From Foyers to Halfway (6 miles to 13.1 miles)

As you leave Foyers some superb views of Loch Ness begin to open up as the road takes you closer to the edge of the water. While it’s always important to remain focussed on how you are feeling and to regularly monitor whether or not you are going too quickly or too slowly, it’s always good to relax as well by taking in the beautiful scenery and some of the interesting landmarks.

So, look out for Boleskine House on your right hand side. It was once owned by Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page but was earlier described as “a centre of black magic, evil and sorcery” when occupied by Satanist Aleister Crowley. That might inspire you to speed past quite quickly.

The course continues in its predominantly downhill phase although there’s a small rise around the eight mile point before the long gradual descent towards the hamlet of Inverfarigaig.

Leaving Inverfarigaig there’s another steep downhill section as the road takes you almost to the level of the loch. Fantastic views open up along the length of the water and over to Glen Urquhart and shelter is provided by the wooded slopes on your right.

This is prime Nessie spotting territory, but remember to remain focussed on your race. There are some slight undulations, but nothing to cause any worries. You can push on the ups and coast on the downs. Then it’s flat all the way to the halfway point.

The strategy for this section of the race is pretty much as before. Navigate the downhills fluently and try to get into a rhythm on the flatter and slightly undulating sections. You should be slightly ahead of even-pace for the time you are trying to achieve as the
downhills should have helped you achieve a decent speed without causing any damage.

It has to feel good at this point and you should be confident of there still being plenty of gas left in the tank. Try to enjoy the scenery and relax as there’s still a lot of hard work ahead. But if you have paced it properly there will be nothing to fear.

Water stations with first aid and portable toilets are located at 9.6 miles and 13.7 miles, with a High5 gel station at 13.6 miles.

Read on for the next section of the route from halfway point to mile 20 (13-20 miles).

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