Familiar faces set to battle again for Loch Ness Marathon crown with former Olympic Games athlete entering women’s race for the first time
A record 5485 runners from all over the world are due to take part in the 22nd Loch Ness Marathon this Sunday, where defending champion Moray Pryde will renew his rivalry with Manchester’s Tom Charles in what has the potential to be another enthralling battle for supremacy in the men’s race.
One year ago Charles seemed to be heading for victory as he led through the 20 mile mark before Musselburgh’s Pryde surged past to claim a dramatic victory in 2:22:04, knocking more than nine minutes off his previous best time in the process.
The duo met up again in May’s Edinburgh marathon when Pryde again got the better of his rival to win by 45 seconds in 2:23:12.
Both men have signed up for Sunday’s race when Pryde, a member of Lothian Running Club, will aim to complete a hat-trick of victories over Charles.
Pryde said: “Last year’s win was a real breakthrough for me. I didn’t expect it in the slightest. My previous best time was 2:31, so I absolutely never believed I could get 2:22.
“I’d only been with the club for six months and I was playing football three times a week, so I wasn’t really totally organised. After that win I thought 2:20 was achievable, but it hasn’t happened yet.
“My preparations this time have gone pretty well, although you always feel you might have done more, but I’m definitely more consistent now and my mileage is higher than before.
“I got another confidence boost by winning Edinburgh, although the conditions weren’t good. My time was 2:23 but I feel it could have been faster if the weather had been more favourable.”
Pryde wouldn’t be drawn into any predictions about the outcome on Sunday but admitted that if he had to choose between a fast time and winning the race, he would plump for the latter.
He said: “I would always choose a high finishing position over a fast time, but let’s see what happens.
“I like the course as I enjoy running hills. After getting over the long hill at 20 miles the course is mainly downhill or flat, so it’s a good finish.”
Charles, who has a best time of 2:21:59 from 2021, hopes he can work with Pryde for as long as possible into the race in a bid to give both men a decent chance of challenging the course record of 2:20:13 set by Kenya’s Simon Tonui in 2009.
He said: “I think we both have it in us to get the course record if we work together for as long as possible.
“There comes a point, however, where the real race starts and that might be around the 20-mile point.”
Charles, who represents Chorlton Runners, is an experienced campaigner who has competed in more than 20 marathons and this will be his third time at Loch Ness.
He added: “I think it was around 2012 when I first ran here, but I hadn’t checked out the course profile or anything. Now I’m much better prepared and there’s no doubt, having the experience of running it previously is a big advantage.
“I’ve also learned from last year, so I’ll probably be more sensible on the downhills at the start, and I’ve practised my uphill work as well. I’m certainly looking forward to racing Moray again.”
Pryde and Charles may, however, find others who could spoil their party. Shettleston’s Peter Avent for instance, has the potential to take the title if he is in decent form.
He has a best time of 2:21:29 set at Edinburgh in 2022, the same year in which he achieved a half marathon best of 1:06:21 when placing second in the Inverness Half marathon.
Local interest comes in the form of Inverness-based Shaun Cumming (Highland Hill Runners), who has finished third in each of the past two Loch Ness Marathons and will be aiming to battle once again for a podium position.
In the women’s race, a former Olympic athlete hopeful of being among the contenders.
Freya Ross knows that she is nowhere near the fitness level that earned her a place on Team GB for the London Olympics in 2012, but the 41-year-old is looking forward to returning to the marathon in the Highlands.
In 2012, the Larbert athlete clocked two hours, 28 minutes and 10 seconds in London, a time which remains the fourth-fastest ever by a Scottish woman, but her last outing was eight years ago in Chicago when she crossed the line in 2:37:52.
“Since starting a family, I’ve been gradually working back into doing more running and I got to the point where I needed something to aim for, so a friend at work mentioned the Loch Ness Marathon,” the Falkirk Victoria Harriers member said.
“I’ve heard a lot of good things about it and everyone said there’s a great atmosphere and the course is attractive, so I decided to go for it.
“I’ll certainly be racing it, I’m not there to jog round, but I deliberately haven’t thought about any specific time I might do. I just want to enjoy it.
“I’m not as totally dedicated to running as I used to be. My life used to revolve around it when I was competing at a high level, but now it’s very different.
“I’m now running 40-50 miles a week whereas previously I might have been doing 80-100 miles, so I certainly won’t be running at the pace I used to do in the marathon.
“Running has to fit around family. My husband, Michael, and I, have two youngsters, Una who is six and Oran will soon be four and it’s good for them to see that we are enjoying it. That’s important.
“It has been a long time since I’ve run a marathon so I’m looking forward to it.”
The 2023 women’s race champion Melissah Gibson will make a late decision over whether or not to compete.
The Ealing Eagles club member was an impressive winner 12 months ago when clocking 2:43:45, which is the third quickest women’s time in the history of the race, but injuries and work commitments have hampered her preparations for the defence of her title.
She said: “I’ve been out of sorts since the end of July with tendonitis in two areas, and I’m also juggling long work hours.
“I’m still hoping to take part, but realistically I’ll be celebrating just making it to the finish line, and definitely not very competitive. I’m still in two minds.”
Other contenders for the podium positions include Rachel Boswell (Thames Hare and Hounds) who set a personal best 2:50:52 at Chicago last October, and Kate Mactear (Inverness Harriers) who set a lifetime best of 2:55:04 at London in April.
