Keith breaks Loch Ness 10km course record as record 11,100 runners descend on the Highlands

Keith breaks Loch Ness 10km course record as record 11,100 runners descend on the Highlands

AW
Published: 29th September, 2026
Updated: 29th September, 2026
BY Athletics Weekly

Inverness's Megan Keith broke the course record for the Baxters River Ness 10km as the Baxters Loch Ness Marathon & Festival of Running weekend drew a record 11,100 runners from 45 countries, with William Strangeway and Hazel Wyness taking the marathon titles.

Megan Keith, the Inverness-born Olympian and Commonwealth 10,000m bronze medallist, broke the course record for the Baxters River Ness 10km in 31:24 as she took the women's race on home roads, part of a record-breaking weekend for the Baxters Loch Ness Marathon & Festival of Running.

A total of 11,100 runners from 45 countries took part across the weekend, with 6000 tackling the marathon, 3000 the 10km and local schoolchildren and families taking on the River Ness 5km and the Wee Nessie children's race at Bught Park. Organisers said 26% of 5km entrants had registered through local schools and youth clubs, while 58% of all participants had travelled from outside Scotland.

In the marathon, William Strangeway (Lincoln Wellington, M40) won the men's race in 2:20:16 from Shaun Cumming (East Sutherland) and David Webster (Dundee Road Runners). Hazel Wyness (Metro Aberdeen, W40) took the women's title in 2:52:04, ahead of Briony Cornish and Rosie Thorogood (Oxford University).

Loch Ness Marathon Start
Loch Ness Marathon

BAXTERS LOCH NESS MARATHON, Inverness, September 27
Overall: 1 W Strangeway (Linc W, M40) 2:20:16; 2 S Cumming (E Suth) 2:21:10; 3 D Webster (Dund R) 2:28:20; 4 N Bennett (Dund R) 2:28:34; 5 J Barrable (Cors, M40) 2:31:33; 6 Michael Chapman 2:32:32
M50: C Burnett (Fraser) 2:52:55
M60: Stuart Martin 3:08:36
Women: 1 H Wyness (Metro, W40) 2:52:04; 2 Briony Cornish 2:52:52; 3 R Thorogood (Oxf U) 2:53:58; 4 E Mortimer (C'thy) 3:03:47
W50: S Bowes (Les C) 3:15:12
W60: Jane Shaw 3:37:36
W70: T Millett (TH&H) 4:39:12

Men's Marathon Podium
Loch Ness Marathon podium

BAXTERS RIVER NESS 10km, Inverness, September 27
Overall: 1 L Rees (Fife) 28:52; 2 M Abernethy (Aber) 29:00; 3 A Smith (Corst) 29:29; 4 R Regan (Inv H) 30:14; 5 A Thomson (Fife) 30:16; 6 J Badenoch (Corst) 31:13
Women: 1 M Keith (Inv H) 31:24 (course rec); 2 C Burton (Inv H) 36:17; 3 H Leigh (Inv H, W40) 36:30; 4 M Radeva (Metro) 36:47; 5 A Luke (Orkney) 38:18; 6 N Gauld (Metro, W40) 38:19

BAXTERS RIVER NESS 5km, Inverness, September 27
Overall: 1 J Murray (Aber) 16:13; 2 A Grant (Inv H) 16:36; 3 L Mclean (P'head) 16:55; 4 M Souter (Inv H) 17:39; 5 C Evans 17:41
Women: 1 M Glass Park (Aber) 16:30; 2 I Souter (Inv H) 17:58; 3 J Davidson (Aber) 18:15; 4 H Reid (P'head) 18:28; 5 N Doorley (Inv H) 18:54; 6 L Prendergast 19:08

LINLITHGOW 10km, Linlithgow, September 27
Overall: 1 J Crowe (Centr) 29:21; 2 H Hickey (Centr) 29:47; 3 A Marshall (Centr) 31:07; 4 C Hawkins (Kilb) 31:07; 5 N Renault (Loth, M40) 33:17; 6 L McNeil (PHRC) 33:26
M50: A Knowles (Loth) 36:49
M70: E Norton (PHRC) 47:35
Team: 1 Centr 6; 2 Loth 30; 3 RTCW 55
Women: 1 I Sheldon (L'gow) 38:01; 2 J Wetton (Centr) 38:37
W40: J Rainger (Edin) 40:18
W60: F Matheson (Falk VH) 40:57
W70: A Reed (Perth R) 53:46
Team: 1 L'gow 20; 2 P'bello 51; 3 Falk VH 57

CRAMOND PROMENADE HALF-MARATHON, Edinburgh, September 27
Overall: Grant Sheldon 72:27

KELPIES HALF-MARATHON, Falkirk, September 26
Overall: Ryan Beattie 69:57
M60: M Younger (Wee C) 89:17
M70: Michael Hurst 90:50
Women: 1 Esther Everitt 81:35; 2 M MacLeod (Storn, W50) 87:31

Multi-terrain

WATER OF LEITH HALF-MARATHON, Edinburgh, September TBC*
W50 (chip times only): E Timoney (Penic) 98:18 (rec)
W60: Kathleen Bolt 1:48:09 (rec)

Fell

FRA JUNIOR UPHILL CHAMPIONSHIPS, Settle, September 27
U20 (2.2km/300m): R Watmough (Sett) 11:06
U20 women: R Philbin (Stock H) 12:48
U18: 1 J Bastow (CoY) 11:12; 2 J Stone (Calder V) 11:15; 3 S Midgley (Traw) 11:36
U18 women: 1 C Hart (Sett) 12:54; 2 W Parry (Sett) 13:43; 3 I Jebb (Bing) 15:01
U16: 1 O Mannion (E Ches) 10:22; 2 R Carter (Bing) 10:39; 3 C Dobson (Ross) 10:48
U16 girls: 1 M McGoldrick (Sett) 11:57; 2 T Zaboklicki (Leven V) 12:02; 3 A Carr (Ross) 12:44
U14: 1 B Ryan (Helm H) 11:16; 2 C McGoldrick (Sett) 11:42; 3 S Smith (Sett) 11:44
U14 girls: 1 O Stones (K&C) 12:09; 2 H Carter (Bing) 12:23; 3 M Hart (Sett) 12:37

TWO BREWERIES (SHR championships counter), Traquair to Broughton, September 26
Overall (29km/1500m): 1 D Dry (Q Park) 2:51:25; 2 K Cooper (C'thy) 2:51:27; 3 F Davies (Q Park) 3:00:52; 4 D Lawson (Q Park) 3:01:10; 5 J Dry (Q Park) 3:04:35; 6 T Owens (L'ber, M40) 3:05:36; 7 T Callan (Q Park) 3:07:39; 8 G Baker (DDJC) 3:17:19; 9 J Espie (Dees R) 3:21:22; 10 E Sedman (C'thy, M40) 3:21:34; 11 T Cunningham (Cors) 3:22:10; 12 L Taylor (HBT) 3:22:30; 13 K Blake (W'lands CC) 3:23:43; 14 K Richmond (Q Park, M50) 3:24:07; 15 B Stevens (C'thy) 3:24:15
M60: S Whitlie (C'thy) 3:33:03
Team: 1 Q Park 11; 2 Q Park B 23; 3 C'thy 27; 4 HBT 48; 5 DDJC 62
Women: 1 C-J Irvine (Dees R) 3:37:09; 2 A Flint (L'ber) 3:39:52; 3 T Barber (Falk TR) 3:44:35; 4 S Wallis (Dees R, W40) 3:44:42; 5 M McClelland (HBT, W40) 3:59:18; 6 G Griffiths (Q Park) 4:03:22; 7 N Spinks (Dark Pk, W50) 4:15:14; 8 M Breckenridge (Q Park) 4:16:10; 9 L Payne (Dees R, W60) 4:21:05; 10 L Spruzeniece (W'lands CC, W40) 4:22:03
Team: 1 Dees R 14; 2 Q Park 28; 3 HBT 36; 4 W'lands CC 48; 5 C'thy 67

THREE SHIRES, Little Langdale, September 26
Overall (20km/1220m): 1 S Bentham (Ilkley) 2:03:51; 2 D Lewis (Dark Pk) 2:03:55; 3 D Clavey (Kend) 2:09:22; 4 T Watt (Amble) 2:13:56; 5 W Barton (Amble) 2:14:19; 6 C Tinnion (Kesw) 2:14:49
M40: G Greenhow (Amble) 2:15:13
M50: P Reilly (Helm H) 2:49:55
M60: E Gamble (Kesw) 2:56:13
Team: 1 Amble 16; 2 Amble B 27; 3 Amble C 39
Women: 1 J Paris (C'thy, W40) 2:41:47; 2 K Roberts (Helm H, W40) 2:51:53; 3 S Allen (Amble) 2:51:57; 4 R Ratcliffe (Sadd) 2:57:22
W50: N Russell (Bowl) 3:20:54
W60: A Weston (Ilkley) 3:32:28
Team: 1 N Fells 31; 2 Helm H 31; 3 Amble 60

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