Loch Ness Marathon

Course & Elevation

The Baxters Loch Ness Marathon is a point-to-point road marathon along the south-eastern shore of Loch Ness in the Scottish Highlands, finishing in Inverness. It is held on a Sunday in late September as part of the Festival of Running, which also includes the River Ness 10K, a 5K and the Wee Nessie race for under-fives. The marathon starts at 10:00 on moorland high ground between Whitebridge and Fort Augustus, drops down to the loch at Foyers, then follows the shore north-east through Inverfarigaig to Dores at the northern tip of the loch. From Dores the route heads into the centre of Inverness, crosses the River Ness by the Ness Bridge, and turns along the river for the last half mile to the finish in Bught Park. Runners are taken to the start by coach from Inverness. The race is organised by Caledonian Concepts, founded by Malcolm and Caroline Sutherland, who staged the first edition in 2002, and Baxters has been title sponsor since. The cut-off is seven hours, at 17:00. About 6,000 runners took part in the marathon in 2026, and entries have sold out in recent years.