My first marathon completed. You’ve followed my blog on the training, but how was the race itself? Would I recommend it?

Read on… 🙂

When and where?

29/09/24 – Inverness, Scotland

Start: Middle of nowhere between Fort Augustus and Foyers

Finish: Bught Park, Inverness City Centre

The Route

We had to be at Bught Park at 7:30am. The finish line.

This was to get on a bus to take us to the start. It was an hours drive to literally the middle of nowhere.

Well, it was somewhere inbetween Fort Augustus and Foyers. If that means anything to you.

I was expecting it to be freezing, but it was actually a mild morning. Mild for the Scottish highlands anyway.

The start was breathtakingly beautiful. It was perfect.

What was lovely was that we set off to a pipe band playing for us. It gave me goosebumps!

A few people in the remote houses cheered us on. There was one grumpy man in a car grumbling away as his daughter laughed. One day a year!

The route is VERY downhill to start with. Some points had sharp downhills and many runners were making them most of them.

We reached mile 5 and oof. This is where I believe the race begins. A nice sharp hill that did make me huff a little, you can see from this point who had been training up hills as many started walking.

Mile 7 we reached Foyers and we were greeted with some well wishers, but more importantly we began to run alongside Loch Ness. This long stretch would take us down a mostly straight path for the next ten miles.

We ran through villages but there were long stretches of woodland and peace. At times I loved this, the only thing I could hear were the footsteps of others. It also allowed all the thoughts to come in.

From mile 17 we reached Dores and what felt like a taste of civilisation after the long woodland stretch.

There was the climb at mile 19. Now, I didn’t find this terrible as it was advertised. There was uphill and a little break then uphill and another little break for some time. I suppose 19 miles in you get a little delirious and the fact I was still running was a miracle.

Again this is where you could tell who hadn’t been practicing up hills, or were just seriously done by this point.

Beautiful country views carried us to about mile 24 when we began to run towards the finish.

It was a tad heartbreaking when you could hear the finish from across the river. We still had a while to go!

Here is where people were cheering along on the streets. I don’t really need someone to cheer me on normally, I’m very self motivated.

But a marathon is a long way. This cheer squad was much needed for the final miles.

We reached the bridge, where a group of lads in the pub were cheering every runner on. Apparently Tilda Swinton was cheering on as well! I was a little too focused on getting across the bridge, back down into the park.

It’s a lovely flat stretch to the park. Crowds cheering you on… goodness this stretch goes on forever. Then finally… the finish line.

A MARATHON COMPLETED!

Race Conditions

It was the dream race conditions for me. Around 10 degrees and cloudy.

The sun did come out at parts but it was pleasant.

The route was on road which was mostly smooth. When we got towards the centre we did have to concentrate with paving and so on. Not ideal when you’re exhausted, but it helped me focus on that rather than the exhaustion in my legs!

Later on in the route half the road was closed which was fine, apart from when groups of people were walking in a big clump making it difficult to overtake. I’m not saying cars were speeding down the road but it was something to be mindful of.

There was also an ambulance trying to drive down the road runners were on. Bit odd, but soon resolved. It shows what a big job it is to organise and run the race safely. Full respect.

Anyway, dream conditions and it made it the most enjoyable run. 🙂

My Performance

It was the best day ever!

I admit, I was crying at the start line. I felt great. No injury. I felt like I’d already won.

I knew how quick the start of the race would be as there was a LOT of downhill. You see it on the route map, but to actually run it is very different.

I focused on holding myself back, in hindsight I’d have probably relaxed a little more but here we are.

The first ten miles were a dream. I was happily ticking the miles off and counting down.

However, I needed a wee from mile 5. As the race went on, I had hoped to see some portaloos with no queues but they were all so long.

I wasn’t queuing for 5 minutes for a wee.

I had hoped it would go but I got the half way point and nope. This was when the negative thoughts creeped in.

I was only halfway, I need a wee and this is hard.

I got to mile 15 and yep. Wild wee.

Immediately I felt loads better. I was less tense and ready to carry on.

I had been warned about mile 19 and the hill. The long terrible scary hill. As we came to it, I was a little… underwhelmed?

It was a hill, but it wasn’t that bad.

I say this, thinking I ran up it quite strongly. My strava splits say different hahahaha.

In my mental preparation for this hill I had allowed myself to walk if I needed to. Yet I kept going. Again looking back, I’m so glad I didn’t walk. I wouldn’t have been able to start running again at this point as my legs were so tired.

It was odd. My top half felt loose, relaxed and in control. My legs felt like they were running a marathon. They just didn’t want to go any quicker.

I tried all the tactics, form checks, pumping my arms, lifting my knees, lengthening my stride… nope. They just didn’t want to.

It wasn’t an easy course. Double the downhills than uphill sounds good on paper, but those sharp downhills get you.

The downhills in the last 10k I tried to really go for them and again it felt like I was but no… I definitely wasn’t.

Now this might sound like I’m whinging about it but no way. I am SO proud of my determination and persistence to reach that finish line.

Running a marathon is TOUGH. Anything can happen in 26.2 miles. Your race plan might not go to plan so you have to adapt to what is possible.

My race plan was to finish and enjoy it.

I most certainly did.

As we reached the bridge before we turned down into the finishing straight, my legs unlocked. It was the strangest feeling.

My legs started working. I opened my stride and I was actually starting to get some pace in. I glided past other runners who were struggling and I was smiling. I was thanking everyone who was cheering.

This felt incredible. The best feeling.

I don’t remember but as I reached the finish I cheered out loud and lifted my arms in the air. I did it.

I ran a marathon. And if felt good. I enjoyed the challenges and overcoming them, I loved the scenery. I just loved it.

What made it even more special was having friends there with me. Nigel, Liss, Katherine and Craig, it was so lovely to have company up in the Highlands as I went on this epic journey.

Of course the biggest shout out has to go to my mum, my ultimate cheerleader. Always proud of me and cheers me on at these crazy races I sign up for. 🙂

I’ve already signed up to Manchester marathon next year and I cannot wait!

Would I recommend?

Definitely 100%!

This was the perfect race to run my first marathon.

It wasn’t overcrowded so I didn’t get overwhelmed.

The scenery is outstanding and is the perfect motivation. The loch is massive and you don’t realise how big it is until you actually run the marathon. Many people stopped to take photos throughout to get the most of the experience.

It’s well organised and everyone involved was so lovely and welcoming. It had that feel good factor.

Plus, you get free soup! This was a motivation for me. My friends and I had a mantra that was ‘Do it for the soup’. It’s what kept me going around the halfway point.

Oh, and as it’s a point-to-point race you kind of have to carry on to get back to Inverness!

I might do it again one day, but I have so many other races I want to do first and it’s a bit of a trek up there.

It was just so special to run a marathon in a place that means so much to my family. Edinburgh marathon was never meant to be my first, it was always meant to be Loch Ness. For dad.

Time: 5hr 6mins and 42secs