Cumming and Donaldson aim to step up in Loch Ness Marathon – but face serious challengers

When Shaun Cumming first ran in the Baxters Loch Ness Marathon, in 2014, he finished 622nd in a time of 3hr 51min 20sec. Flash forward nine years and the Inverness athlete is now a serious contender to lead home a field of 5,100 runners – the second biggest number in the history of the race – when the 21st edition of Scotland’s oldest continuously held marathon takes place this Sunday.

He wasn’t too far away from winning last year, finishing strongly to take third position behind Corstorphine’s Dougie Selman and veteran Kenyan Isaiah Kosgei in a personal best time of 2:26:35. And with these two absent this weekend, the Highland Hill Runners club member could be poised to claim the biggest win of his career.

Shaun Cumming (left) at 2022 Baxters Loch Ness Marathon

Cumming said:”I don’t think there’s every been an Inverness winner of the Loch Ness marathon, so it would be nice to do that, but we’ll have to see what happens. I feel I’m in about the same form as last year, so I’d like to run a similar time, or even a little quicker. I had hoped to be in better shape, but I missed a few months of training at the beginning of the year because of a persistent Achilles problem. However, my preparations have gone well in recent weeks.”

The 33 year-old NHS worker attributes the lockdown spell as being a pivotal period in transforming his running career. He said: “I had been improving gradually beforehand, but during lockdown I started focussing much more on my running. I made a conscious effort to learn how to train properly by reading books and watching YouTube videos to improve my knowledge. That helped give more structure to my training and I began to do much better.”

Cumming has studied the entry list to search out his main rivals, and knows there’s always likely to be a few athletes capable of lifting the top prize. London’s Carl Delaney is one of those who might have posed a challenge on the back of his best time of 2:23:39 set at last December’s Valencia marathon, but Cumming believes the Herne Hill club member won’t be making the trip north.

He said: “I’ve heard Carl won’t be running because his training hasn’t gone as well as he hoped. But there’s maybe one or two others who might be looking to finish high up. Adam Holland has entered and he could do well if he’s in good shape.”

Orkney-based Holland, who set his best time of 2:24:24 when finishing second at Loch Ness five years ago, is renowned for tackling some outlandish running challenges. Only last month he won a competition in Italy which involved running 50k every day for 10 days.

However, he admits to being unsure as to what sort of time might be possible this weekend.
He said: “I ran a decent 10k recently, which suggests I’m in reasonable shape, but that doesn’t necessarily translate into a good marathon performance. We’ll just have to wait and see.”

Kenyan athlete Isaiah Kosgei, winner in 2019 and runner-up 12 months ago, is unable to compete on this occasion and Spain’s Xavi Tomasa, who has a best time of 2:21:50, has also pulled out.

But Manchester’s Tom Charles, who was a late entrant, will be serious contender for the top prize. The Chorlton athlete was runner-up in this year’s Edinburgh Marathon where he recorded 2:22:56 – just 57secs outside his best set at Pulford, Cheshire in 2021. He also won the Rhodes marathon in April.

Matthew Sutherland, who competes for Central AC, also has the potential to do well if he is on song. The Thurso athlete has a best time of 2:24:49 from London in 2021 but hasn’t run any marathons since then.

Rosa Donaldson, a 23 year-old Glasgow University dentistry student, is one of the favourites to win the women’s race in the absence of Malta-based Aberdonian Jemima Farley who isn’t defending the title.

Rosa Donaldson at 2022 Baxters Loch Ness Marathon

Donaldson, who comes from Banchory, was runner-up 12 months ago, recording a time of 2:57:01 in what was only her second marathon. She has made big strides forward since then and earlier this year brought her time down to 2:44:34 when taking third spot in the Edinburgh marathon. Now she hopes to at least match that level of performance at Loch Ness.

She said: “I feel as though I’m in similar shape as I was for Edinburgh in May, so hopefully I can run as well as I did there. I had a little injury a few weeks ago but that has settled down and my preparations have gone well. I competed in the Great North Run earlier this month and I ran 1:24:06, which isn’t what I was aiming for, but the heat that day wiped me out. I’m always looking for a personal best time when I run, but we’ll just have to wait and see how it goes this weekend. Hopefully I can make the podium again.”

Donaldson has enjoyed a rapid rise through the marathon rankings, having taken up the sport as a means of keeping fit during the pandemic, then completing her first marathon at Edinburgh in May 2022 when she ran 3:05:32. Sunday’s race will be only her fourth over the distance.

She said: “I only got into running during covid and decided to enter a marathon. I really enjoyed the training for it and decided just to keep going. I don’t have a coach but that’s something I might look into for next year. At the moment, I just make things up as I go along. On average I run about 80 miles a week, with a peak of around 100 miles.”

The biggest threat to Donaldson’s hopes is expected to come from London’s Melissah Gibson who has a best time of 2:43:42 set at Seville in 2022. The Ealing Eagles club member is a prolific racer having competed in seven marathons already this year – at Milton Keynes,Seville, Copenhagen, Newport, London, Gold Coast and Edinburgh. Her fastest time from that bunch came in the last mentioned race when she recorded 2:50:37 to finish in fifth position behind Donaldson. In June, Gibson also competed in the iconic South African 88k Comrades marathon from Pietermaritzburg to Durban, completing the course in 6:51:49 on a steaming hot day. She’ll be hoping the resilience developed from these sorts of challenges will give her the strength to succeed this weekend.

Others expected to feature in the battle for podium positions include Michelle Thompson (North Shields) who finished fourth twelve months ago in a personal best 3:02:27, while Eyemouth’s Scotland hill running international Jill Mykura (Carnethy) will be looking to maintain her record of consistency in this race, having been a regular top five finisher over the past seven years.

Brussels-based Abi Konya, who is more of an ultra distance trail runner, could also make her presence felt as she bids for a sub three hour time.

Steven Burnside won’t be among the leading runners on Sunday, but the 47 year-old Inverness man will undoubtedly earn one of the biggest cheers of the day when he finishes as it will be his 10th marathon in 10 days. The Highland Hill Runners club member planned to run over the course each day from last Friday to raise funds for mental health charity Mikeysline. It will also be the 10th time he has done the Loch Ness race, having first competed in 2009.

Record-Breaker Maclennan not to defend Women’s 10K title but Oates goes for a double in men’s race

Great Britain international Mhairi MacLennan set the heather alight last year when breaking the Baxters River Ness 10k women’s record which had stood for 16 years, but the local athlete has decided not expected to defend her title this weekend as she is still recovering from setting a personal best half marathon time of 1hr 11min 18secs in Copenhagen last month – the ninth fastest ever recorded by a Scot.

Her Inverness clubmate Megan Keith, the Under-23 European 5,000m champion, who won the River Ness race in 2019 and 2021, is another absentee after taking a break from training after a busy summer track season in which she also represented Great Britain at the world championships in Budapest.

In the absence of these two stars, hopes of a local victory will rest on the shoulders of the experienced Scotland international Jenny Bannerman who is gradually edging back to peak form just over a year after giving birth to her first child.

Jenny Bannerman at 2021 Baxters River Ness 10K

Bannerman has a remarkable record in the race, having won three times between 2014 and 2018, while achieving a further four podium positions since 2009. And last year, just three months after the arrival of baby George, she ran well to finish ninth. She was third in last month’s Stirling 10k where she recorded 36:35, her quickest time of the year. Her best of 34:52 came at Miltonduff in 2019.

Claire Bruce could also prove to be a serious contender for top spot. The Metro Aberdeen club member has been experimenting with some hill racing this year, but has still shown excellent form on the roads, setting a 5k personal best of 17:04 at Dunfermline in August.
Her best 10k time of 35:28 came at the Valentines 10k in Edinburgh in 2022.

Scottish under-17 cross country champion Caitlyn Heggie (Ross County AC) makes her 10k debut after a successful summer track season during which set personal best 1500m and 3000m times. The Dingwall athlete, who, like MacLennan and Keith is coached by Ross Cairns, previously competed in the festival of running in 2021 when she was first in the women’s division of the River Ness 5k fun run.

Amy Hudson,silver medallist behind Jenny Bannerman in the Nairn 10k, is also capable of achieving a podium position, as is veteran JS Kintore athlete Tammy Wilson who won last month’s Nairn half marathon. Teenager Lily Wale, from Colorado, is a bit of an unknown quantity, but is someone to keep an eye on as she has predicted a sub 40minute time. Gemma Cormack (Moray Road Runners) and North 10k champion Sarah Attwood (Highland Hill Runners) are among others to look out for.

Lachlan Oates, winner of 2022 Baxters River Ness 10K

Elgin’s Lachlan Oates (Shettleston Harriers) defends the men’s title but Great Britain mountain running international Ross Gollan could offer a serious challenge to his Shettleston clubmate. The Edderton athlete doesn’t often run on the road racing circuit, but showed his capabilities earlier in the year when winning the Forres 10k in a personal best 30min 58sec.

Sean Cumming, winner of 2021 Baxters River Ness 10K

For the 2021 winner,Sean Chalmers (Inverness Harriers), this weekend’s race will mark an important step along the comeback trail after a frustrating 12 months on the sidelines.
The Aberdeen-based Scotland international hasn’t competed since finishing a painful third here in 2022. The abdominal problems he was suffering from now appear to have eased and he will be hoping for a confidence-boosting performance.

Max Abernethy should also be among the contenders for a podium position. The Fraserburgh athlete was runner-up behind Chalmers in 2021 when clocking 30:59. His best time of 30:52 was set at Miltonduff in March but there’s little doubt he is more than capable of improving on that given favourable conditions this weekend.

Stirling’s Alastair Marshall has the potential to lift the top prize as he has a best time of 30:23 set in 2021. The Central AC runner was, however, below par when taking 10th position at the Scottish 10k championship last month in 31:51.

Scotland junior international Lucas Cairns, bronze medallist in the North District 10k championships earlier in the year, will be looking to improve on the eighth position he secured in last year’s race. Others to look out for include Stephen Mackay (Inverness Harriers), who was fourth last year, and Vancouver ultra distance runner Andrew Skuse.

Event Director Malcolm Sutherland is excited about the prospects for another momentous day of running. He said: “We are absolutely thrilled to see so many people entering the full programme of races this year with entry numbers having now returned to pre pandemic levels. It’s our 21st year and it promises to be another fantastic occasion with a tremendous atmosphere guaranteed at the finish line in Bught Park.”