Press Release from Visit Inverness Loch Ness
Major new event announced for Loch Ness in 2020
“If you are really looking for something a bit different, to test your stamina and mental strength in the iconic surrounds of Loch Ness, the Loch Ness360ﹾ Challenge is for you”
Graeme Ambrose CEO Visit Inverness Loch Ness
Visit Inverness Loch Ness (VILN) have today announced details of a major new event they plan to hold around Loch Ness on the 29th, 30th and 31st May 2020. The event called the LochNess360ﹾ Challenge will be delivered in partnership with SSE Renewables who have pledged financial support as the headline sponsor.
Using the new LochNess360ﹾ trail and over three days, the event offers participants the choice of five running and cycling alternatives. The first and most extreme is to run the entire trail within 24 hours. 129km in length and with over 3000 metres of ascent, to participate in this ultra- marathon you must not only be very experienced in off road trail running but also have experience of running distances in excess of 80km
Alternatively, you can choose to complete the circuit by completing a ‘marathon a day’ over the three days. Or, if this sounds too much ‘merely’ one or two of the three marathons, the choice is yours.
Finally, if you prefer cycling, there is the opportunity to mountain bike the entire circumference of Loch Ness in a maximum of 14 hours.
The event will start in the village of Dores and then move to overnight stops at Drumnadrochit and Fort Augustus before returning to Dores for the finish of the ultramarathon, mountain bike challenge and 3rd marathon on the final day.
For more details of the LochNess360ﹾ Challenge and to register please see at https://lochness360.com/2020-challenge/
Mr Ambrose, CEO of VILN said “We are very excited about this new event and delighted that SSE Renewables is supporting us in the delivery of it. We are also very pleased to have secured the services of experienced event organisers No Fuss Events, Lochaber, to manage the event over the three days of participation. We want this to become an annual event in the Loch Ness event calendar. The LochNess360ﹾ trail is a fantastic new asset with which to sell the attraction of the area as a holiday destination and the LochNess360ﹾ Challenge provides the opportunity to not only further raise the profile of it, but also to provide genuine economic benefit to businesses and communities around the loch. As well as benefit derived from participants who opt to stay in the overnight stop villages, we hope they will be joined by family, friends and support teams. To this end at each stop we hope to bring added value that everyone can enjoy in the form of live music and ‘pop –up’ retail.
Jim Smith, Managing Director of SSE Renewables, said: “We’re thrilled to be part of the first ever LochNess360ﹾ Challenge.
“This area has been our home for many years, housing some of our oldest hydro stations to our newest wind farms. It’s incredibly important to us to be able to leave a lasting legacy in this wonderful community and we hope that this will be the first of many years of the LochNess360ﹾ Challenge. Good luck to everyone taking part.”
Fraser Coupland, CEO of Lochaber Chamber of Commerce and owner of No Fuss Events said: “Three day events such as the LochNess360ﹾ Challenge are becoming increasingly popular with outdoor enthusiasts. It’s a real opportunity for participants to not only have a great outdoor experience but also have plenty fun! Ensuring participants have fun as well as enjoying their event whether it be running or cycling is at the core of the No Fuss Events ethos and thus why we are absolutely delighted to be managing the first LochNess360ﹾ Challenge for Visit Inverness Loch Ness over the three days in May next year.”
Chris Taylor, VisitScotland Regional Leadership Director, said: “This innovative new event is a great idea and will profile the area to a new, global audience. I would expect it to attract a huge amount of interest from people who have potentially not visited the Highlands, or indeed Loch Ness before.
“It can also help push visitor spend into the smaller communities around Loch Ness, as well as bringing added benefits in May, before the peak season really kicks off.
“We work closely with Visit Inverness Loch Ness to promote the Highlands and are committed to collaborating with the tourism industry to identify exciting new initiatives where we can work together to take their local message to a world stage.”