Loch Ness Marathon - All you need to know about the course!
FROM THE START TO FOYERS (6.3 MILES)
It’s difficult not to get carried away by the sense of occasion, the excitement and the nervous anticipation as the adrenaline pumps through your body at the start of a marathon.
You’ll be on the starting line eagerly waiting to get your big challenge underway. It’s a fantastic feeling, but it needs to be harnessed with a degree of ice cool self-control.
One of the best pieces of advice I was given about marathon running was to make sure that the best six miles of my race were the final six miles, not the first six miles. So, remember you have 26.2 miles to run. There’s no prizes or medals for being first to reach Foyers.
The opening six or seven miles of the Baxters Loch Ness Marathon course are predominantly downhill although there’s one or two minor climbs as you follow the line of General Wade’s military road in a north-easterly direction. There’s one particularly tough little climb after about 4.5 miles, but you can afford to push just a tiny bit harder on these uphills because you know you’ll get the chance to recover on the next downhill.
At this early stage in the race, however, you shouldn’t be working too hard at all. Keep it all very relaxed and calm. Enjoy the views of the hills to your right and left, and look out for glimpses of the river Foyers when you turn down through the first wooded section of the route.
It’s best to flow through the downhills. Allow gravity to do the work, lean slightly forward – not back – marginally extend your stride length and relax. Don’t run wildly out of control. Some of the downhills are quite steep, especially the final mile towards Foyers, and at this point it’s particularly important not to run too hard. Steep downhill running can do more muscle damage than running on the flat or uphill, so take it easy – there’s a long way to go.
There’s another little uphill section into Foyers itself but you’ll get a boost at the village where supporters will come out to cheer. You have reached the first significant staging point and you should be feeling nicely warmed up and into your stride, ready for the next stage of the journey along Loch Ness.
Water stations with first aid and portable toilets are located at 2.9 miles and 6.5 miles, with a High5 gel station at 6.25 miles.
FROM FOYERS TO HALFWAY (6 MILES TO 13.1 MILES)
As you leave Foyers some superb views of Loch Ness begin to open up as the road takes you closer to the edge of the water. While it’s always important to remain focussed on how you are feeling and to regularly monitor whether or not you are going too quickly or too slowly, it’s always good to relax as well by taking in the beautiful scenery and some of the interesting landmarks.
So, look out for Boleskine House on your right hand side. It was once owned by Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page but was earlier described as “a centre of black magic, evil and sorcery” when occupied by Satanist Aleister Crowley. That might inspire you to speed past quite quickly.
The course continues in its predominantly downhill phase although there’s a small rise around the eight mile point before the long gradual descent towards the hamlet of Inverfarigaig.
Leaving Inverfarigaig there’s another steep downhill section as the road takes you almost to the level of the loch. Fantastic views open up along the length of the water and over to Glen Urquhart and shelter is provided by the wooded slopes on your right.
This is prime Nessie spotting territory, but remember to remain focussed on your race. There are some slight undulations, but nothing to cause any worries. You can push on the ups and coast on the downs. Then it’s flat all the way to the halfway point.
The strategy for this section of the race is pretty much as before. Navigate the downhills fluently and try to get into a rhythm on the flatter and slightly undulating sections. You should be slightly ahead of even-pace for the time you are trying to achieve as the
downhills should have helped you achieve a decent speed without causing any damage.
It has to feel good at this point and you should be confident of there still being plenty of gas left in the tank. Try to enjoy the scenery and relax as there’s still a lot of hard work ahead. But if you have paced it properly there will be nothing to fear.
Water stations with first aid and portable toilets are located at 9.6 miles and 13.7 miles, with a High5 gel station at 13.6 miles.
13-20 MILES: TIME TO KEEP CONCENTRATING
If you’ve handled the route sensibly up to this stage you can gain a psychological lift by passing through the halfway point knowing you’re now on the way home. Try to think of it this way: from this point on, with every step you take, there’s fewer miles ahead of you than you’ve already completed. It can, however, be easy to lose a bit of concentration at this stage in any race, so focus on maintaining your pace and effort, but try to keep relaxed and in control. Stay within your limits as there’s still some serious running to do.
The sheltered stretch from 13 to 16 miles is slightly undulating and while the short rises may feel a little testing, there’s nothing major to worry about and you can recover on the easy downhills. There’s another decent flat section as you approach the head of Loch Ness and pass through the community of Dores between 16 and 17 miles. Look out here for local resident Steve Feltham, the country’s only full-time Nessie hunter who has lived in the fabulous setting of Dores beach for the past 24 years.
From around 17 miles the course heads away from the loch and into some open countryside. After passing Aldourie school there’s a stiff uphill climb which marks the beginning of one of the more challenging sections of the route. It’s predominantly uphill for the next couple of miles, until just beyond the 19 mile point when it levels off and begins to descend towards Scaniport. It’s a tough time to be facing such a challenge in a marathon, but keep your spirits high. Don’t push the climb too hard. Reduce your stride length and use your arms to help propel yourself up the inclines. Tell yourself that you are going to handle this section of the course as well as anyone and remind yourself there’s a rewarding long gradual downhill to follow. It might be an idea to break the climbs down into one minute sections, giving yourself a little breather every second minute. If you’ve included some decent hill running sessions as part of your training plan, this is where you will be rewarded for your diligence and perseverance.
Stick to whatever nutrition plan you have tested in training.
Water stations with first aid and portable toilets are located at 13.7 miles, 17.3 miles and 20 miles, and a High5 gel station at 13.6 miles.
FROM MILE 20 TO THE FINISH
This is it. The final lap. Time to dig deep into your physical and mental reserves and to focus on how great it will feel when you cross the finishing line, roared on by the cheers of the crowds and the encouragement of your friends and family. Keep reminding yourself why you are doing the race, think of all the hours of training you have put in and reaffirm that you can succeed. You can handle it. The distance isn’t going to beat you. Take it one mile at a time if needs be, even one step at a time. Every step is taking you closer and closer to achieving your goal. No matter how well you have handled the opening 20 miles the final six can still offer a tough but exhilarating test. Focus on all the positive outcomes. Perhaps it’s the thrill of completing your first marathon, or maybe setting a personal best time, or perhaps even a best time for your age. Possibly you will be raising money for a charity or helping some worthy local cause. Or maybe it’s even a combination of these and others. There’s no shortage of motivating factors to keep you going should the going get tough.
From roughly 20 to 21 miles the route is still all downhill. Don’t get too carried away, however, as your legs will obviously be tired and you don’t want to batter the muscles any more than necessary by pounding recklessly down the slope. Just as was recommended in the early stages, try to relax on the downhill and gather yourself together for a good effort over the closing stages. There is one final uphill stretch around the 21 mile point but from there onwards it levels out and remains essentially flat all the way to the finish line.
Around the 23 mile mark the route edges into the quiet tree-lined residential streets of the built-up area. There will be glimpses of the Caledonian Canal and the River Ness to your left and the city centre ahead. By 24 miles you’ll hear the cheers from the other side of the river as you’ll now be parallel with the finish area at Bught Park. Stay focussed on the next major landmark, the Ness Bridge in the heart of the city centre. Once you have safely negotiated the bridge there’s approximately one mile to go and it’s all flat as the route hugs the north bank of the river. Gather yourself for one final push to the finish line and the welcome rewards which await you: the sense of achievement; the reuniting with family, friends and other runners you have met along the way; the opportunity to sit down and share your thoughts and experiences of having completed one of the world’s most attractive marathons; and, above all, the opportunity to start thinking about your next one.
Stick to whatever nutrition plan you have tested in training. Water stations with first aid and portable toilets are located at 20 miles and 23.5 miles, with High5 gel stations at 20 miles and 23.25 miles.