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Baxters Loch Ness Marathon
27 September 2026 · Inverness, Scotland, UK
scenic
Distances
10K · 21.1K · 42K
The Loch Ness Marathon doesn't start in Inverness at all — it starts out on the moors near Whitebridge, an hour's bus ride away, with no private vehicle access to the start whatsoever. From there the course runs mostly downhill along the loch shore, past the village of Foyers and Urquhart Castle, meeting its one real climb at mile 19 (which runners are warned about in advance, and which, by their own accounts, turns out less brutal than advertised). At the Inverness finish, a running joke turns into tradition: free Baxters soup and a roll after almost 42 kilometers beside Scotland's most famous loch.
Course records
Men
2:15:46
2025 · Alex Milne
Women
2:42:04
2019 · Katie White
Weather in September
Late September into early October in the Scottish Highlands brings 5-13°C, often cloudy and rainy; the official race guide openly warns that Highland weather can change very quickly.
Starter pack 2025
- Back bib with timing chip
- Finisher medal
- Finisher technical t-shirt (can be declined in favour of a John Muir Trust donation)
- Baxters soup with a roll and fruit at the finish
- Erdinger alcohol-free beer
The starter pack itself is fairly basic — runners specifically note the finisher shirt is cotton, not technical fabric.
Pacers & bib pickup
No pacers announced for this race.
Bib pickup
Event Village, Bught Park, Inverness
day before the race only
Saturday only, photo ID required; there's no race-morning bib pickup at all. The bus to the start departs the Ice Centre at 7:30-7:50am — it's the only way to reach the start.
Course map
Route not added yet
What’s nearby
Walking
Ness Islands — River islands with Victorian suspension bridges next to Bught Park.
Inverness Castle — Overlooking the River Ness, in the city center.
30 minutes
Urquhart Castle — One of Scotland's most-visited castles, right on the loch shore.
Loch Ness Centre in Drumnadrochit — An exhibition about the monster legend.
2 hours
Isle of Skye — Actually closer to three hours by car — better to allow extra time.
Cairngorms — A national park with mountains and red deer.
Dinner before the race
No single favorite restaurant has emerged among runners; the official site simply points to Inverness's tourism website.
After the finish
Free Baxters soup and a roll, fruit, and Erdinger Alkoholfrei beer at the Event Village fan zone.
Reviews
Lindsay B (Running with Lindz)2024
It was the dream race conditions for me — around 10 degrees and cloudy; the start is breathtakingly beautiful, and the mile-19 climb everyone warns you about turned out to be a little underwhelming — just a hill, nothing more.
Registration closed
42.2