Loch Ness Marathon - Race Reviews

Just an amazing race, with a fantastic scenery. Loved the highlands and the myth of Loch Ness. The weather was perfect for a race. Remember that it's windy at the start, but a mile you can't feels it anymore. Did a PR, don't know how - maybe all the down hill.

Challenging hilly marathon with scenic views of the highlands, excellent support, felt safe on route. Spectators were enthusiastic, providing snacks and encouragement. Water stations and clif bar stops were well spaced and plentiful.

Great organization! Great medal! Great communication up to and during race weekend! Train for hills and you won't have a problem. Put this one on your bucket list and work at crossing it off! Not a spectator rich course, but the people that were there were fantastic!

Considerable time, money, and energy went into running this race as an overseas participant, and I could not be more pleased having decided to run this race. The scenery is just extraordinary, which alone is well worth all the training. The people and the ambiance were fabulous throughout the entire weekend, and the crowd support was wonderful where present. Miles 19-21 are a great challenge considering the Dores hill, but can be managed through proper training. Inverness was a wonderful place to visit - I plan to return next year. Two caveats: one, the buses arrived with very little time before the start of the race creating some pandemonium. Two, some more toilets would have been much welcomed between miles 8 - 22. I enthusiastically recommend running the Loch Ness Marathon!

The setting for this run is amazing. The start was on a hillside which felt like the middle of nowhere. There were as many toilets as could be fitted into the area available. The course is tough there are a few hills and one at 18ish mile that felt like it would never finish. I have nothing but praise for the marshals and the medical staff I had a short stop in the first aid tent after the finish and they were brilliant. It is one that I would consider again.

Did this run with my 2 sons. Perfect weather (lucky it wasn't held the day before!) and stunning scenery. Sufficient water/food stops and as many toilets as they could pack into the start area in the middle of the Highlands. A tough course. The hill at mile 18 is a killer. The bus/transport arrangements to the start worked well. Inverness was a pleasant town, well worth a visit. Would consider doing this one again.

The experience of running across the undulating terrain through rain, hail and shine was amazing. The encouragement from fellow runners, spectators and the very warm welcome across the finish line was fantastic. That said though, this was a tough run...there are some long and unforgiving hills along the way so be prepared!

This was my first marathon and it was incredible! Despite being quite challenging due to the hills (a steep one at mile 5 and a nearly 2-mile-long one about mile 19), I still managed to finish with a time I'm quite proud of. Beautiful scenery, great organization, and plenty of friendly and smiling faces at the water stations. Nice event village at the end of the race including massage/food/drink, etc. Great to see so many runners supporting charities. Love my medal and t-shirt!! Traveled all the way from PA but will definitely do it again someday!

Loch Ness is a very hilly race on a challenging course. The scenery is absolutely spectacular so that makes up for the pain of the hills. The hill that starts just before mile 19 I found to be the biggest challenge, but the course levels out again around mile 21. Not many spectators due to the nature of the course; I'm glad that I had my music with me. This marathon has been on my wish list for a long time and I'm so happy that I've now done it. Didn't see Nessie though!

This marathon averages out as downhill in the first half, but it has so many ups and downs that it's very tough on your legs. Then there's one big hill at 18 miles or so. It's run on a point-to-point course. It's a good marathon that might be in danger of out-growing itself. In 2009 there was a snarl up with the busses and the race started late.

The good: 1. Five-star weather: PR-level in the low 50s, with a mix of sun and clouds, a few brief showers, and light wind. 2. Friendly volunteers and staff. 3. OK pasta dinner. Lots of folks to mingle with. A bit overpriced. 4. Scenic route. Undulating roads through quaint villages. Lots of views of the Loch, including the ancient castle. Not easy, but not too difficult. Finish in a track in front of cheering crowds. The bad: 1. Delay of nearly an hour due to buses breaking down to transport. Can be avoided - see below. 2. Handed out full bottles of water and sports drink at each station. An incredible waste of money and an environmental concern. Can be avoided. 3. Cotton t-shirt. Remember the modern running adage: cotton is rotten. Even Boston is giving microfiber now. A solution: 1. Start and finish the marathon at the Queens Park Stadium. Loop along the same route. There are alternate roads to re-enter Inverness. This would eliminate the expense of the buses and prevent the chance of another late start. 2. Use disposable paper cups for water and sports drink. Most runners take only a few sips from each cup. This would save a lot of money and would be much kinder to the environment. 3. By implementing the first two suggestions, this should save about £10 per person. This savings could be passed on to the runners by providing a technical (microfiber) t-shirt (often Brooks or Asics will give volume discounts), lowering the cost of the pasta dinner, and/or improving the finisher's medal. All in all, the marathon was a wonderful experience. The Scots are terrific hosts and lovely people.

This was my first marathon and I am one of the slow people. I finished in seven hours and thought that it was a great course for walkers/slow runners (even though it was a bit hilly). They had drinks at every station and even the massage people were still there when I was finished (thank goodness!). Everyone was friendly and very supportive. The weather was perfect this year - a nice, sunny and cool day.

I have done this race twice now! The first was in 2007, and it was also my first marathon. The course is great - scenic, with some breathtaking views over the Loch. The hills on the course never seem to let up but they eventually let you get into your stride around the 18th mile! There's nothing like breaking you in gently. This was my fifth marathon, and due to the cooler temperatures of the time of year, I managed to get a P.B. of 3:23. Also, I guess the knowledge of the course and my hill-training combined to give me a better performance. The support was great the last few miles and also through some of the smaller towns. I would recommend this race to anyone who's sick of the big-city, overcrowded marathons. The only bad point this year had to do with the transport company failing in some way, making the start delayed by 50 minutes. Do it! You will never regret it!

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.

A marathon I was looking forward to and I was not disappointed. Hill training definitely paid off especially for the dreaded hill at about mile 17. Scenery was spectacular and Loch Ness has that 'magic' about it. Inverness was very friendly and lots to do. Overall experience was fantastic and I will do this race at least once again. You will have fun with this race. The organizers should be proud of this race. It is better than many of the bigger races!

Even though it was pouring with rain, I enjoyed the run. There were free hot drinks at the start line and we were well looked after at the end with mushroom soup, and baked potatoes with a choice of filling. Lovely atmosphere and enjoyed the bands. A lot of thought has gone into the t-shirt design, which I will treasure. I would recommend this to anyone disappointed that they have not gotten into the London Marathon. A challenging course and lots of space to run without having to weave around people. I could have done with a space blanket at the end because I was quite chilled with the heavy rain, but lots of space in the marquees to keep warm. Well done to the Highlands.

After awful weather the day before the race, the weather greatly improved for the 2005 race. The start was in the middle of nowhere, but hot beverages there once you got off the bus. Nice little bagpipe band came over the hill and through the middle of the runners to start us off. Lovely countryside and very refreshing. A tough hill around mile 17-18. Cars came into play a bit near the end of the race. Good idea to have a taxi number on hand to get back if your B&B is on the other side of Inverness. Pretty good post-race food.

I ran this in its second year, and it was my first marathon (not my last!). The race starts in the middle of nowhere (near Fort Augustus), then runs right alongside the Loch (shame there's no time to stop and take it all in). At the pasta party on the Saturday, we were warned that there would be hills, but no one mentioned the huge one at about mile 17 - a few people slowed down there. Full marks for the bemused locals who came out to watch/cheer us on, and the last 2.6 miles to the finish in the athletics stadium were very emotional for me...

Good course but hard work in the second half. Dry, sunny day, although would have been warmer if the trees alongside the road were cut down. Also would have better views of Loch Ness. Well run event, well marshalled, food and goody bags at end and a medal. Can enter online as all good events should.

This was only my second marathon, so I don't have a lot to compare to, but I thought this one was very well run. Amazingly, all 600 or so runners were transported nearly 30 miles to the start without a hitch! The course is beautiful, but tough. The first 4 miles are downhill, though not steep, and the next 4 miles are slightly rolling downhill. After that, it was nearly flat until a 2-mile incline between miles 17 and 19. Slightly rolling again after that to the end. From what I heard, everyone had a very good first half time, but the second half...that was another story!

This was the first time the race has been held. Hopefully it will be the first of many. Buses picked us up in Inverness at 7.40 am and took us to the start point 26 miles up the side of Loch Ness. We started the race at 10am - in the middle of the Scottish highlands; heather, lochs, bagpipes playing - what could be better! Weather was superb - cool + cloudy for most of the way and no wind. The course is not easy to get to for spectators. However, those who managed to find their way to a vantage point were especially friendly and encouraging. We finished in the Inverness athletics stadium (doing a lap of the track - just like the olympics!); afterwhich there was a terrific choice of food and drinks, massages, etc available. This is far from an easy marathon course in view of the many hills - but very well worth while. Thanks to all the event organisers and helpers for doing such a great job.

This was my first attempt at a marathon i finished, that was great. I'll be doing it again next year, &, bringing several first timers with me,(this time l will do some training rather than just turning up for a bet) But seriously guys, do somthing about that mountain at Foyes & it's smaller brother just after Dores. Congratulations to all involved in the organization you were FANTASTIC. Regards to you all Mike Getchell (Marie Curie)