Media Release: Baxters River Ness 10K – early bird entry available until 1 July!

RUNNERS planning to enter for the Baxters River Ness 10K have until midnight on 1 July to take advantage of the special discounted ‘early bird’ entry rate.

The Baxters River Ness 10K, part of the Baxters Loch Ness Marathon & Festival of Running on 2 October 2011, follows a scenic route through the Highland capital.

The flat course offers excellent potential for a fast time, making it popular with runners throughout the country.

Although general entry for the Marathon closed on 1 May, places remain open for charity, club and overseas runners.

Charity places are available for runners supporting six nominated charities and over thirty associated charities.

Last year, participants raised a massive £785,200 for charity through the Baxters Loch Ness Marathon & Festival of Running, bringing added satisfaction to the reward of completing their chosen event.

Entry is also still open for other Festival events including the Baxters River Ness 5K Fun Run and the HSBC 10K Corporate Challenge. The 10K Corporate Challenge, a team event for four to six people, is an opportunity for people who work together to build fitness – and fun! – into their daily routine as they train for the 10K. And for younger pre-school age children there is the Wee Nessie, to walk or run!

In this year of Active Scotland, the Baxters Loch Ness Marathon & Festival of Running on Sunday 2 October 2011 is a fantastic opportunity for all ages and abilities to take part in a running event. Visit www.lochnessmarathon.com now to find out more about all events.

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For further information contact Alison Bell on 01463 715771 / 07765 242686 alison@smallcreek.co.uk

Notes to Editors:

Baxters Loch Ness Marathon starts on the south side of Loch Ness, following a spectacular route north through stunning Highland scenery, and alongside the loch, before crossing the River Ness to finish adjacent to the river at Bught Park, Inverness.

The Baxters River Ness 10K, HSBC 10K Corporate Challenge (beginning on the south-side of Inverness, through the historic Highland capital, past the Castle and along the banks of the picturesque River Ness) and the Baxters River Ness 5K Fun Run (following a flat circular route beginning near Bught Park, and along the River Ness – suitable for wheelchairs) also finish adjacent to the River Ness at Bught Park, Inverness.

Sponsors and supporters in 2011 include: Baxters, HSBC, EventScotland, The Highland Council, GORE Running Wear™, Hoka One One, Highland Spring, Lucozade Sport, Scottish Daily Mail, Men’s Running and Women’s Running magazines.

Baxters Food Group: The Baxter family has been producing some of Britain’s finest soups, preserves, condiments, pour-over sauces and fruit specialities for more than 140 years. Today, Baxters is one of the UK’s leading food manufacturers, with over 150 premium products and some of the country’s leading brands, including Garner’s, Peppadew, Simply Delicious, PizzaExpress and Mary Berry. Baxters has been title sponsor of the Loch Ness Marathon since 2002.www.baxters.com

The year of Active Scotland  is a Scottish Government initiative and is one of a series of focus years and a legacy from Homecoming Scotland 2009 , being delivered by EventScotland and VisitScotland, supported by sportscotland, NHS Scotland, Scottish Natural Heritage and the National Trust for Scotland, as key strategic partners, beginning  on the 1st January 2011.

VisitScotland is Scotland’s national tourism organisation. Its core purpose is to maximise the economic benefit of tourism to Scotland. For more information and the latest news visit www.visitscotland.org. For more information on things to do during the year of Active Scotland go to www.visitscotland.com/active.

EventScotland is the national events agency that promotes Scotland as the perfect stage. Through their portfolio of events they aim to encourage and inspire everyone to get active. For more information on events in the year of Active Scotland go to www.eventscotland.org.

Participants in the Baxters Loch Ness Marathon & Festival of Running generated £785,200 for charity in 2010. There are six nominated charities for 2011 including Alzheimer Scotland, Breast Cancer Care, Erskine, Highland Hospice, Macmillan Cancer Support and Marie Curie Cancer Care, with over 35 associated charities.

Runners taking part in the 2010 Festival and visiting the area with friends and supporters are estimated to have benefited the local economy by spending around £2,060,000 on food, accommodation and associated activities.

The Baxters Loch Ness Marathon was voted the fourth best UK marathon and was in the top three most scenic running events in the UK by Runners World UK magazine (February 2011).

The Baxters Loch Ness Marathon & Festival of Running was short-listed in the 2007, 2008 and 2010 VisitScotland Scottish Thistle Awards.

The Baxters Loch Ness Marathon & Festival of Running was founded by the Scottish Community Foundation (SCF), which aims to distribute £7.5m every year to charities and constituted voluntary groups throughout Scotland. www.scottishcf.org

The HSBC 10K Corporate Challenge is open to employers and employees from all sectors of business and industry across Scotland. Teams comprise a minimum of four and a maximum of six employees from a single organisation or employer. Prizes are awarded for the fastest team overall, as well as the fastest teams from various public and business sectors.

The Baxters Loch Ness Marathon is one of five events included in the Scottish Athletics Road Race Grand Prix 2011. This exciting and innovative competition links five of the country’s top road races, contributing to raising the profile of road racing in Scotland and supporting the work of Scotland’s leading road races in improving domestic standards. The Grand Prix challenge is open to members of scottishathletics, including jogscotland gold members, and will see runners striving to win points at each race, with a maximum 20 points for the winner, down to one point for 20th place.

The Baxters Loch Ness Marathon will incorporate the 2011 Scottish Marathon Championships.

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