Great Glen Ultra Marathon 42
Race Information
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The Great Glen Ultra (Short Course) is a stunning 42 mile foot race between Fort Augustus and Inverness following the Great Glen Way. The event is for solo runners and is designed to be unsupported with drop bags located at 3 checkpoints along the route. The route is fully marked with Great Glen waymarks and arrow signs.
For information on the full course option see its page.
The route starts at Fort Augustus Village Hall and follows the Great Glen Way High Route where you will head off uphill with stunning views of Loch Ness all the way to Drumnadrochit.
The final climb takes you over the hill, down into Inverness and finishes at Inverness Sports Centre with a lap of the 400m track to complete your epic journey along the Great Glen Way.
There are three main checkpoints along the way, which are listed below:
Checkpoints:
- Invermoriston – 10 miles
- Drumnadrochit – 24.5 miles
- Abrachan – 32 miles
- Finish! Inverness Athletics Stadium – 42 miles – Cut off 15 hours
Checkpoint distances are approximate as both the course and the checkpoint locations may vary slightly year to year depending on what work is occurring on and around the race route.
As stated previously this race is designed to be unsupported and would note that if anyone is spectating, this can only be done at Invermoriston, Drumnadrochit and the finish. No spectators are allowed at Abriachan. Any runner found to have spectators/support at Abriachan will be disqualified.
Getting there
Runners will register at Inverness Sport Centre before being bussed to Fort Augustus for the start of the race at 9am with a 15hr time limit. Runners should bring 3 drop bags which will be located at Invermoriston, Drumnadrochit and Abriachan.
Location:
Fort Augustus Village Hall, Church Road, Fort Augustus PH32 4DG
Bus Departure to Fort Augustus
Inverness Leisure Stadium Car Park, Inverness, IV3 5SS, Saturday 2nd July.
Travelling to start from Inverness by bus.
All runners are required to travel to Fort Augustus by race bus. Runners are asked to arrive in plenty of time to allow for checking you onto the bus. Please arrive in your running gear and bring the following:
- 3 numbered drop bags with your race number clearly marked on them.
- Sensible sized kit bag which will be transported back to the finish. This bag might carry any last-minute things you might want to change.
It is a runner’s responsibility to inform their support crew/spectators of all information within the race briefing which is sent out 3 weeks before the race. Runners are reminded to read and understand the full race briefing and should ask any questions if they are in any doubt about any information. “I didn’t know” is not an excuse and will lead to disqualification.
Runners are invited to the presentation/prize giving on the Sunday morning at the sports centre where all runners achievements are recognised.
Entry Requirements
There are no specific entry requirements for this race however you should have confidence in your own ability to complete the distance and tackle the elevation within the cut off time. By entering the race, you are agreeing you are capable of doing so. We suggest that you at least have experience of regularly completing runs of 20 miles. If in doubt or if you have any questions about the suitability of your previous experience, email Bill@runyarocket.com.
Race Rules
- Race Registration – tbc. Check race briefing.
- Race Briefing – 08:45
- Race Start – 09:00
- ID required at registration
- No transfer of place between runners
- No muling
- No walking poles
- No support runners/Bike buddies
- No spectators (Due to Covid 19 restrictions)
- No Dogs (This forms part of the GGW permission to allow the event to go ahead)
- Mandatory kit to be carried during the event (This will be confirmed in the pre-race information pack).
- All runners to follow Covid 19 protocol, procedures, signage at all times.
- All runner to follow marshal, race medical teams, Race Director instruction at all times.
- No swimming in canal.
- Runners can only be met by support team at the following checkpoints, CP 3 Fort Augustus, CP4 Inverimorston, CP 5 Dumnadrochit and finish (Inverness Sports Centre).
- Runners with support crews are prohibited from being met at CP1 Clunnie, CP2 South Laggan Bridge, CP6 Arbriachan Forest.
- Runners using the bus transfer must be at Inverness Sport Centre 9.15pm for bus leaving at 9.30pm prompt.
Mandatory Kit
This kit must be carried for the duration of your race and there will be spot-checks done.
A foil blanket which has not been cut down to the size of a postage stamp. This is a vital piece of safety kit which is cheap as chips and incredibly lightweight and should be part of your running kit whenever you head for the hills. The difference these can make in terms of keeping an injured runner warm until help arrives cannot be overstated.
A working mobile phone with the race control number in it – 07398 242 730. Mobile reception is limited at times but is always worth carrying. You will never be too far from another runner or member of the race team.
A means of carrying 1 litre of water – i.e., a running vest or rucksack with bottles, soft flasks or a bladder.
Support Crews
The race is designed to be run self-sufficient. This is to ensure we don’t impact local roads and villages by an influx of cars following the race and is a stipulation of us gaining permission to run the event in the first place. There’s also a health & safety element to this rule and it also helps to massively reduce the carbon footprint of the race which is something those responsible for managing The Great Glen Way are very keen on.
We are aware that some runners do like to be met at checkpoints so please note that Invermoriston and Drumnadrochit are the only checkpoints which have public car parks available and where you can have someone meet you but not spectate. Support runners are not allowed.
Results
Deferrals/Refunds
Runners are reminded that Rocket Events do not offer deferrals. Deferrals will only come into play if there are travel restrictions or lockdowns in place due to covid 19.
Refunds:
- 30 day cooling off period will apply, withdrawal in this period will result in a £15 administration fee being applied.
- After 30 days a 50% refund will be offered up to 12 weeks before race day.
- 0-12 weeks 0% refund will be offered.
These measures are being implemented to ensure runners are committed to running the events they have entered.