With entries for the Baxters Loch Ness Marathon closing on Sunday (1st July), we caught up with Malcolm Sutherland, Event & Race Director, to find out more about the marathon and to give away a pair of marathon tickets for entry.
What makes the Loch Ness marathon so unique to other events?
The Baxters Loch Ness Marathon follows a point-to-point route alongside the world’s most famous body o f water, Loch Ness, starting in an atmospheric moorland setting and taking in spectacular scenery along the shores of Loch Ness to finish in Inverness, capital of the Scottish Highlands.
It is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful marathon settings in the world… OK, so we may be biased but come and see for yourself!
However, it’s not just the dramatic setting that attracts over 4,000 runners to sign up each year, the Baxters Loch Ness Marathon is renowned for its festival atmosphere, camaraderie amongst runners and warm Highland welcome extended to all runners.
What does the Loch Ness marathon do for the local economy?
The event has a tremendous impact on the local economy as 51% of marathon runners come from outside Scotland to take part each year, with 13% of these coming from overseas; generating an estimated £2.3 million for the local economy in 2017.
How popular is running in Scotland?
Running is hugely popular in Scotland, and with national initiatives such as JogScotland and Park Run there are many more people taking up running. We have a range of distances at the Festival of Running with something for all ages and running abilities and take great pleasure seeing our younger runners or those new to running start with the River Ness 5k before tackling the River Ness 10k or the full marathon. We also have a Wee Nessie kids race too!
How does it feel to receive silver at the 2018 running awards? Any plans to get to gold?
We were delighted to receive the silver this year for Best Marathon and would to thank everyone who voted for us. The Baxters Loch Ness Marathon won the gold award for the Best Marathon in 2017 so we were chuffed with that too!
How much money does the Loch Ness Marathon raise for charitable causes?
The event raised over £1.3 million foe charity in 2016 which is a fantastic achievement and directly benefits hundreds if not thousands of lives.
Why, this year, have you decided to include the runner’s expo and cafe?
The Runner’s Cafe is an exciting new addition to the 2018 Festival of Running and is the perfect way to kick off race weekend. Runners can grab a coffee and some food from our street food vendors, listen to our Expo shows hosted by BBC Scotland’s Bryan Burnett, chat with other runners from around the world or just chill out with some traditional Scottish music.
Now it its 6th year, the Expo offers a great range of running products and offers from leading sports brands all weekend. So, whether it’s some new gear to run it, something to measure your performance, some fuel to get you around or something to help you recover, we promise you’ll be spoilt for choice. There will also be free sampling product trials, demos, prize draws and marathon sized offers.
Want to win a pair of marathon tickets?
Entry prices start from £50.00, with entry including a finisher’s technical t-shirt, finisher’s medal, goody bag, post-race food, downloadable finisher’s certificate, and much, much more!
Keep an eye on our Facebook and Instagram to find out how to win a pair of tickets for the Loch Ness Marathon.
Alternatively, visit the website to book your place before entries close on Sunday 1st July.
If you’re unable to make this event, check out our Event’s Calendar to see what other events are coming up that may be right for you.
, we caught up with Malcolm Sutherland, Event & Race Director, to find out more about the marathon and to give away a pair of marathon tickets for entry.){kind=link}