Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

Can I dress up as Nessie? Will there be soup? Everything You Need To Know About the Baxters Loch Ness Marathon

The north's biggest road running event is great fun for all the family.

The start of the Loch Ness Marathon
Baxters Loch Ness Marathon 2021.

Every autumn, Inverness fills up with thousands of runners ready to tackle one of Scotland’s big events.

They are in town for the Baxters Loch Ness Marathon and Festival of Running.

It has something for everyone – a full marathon, a 10k, a 5k and even a Wee Nessie race for the youngest participants.

But don’t despair if you prefer your exercise at a more civilised pace, or even just vicariously.

Because as you watch and wait for the finishers, there are food, drink, sideshows and shops for the spectators.

But can you get a massage? And where do you put the car while you have some fun?

Here are the answers to those and other burning questions to make your Loch Ness Marathon experience a good one.

Do I have to run 26.2 miles?

No, don’t worry. If you want to do the lot, feel free. But the small print on all the merch says “and Festival of Running” – the perfect get-out clause.

Anyone daunted by hours and hours of running can register for the 10km or 5km that happen on the same day. There is even a Wee Nessie race for the pre-schoolers.

And those of us who don’t fancy even those shorter races should see the section on the sideshows, stalls and food and drink options – just enjoy the atmosphere.

A Loch Ness Marathon runner dressed up as Nessie
Yes, you can dress up as Nessie. But you can’t wear rollerskates.

Do I have to PAY to run?

You’re new to this, aren’t you? Yes, you do.

A marathon place costs from £35 to £62, depending on what clubs you’re in and whether you run for charity. The 10km is from £26, the 5km is £12, and the Wee Nessie is £5.

A big attraction of Loch Ness is there is no ballot – with London and other high-profile races, you have to “win” a place.

A lot of people also run for charity – like many other big race events, Loch Ness has charity partners. Or you can pick your own.

Is there soup?

Yes, believe it or not. Every finisher is handed a cup of Baxters.

There are also other food trucks and stalls, for everything from cake and coffee to lunch.

In the past, Baxters have had some other big names along for the ride.

Bad Girl Bakery, Popseys Pancakes, Mieles ice cream, Edelwurst, Highland Hog Roast, Ddough Pizza (wood fired pizza), and Nae Bad Coffee were all there.

And pop-up bars from Cromarty Brewing and Great Glen Gin also put in appearances.

Bught Park, where all the best people come to run

Where is it all happening?

The Event Village is at Inverness’s Bught Park.

That’s where you can register, get a massage before or after your run, get a bus to the start of the marathon…. pretty much the centre of the universe.

There will also be bungee trampolines, a bouncy castle, face painting and other kids’ activities.

Where can I park?

As with any event in a city, parking can be tricky, and organisers ask  people to walk to the venue if possible.

There were almost 5,000 people in a past year, to give you an idea of the scale.

But were that isn’t doable, there are a few payable car parks nearby.

The Highland Council HQ car park (IV3 5NX) is a ten-minute walk from the marathon bus pick up point.

The council’s Torvean car park (IV3 8JL) is five minutes closer.

There is also a drop-off point at Bught Park, if you’re quick – no waiting allowed.

Accessible parking is also available at Bught Park.

Conversation