through the southern suburbs of Inverness, like Lochardil and Holm, at the 24 mile mark. Near mile 25 is the turn for home, just past at Inverness Castle, over the road bridge and then the run to the finish along the banks of the River Ness in Bught Park. It will all be happening here, with a Pipe Band in full flow and plenty of local delicacies.

There are 7 water stations along the marathon course, with water provided in 330ml recyclable plastic bottles. There are 4 gel stations along the marathon route providing High5 Energy Gels.

What's unique

Monster spotting on the banks of the biggest lake in Britain!

Do charities benefit?

There is a charity programme, with a number of local and national charities involved. Some of these charities have guaranteed entries available and they only expect around £400 an entry to be raised. This is very different from many of the big city center events where it's often three or four times that amount.

Our verdict

Great organisation and stunning scenery are both essential for a great marathon experience and you get them in big quantities here. If you need big crowds to get you motivated you won't find them here, but you will find one of the most scenic marathons anywhere. The expo works well and the whole race weekend festival approach is very well organised. It can be cold, as you'd expect in the north of Scotland in October, but conditions are often ideal for marathon running. Being too hot is never a good thing on a marathon course.

How to register

Online via the race website. There is also information about tour operator entries and the guaranteed entries from the charities. General entries normally close in July.

Race website

https://lochnessmarathon.com/