Ten runners who have completed the previous nine years of the UK’s most scenic marathon expect to be celebrating at the finish line of the 10th anniversary Baxters Loch Ness Marathon on Sunday (2 October 2011).
The ten anniversary runners will join others from 45 countries travelling to Inverness to take part in the Baxters Loch Ness Marathon & Festival of Running in Inverness’ Bught Park.
One of the tenth anniversary runners, Erica Christie (Bellahouston), was second in the inaugural event and continues to feature in the top rankings with a tenth place in 2010. Others to look out for in the 2011 events include:
Ethiopian Tomas Abyu (PB 2:10:37), Salford Harriers, winner of the 2010 Baxters Loch Ness Marathon will looking to better his course time of 2:20:50).
With a best marathon time of 2:22:49, Ross Houston (Central AC), winner of the Scottish 10K title in September, may be among the top finishers. Challengers for the top three are also likely to include regular Loch Ness runners, David Kirkland (Alnwick) who was runner up in 2008 and 2009, and Chris Wilson (Cambuslang), who was third in 2009 and fourth in 2010.
In the women’s field, Lisa Finlay (Dumfries) (PB 2:59:31) finished ninth in Edinburgh marathon this year and is a strong contender for the Marathon.
In the Baxters River Ness 10K, runners to look out for include Robert Turner (Harmeny AC) who was second in 2009 and Niku Millott (Metro Aberdeen) who was fourth last year.
Local runner, Melissa Whyte (Inverness Harriers) was second in the women’s race in 2009 and 2010 and is one to look out for in 2011.
The 2011 Baxters Loch Ness Marathon will also incorporate this year’s Scottish Marathon Championships and is one of five events included in the Scottish Athletics Road Race Grand Prix 2011.
In this year of Active Scotland, the Baxters Loch Ness Marathon & Festival of Running on Sunday 2 October 2011 is a great opportunity for everyone to take part in a running event. Visit www.lochnessmarathon.com for more information.
