The organisers of this year’s Baxters Loch Ness Marathon and Festival of Running, taking place on Sunday 7 October, are pleased to announce that for the first time ever, the event will be filmed for a feature TV programme to be shown on Channel 5 later in October this year.

The 40 minute stand alone programme on the Marathon, the 10K and the 5K races will capture all elements  and the atmosphere of the Festival of Running. It will focus not only the front of field athletes, but also include the charity runners, the regular runners and those taking part in a road race for the very first time.

Malcolm Sutherland, event and race director commented: “We’re thrilled that Channel 5 will be showing a feature on our event. We have runners from all over the world coming to Inverness to take part in the Baxters Loch Ness Marathon and Festival of Running; it truly is a global event and this programme is sure to showcase Inverness, Loch Ness and the wonderful Highland scenery to an even bigger audience.”

The Baxters Loch Ness Marathon and Festival of Running is one of hundreds of events benefiting from funding through Highland 2007, the year long programme promoting the Highlands and Islands as a great place to live and visit, by showcasing the best of Highland culture and events. Highland 2007’s support of the Loch Ness Marathon is helping raise the profile of the event by improving the broadcast coverage.

There are still guaranteed places available in the marathon for club runners and those running for one of the event’s official charities. Entries close on 1 September.  Runners have until 14 September to enter the River Ness 10K and 5K Fun Run.

ENDS

For further information visit: www.lochnessmarathon.com
Or call the Event Hotline on: 0870 127 8000 (national call rates apply)

Notes to Editors:

• Baxters Food Group, a world-renowned producer of quality foods, has been title sponsor of the Loch Ness Marathon since 2002. www.baxters.com
• The event is supported by the Highland 2007 Regional Events Programme. Highland 2007 aims to promote the Highlands as a great place to live and to visit through showcasing the unique and special nature of Highland culture past, present and future. The project is a partnership between three principal funding agencies: The Highland Council, the Scottish Executive, and Highlands and Islands Enterprise.
• Other sponsors include: Highland Spring, Lucozade Sport, GORE Running Wear™, Scottish Co-operative and Run and Become.
• The Baxters Loch Ness Marathon & Festival of Running was founded by and is organised by the Scottish Community Foundation (SCF).
• The Scottish Community Foundation aims to distribute £7.5m every year to charities and constituted voluntary groups throughout Scotland from 2012. www.scottishcf.org
• The five nominated charities in 2007 are Highland Hospice, Marie Curie Cancer Care, Maggie’s Cancer Caring Centres, Leonard Cheshire and the Scottish Community Foundation. The 35+ plus associated charities are listed at: www.lochnessmarathon.com/charities
• The Baxters Loch Ness Marathon starts between Fort Augustus and Foyers and follows a point-to-point route along the south side of Loch Ness; the Baxters River Ness 10K and River Ness 5K Fun Run take place in the Highland capital of Inverness. All three races finish in Inverness Queens Park Stadium.

For further press information, please contact:
Sue McKichan, marketing matters      Tel: 07802 685454                 
Email: s.mckichan@btinternet.com