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Loch Ness Marathon Runner Comments
Back to Loch Ness Marathon Information & Reviews
Course 4.5 
Organization 4.5 
Spectators 3.5
Number of comments: 31 [displaying comments 11 to 21]
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B. K. from USA
(10/10/2009)
"Good one... but could improve" (about: 2009)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Loch Ness Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 4 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. | |
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K. S. from Munich, Germany
(10/8/2009)
"A great, scenic run" (about: 2009)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Loch Ness Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 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. | |
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Richie Masson from Aberdeen, Scotland
(10/6/2009)
"Great race full of little challenges!" (about: 2009)
4-5 previous marathons
| 2 Loch Ness Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 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! | |
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Jemma Kerr from Scotland, Ayrshire
(10/5/2009)
"A tough but beautiful course" (about: 2009)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Loch Ness Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 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. | |
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J. N. from Greenville, SC, USA
(10/15/2008)
"A fantastic experience" (about: 2008)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Loch Ness Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 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. | |
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Mark Hutchinson from London, England
(10/13/2008)
"Loved it" (about: 2008)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Loch Ness Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 2 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. | |
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A. B. from Trabuco Canyon, CA.
(10/12/2008)
"Most Scenic Marathon" (about: 2008)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Loch Ness Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 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. | |
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G. W. from Scotland
(10/6/2008)
"A fantastic alternative to a big-city race" (about: 2008)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Loch Ness Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 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. | |
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P. K. from Jonesboro, USA
(12/20/2007)
"Even better second time around." (about: 2007)
11-50 previous marathons
| 2 Loch Ness Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 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. | |
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A. V. from Northwest Territories, Canada
(10/24/2007)
"Excellent 'destination marathon'" (about: 2007)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Loch Ness Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 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! |
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