The Loch Ness Marathon had been on ma bucket list for years. Being back hame in the UK and wanting something braw tae work towards, 2026 was finally the year tae dae it. The idea of the race is simple: they bus ye tae the far end o’ Loch Ness, drop ye aff, and ye’ve tae run back tae Inverness.
Training wisnae ideal. I did some long runs up until the start o’ August, but then I was that busy wi’ triathlons it had tae go on the back burner. Still, I reckoned the course couldnae be too hard, seein’ as Amy had set the club record on it. This, it turns oot, was a daft assumption.
We had to be on the buses at 7:30 and the drive took around an hour and twenty minutes. I had a guid blether wi’ the lass sitting next tae me, who was visiting from Florida and this was one of ten global marathons she wanted to run in the next ten years. Once we got aff the bus, we found oorsels in the middle o’ naewhere, and it was Baltic. I had tae pit on ma fleece, gloves, waterproof jaicket and waterproof leggings just tae stop masel shivering. It was just efter nine when we arrived and the race didnae start till ten, so there was plenty o’ time tae queue for a final wee.
The start o’ the race is stunnin’: ye’re up in the glens wi’ peaks everywhere ye look. I stopped at 8km tae take a photie o’ ma shoes, as ma trusty Hoka Skyward X hit 2,000km at this point. Efter 11km the course drops doon tae the side o’ the loch, and for the next 17 kilometres ye can see the watter and the hills on the ither side, maistly through the trees wi’ the odd gap for a clear view. I tried tae enjoy it as much as I could, but I was hurting a lot and ultimately capitulated to sitting with the pain and trying to keep gaun. This section had some steep but short hills and descents in it.
At 28km the route leaves the loch and we found oorsels gaun up a fair bit longer hill, and the road kept gaun up and doon past fields and ferms. Then, at 37km, ye reach the ootskirts o’ Inverness, heid intae the city, alang the side o’ the River Ness, ower the brig and back tae the finish. I was hauf-deid by the time I crossed the finish line but managed a smile for the photies.
Ma wife was waitin’ for me just efter the line. As was a cup of Baxsters soup and a roll. Ye also get two tins o’ soup in yer goodie bag so ye’ll no go hungry for the rest o’ the week. Ma official time was:
4:14:32
I couldnae walk the next day. I’ve never been that sair efter a marathon. Probably a combination o’ no enough long runs, the hills, and spendin’ a lot o’ the next 48 hours drivin’ or hikin’ the West Highland Way.
It’s definitely up there wi’ the maist spectacular races I’ve done. Tollymore was stunning but it was two laps. Man Vs Coast was braw an’ aw, but having a city finish in Inverness added something extra, and made the logistics o’ gettin’ some scran and back tae yer hotel a lot easier.
They were playin’ ‘The Glen’ by Beluga Lagoon the hale weekend, and noo I cannae get it oot ma heid.
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Tags: marathon, running, scotland
This entry was posted on Tuesday, September 29th, 2026 at 11:00 am and is filed under Sport. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.