Loch Ness Marathon 2013

Strange have posted a few comments on this site and they have all disappeared!!

For those who havn't done this race before , I'd say that the hill at about 19 miles is not too bad- you can just walk up it anyway, unless you are looking for a sub-4 time. I think the thing that trashes your legs is the downhills early on- you need to train for downhill running- it is much tougher on the legs than the flat is- practice on a hill- slowup, faster down- it is well worth the effort- and remember on the day not to get too carried away at the beginning.

I'm in for Loch Ness 2013.  I did it in 2012 as my second marathon (first being Edinburgh 2012).

I trained very badly for Edinburgh and marginally better for Loch Ness...

The hill at 18/19 miles at Loch Ness hurts if you've burned yourself out early (as tricialitt mentions) on the downhills and the hill at about 22/23 miles is almost as bad.  I stupidly went faster than I planned in the first 10 miles or so which are generally downhill and then was back on average pace over the next (flat) 6 or 7 miles.  I toiled badly from about mile 18 to mile 23 (ish).  Even with that, I really enjoyed the marathon and signed up for 2013 within the next few days!  Finishing time was 4:24.

I've been training "properly" since the start of this year for 10k distance and now half marathon distance.  I'm looking to knock at least an hour off my marathon PB this year...

As has been said - if you don't have accommodation already, you'll need to get on it soon as the accommodation fills up very quickly.  If you've got anyone going with you  in a car that take any luggage etc. then an option away from Inverness is to stay at Drumnadrochit or Fort Augustus where there are bus pick up points.  We stayed in Drumnadrochit last year and that worked well.  Inverness City Centre this year though to save my wife (now with added baby) having to find parking etc. on the day.  We'll be staying walking distance from the finish line!

Another tip.  It was bloody freezing at the start line with a decent amount of time to wait before actually getting going.  If you can take something warmish to wear to keep you warm that you're not bothered about chucking away at the start or soon after, then it would be advisable.  The bag drop is good too - I went dressed in my hoody and jogging bottoms and kept them on for as long as possible before throwing them into my rucksack and onto the back of the trucks.  The pick up wasn't far from the finish line and I had my joggers and hoody back on in no time after finishing. 

tricialitt/Calum, thanks for the heads up, it's always good to get tips to avoid common mistooks. Calum, knocking 30 mins off your previous time sounds a massive improvement!

How close are hotels from the shops, as the wife likes a mooch while iam running?

well, if you get somewhere in the City Centre I guess you'd be close to the shops? Only been there once before sorry so can't really help.

Can anybody point me to somewhere I can see the total incline/decline? I've seen the profile but would like to know exactly what I'm letting myself in for and maybe to help me choose training routes. It may be me but not found the course on Garmin Connect.

Edited to say I found several runs on mapmyrun and the total incline seems to vary from 205-250 metres. Feel better now as today's 6 mile run was 240 metres, just need to get some stamina  in me

Andi, I ran it last year and according to endomondo the total descent I did was 1936ft and the total ascent was 906ft.  While the hill at 18-20 miles is tough it's more to do with the stage of the run rather than the total incline. It is one of those hills though that you think you might be at the top and then you turn a corner and see another long stretch, can be a bit of a morale sapper.

Eastham75, Inverness is a compact town and as long as the hotel is in the town itself it won't be a long walk to the shops or anywhere else. The last mile or so is by the river, spectatator friendly and only a short walk from the shops. Also worth considering self-catering, lots of places within 10-15 min walk of town centre and it gives more home comforts, including fridge/freezer for cold beer and ice packs!

Andi - the stats from my Garmin for last year's marathon:

Elevation Gain:971 ft

Elevation Loss:1,932 ft

Min Elevation:32 ft

Max Elevation:1,013 ft

Eastham75 - Last year, we stayed in Drumnadrochit which is closer to the start than the finish, but still only 30 minutes or so from Inverness.  This year we're staying in self catering apartments (I forget which ones) about 10-15 minutes walk to the finish.  (There are buses from their to the start line).  I think this will be much better post-race than having to sit in the car afterwards.  Staying the Sunday night this year too, as I've got the following day off work (which I didn't last year!), which will be way better.  

Txs for the stats Jaggy & Calum, makes me feel a little easier and agree that last hill will be harder as it will be around my max planned LSR. Looks like I'll be upping my Hill running in reverse

I ran this last year as my first marathon and loved it . Would love to do it again this yr but as I live in the south of England it was a bit of a trek . Amazing views . The worst bit is the first 9 miles which are down hill , killed the quads for the hill at 18 miles . If I have one training tip it's train running downhills as well as up and add some lunges to your weekly workouts. 

So jealous of you all.