The start is a long bus journey away but allows for a scenic run. The hills are plentiful and tough, but the whole route adds up to a great marathon.

Inverness is a lovely city, with well-priced hotels and some lovely restaurants. I recommend Riva for carb loading.

Beautiful scenery. Very well organized and plenty of hydration. The organizers and volunteers did a spectacular job. The race results and race photos were posted very quickly.

This race is a definite "must do" on a runners list of accomplishments.

Train for many slow, rolling hills.

I loved this marathon. The hills from 17 - 22 miles are tough, so get your hill training in. It won't be your personal best time, but it could be your favorite race. Weather was sunny and cold, the bus journey out to the start scenic but a bit long, and the spectators spares to the end but the views were great. Don't run down the hills in the first seven miles; you'll need the leg strength for later.

Loved the race. This may have been the most scenic race I have run, and that includes Big Sur (twice), St. George, Utah and Catalina. Much of the course goes through either woods or along pastures. At about mile 5 you see Loch Ness and run along aside it for about 10 miles.

The weather was perfect for a marathon, low to mid 50s. The course had a lot of small rolling hills with one sustained hill just before mile 18.

The goody bag they gave us at the end of the race did not contain the typical flyers for other races and samples of gels, etc. but included jars of picked onions, beets and cans of soup. Was kind of heavy while toting it around. A post-race meal was provided at the end.

The organization was excellent for a smaller race. All in all, I would highly recommend it.

A convoy of buses takes the runners from the finish point at a sports stadium, 26 miles away to a remote spot up a country road, where a temporary village of porta-loos awaits, and there's a start gantry. You run back to Inverness through stunning Scottish scenery, along the side of the world-famous Loch Ness. A special prize is awarded to any runner who spots the monster, though most sightings are attributed to fatigue and dehydration. :)

There are some serious descents and cruel ascents on the way; this is not an easy route. Because of the rural setting, crowd support is very sparse until you arrive back in Inverness for the last four miles. The weather was fantastic, mild, sunny and damp when I ran, with little wind. Scottish weather in autumn is very variable and you could find yourself facing much more testing conditions.

Second time I have run this race. After 2005 I said I would not - but never say never. I am so glad I did this race again. It is awesome. Very well organized and you miss the chaos of the larger races. Hill training is a must as this will make the run more enjoyable. The whole atmosphere of the day is special and it goes by way too fast. Managed to cut two minutes plus off my previous Loch Ness time. Don't look for a personal best time though - just enjoy yourself and see what happens. Yes, they need to take some bulldozers to the hill at Dores but if you know its there you can work it into your training. Loch Ness and the City of Inverness are beautiful. I will do this race again... and again.

This is a tougher race than I had expected - had assumed that as it is along the shore of Loch Ness that it'd be pretty flat. It's not really with some big downhills in first part coming off the highlands above the loch (beautiful!) and then a fairly big hill at Mile 17 just after Dores.

I ended up running my slowest time ever, but really enjoyed the course and some of the people I met along the way. There are not a lot of spectators, but the one that do show up are a friendly and enthusiastic bunch. The finish in the little stadium is excellent - I always like courses that finish in stadiums because it makes you seem like a real racer!!

The bus to the start is okay, but you end up having to get to buses 2.5 hours before the start of the run. Still - worth it to NOT have to do an out and back course or some sort of smaller loop because the scenery is pretty darn nice along the way and it IS Loch Ness after all!

Don't expect lots of views of the loch and chances to see 'Nessie' - you don't see the loch that often. You get a couple of spots where you can get photos of Urquhart Castle on the other side of the loch.

Inverness is a great little city and lots to see/do in the local area and indeed across Scotland, particularly the Highlands. Some great restaurants - highly recommend the Bella Italia for great pasta and carbo food before and after the race (we did both!).

This was my 25th marathon since 1985 and it IS a race I'd do again and recommend to people who want to visit Scotland and run a wee bit o' a race. Haggis is great 'power running' food too!

What a great race! Spectacular course, perfect weather, great organization, a finish in a stadium and hot soup afterward. Great medal and T-shirt too. This is a race that I will always remember. My only complaint: Nessie was a no-show.

We had perfect weather conditions this year (2007), which was a first, apparently. The course is challenging but potentially fast if your legs can withstand the downhill miles. The scenery is absolutely stunning, and the organisation is perfect. From the pasta party, the bus transfer to the start and the amenities at the finish, I could not find anything to complain about.

There aren't a lot of spectators around, not even during the final miles in Inverness, but the ones that were there were quite enthusiastic.

A challenging, difficult course - especially the first few miles with those hills. That said, I thoroughly enjoyed it and still managed to get a new PB. Hope to do it again.