Two Grantham Running Club members, Tracey Lattimore and Belinda Baker, travelled to Inverness for the Baxters Loch Ness Marathon on 3rd October. This marathon had been a long-held aspiration for them both.
The route is arguably the most appealing of any marathon. The 26-mile experience takes in the beautiful Highland scenery along the shores of Loch Ness, before crossing the River Ness and reaching the finish line in Bught Park in Inverness.
The runners are transported by coach to the start line between Fort Augustus and Foyers. They then follow the route (B852) down to the edge of the loch at Foyers. Participants then follow Loch Ness’s south-eastern shore, making their way north-eastwards towards Dores at the northern edge of the loch. After Dores, the runners head into the centre of Inverness, following the River Ness for the last half mile to the finish line at Bught Park.
After restricted training, Belinda was comfortable and satisfied to complete the race in a time of 5:18:45. She enjoyed the camaraderie of fellow runners for the whole of the scenic course.
Tracey was pleased to find that Belinda’s promise of a downhill run was actually true, at least for the first part. However, she found the course challenging in sections, although beautifully scenic, and all in all an amazing experience. Starting the race with absolutely no expectations, Tracey was pleased to finish in a time of 4:39:17.
The weather was changeable, with rain and cloud at the start, but then beautiful rainbows and sun over the loch, and once again rain and wind towards the finish line. Runners all received a welcome cup of Baxters soup at the finish.
The race was won by Stuart Livingstone of Corstorphine AAC in a time of 2:32:21, and the first female was Megan Crawford of Fife Athletics Club in 2:48:15.
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