Running Loch Ness Marathon in Year of Homecoming
Guaranteed Entry Places 2009 Loch Ness Festival of Running Marathon
Apr 1, 2009
Inverness in the Scottish Highlands will welcome thousands of runners to the Loch Ness Festival of Running on 3-4 October 2009. Millennium city Inverness is the base for Festival runners. Anyone with a connection to Scotland is welcomed to 'Run Home' to celebrate Scotland's Year of the Homecoming.
Ballot for Loch Ness Marathon entry places has been scrapped for the 2009 race. For the first time, club runners and unattached runners including overseas runners can enter online for the Loch Ness Marathon for a guaranteed place. Places may be available up to the closing date of 1 May 2009 and can be purchased online, on a first come, first served and non-refundable basis.
Running Training for Loch Ness Marathon
Loch Ness Marathon is a scenic and demanding course for beginners. Adequate running training, running up to 30 to 40 miles in one session and a taper before the race, is crucial for relatively smooth racing and finish. A sweeper bus will be available on the day for runners who become injured or are unable to continue to complete Loch Ness Marathon.
October weather in the Scottish Highlands can be unpredictable. Running training in light waterproof sportswear will prepare runners for possible rain and likely heavy mists en route in Loch Ness Marathon.
Preparations in advance of the race will determine finishing times for Loch Ness Marathon 2009. Previous years results show diversity of runners with elite runners and serious runners finishing times spanning from under 150 minutes to around 6 or 7 hours. Fitness to run may be challenged when race bibs are collected from race organisers the night before Loch Ness Marathon or early morning of 4 October 2009.
Preparing for Loch Ness Marathon
Loch Ness Marathon morning will be an early start with arrival first at the stadium where the race finishs later in the day. Stewards will direct runners to a series of buses which take all marathon runners to the start point of the Marathon. There is no bus seat allocation so running buddies and larger groups running for charities can sit together on the bus for race start countdown.
Marathon runners should expect their bus travelling along the winding roads outside Inverness city into the Scottish Highlands to take up to an hour. On arrival there will be warm refreshments, toilets, and a baggage bus will take all extra kit labelled back to the stadium. Runners' sports bags with a change of clothes for the post-race party can be left earlier in the stadium's Marathon baggage tent.
Running Loch Ness Marathon
Loch Ness marathon course is undulating with some tricky steep and sustained hills in the first half of the marathon. Most runners will be caught by the race official photographers with Loch Ness in the background along the stretch of the course around 13 to 14 miles. Villagers will cheer runners past their homes and fields up to 18 miles. At 21 miles Loch Ness marathonning is under a canopy of trees and past this forest on the road towards a turn into the city of Inverness there are only a couple of miles to go before a dramatic finish in the stadium and collection of race medal.
Runners with a Scottish connection entering Loch Ness Marathon for the first time in Year of Homecoming 2009 can banter with other runners on the race bus, be primed for a good marathon time by the bagpiping out of the runners at the Loch Ness Marathon start line and enjoy the Scottish villagers' welcome given each year to the marathon runners in Loch Ness Festival of Running.
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