Winners were crowned after three days of epic running and cycling events at the weekend's Loch Ness Challenge with participants battling it out in endurance races which included three marathons, an ultra marathon and a cycle event.

The epic trail event consists of the Marathon Challenge, which covers three marathons over the course of three days or participants can opt to take part in one or two of the marathons; the Ultra Marathon Challenge, which covers the three marathons but with a time limit of 24 hours and the Bike Challenge.

There were some great performances over the course of the weekend with David Woods taking top spot in both Friday and Saturday's Marathon Challenge with a time of 3:49:17 and 4:40:42 respectively. Thibaud Cammas took the win on Sunday in 3:58:21.

First female on Friday's Marathon Challenge was Hannah Holland in 5:19:00, Saturday saw victory claimed by Justyna Mackowiak in 5:31:03 while Isobel Webster won in 4:07:59 on Sunday.

Commenting on the event, Michael Golding of Visit Inverness Loch Ness, said: “What a fantastic weekend at Loch Ness! Well done to everyone who took part in the challenges - they certainly weren’t for the faint-hearted.
 
“Following two years of delays, it was a proud moment seeing locals and visitors cheering on participants as they took to the beautiful Loch Ness 360°. A huge thank you must go to all our sponsors and partners, especially SSE Renewables, and our amazing volunteers for making this event possible. I already can’t wait for the Loch Ness Challenge 2023!”
 
Compère for the event, Willie Cameron, also known as Mr Loch Ness, added: “What a monster success for the first Loch Ness Challenge and a great way to experience the beauty of Loch Ness! The atmosphere and support for the competitors was phenomenal, and I’m delighted to see endurance events like this bringing people to the area. It shows that we really do offer something for everyone here.”
 
Those interested in taking part in next year’s Loch Ness Challenge can find out more at the event website.

Image: Craig Dutton/Loch Ness Challenge