01 / KNOW THE ROUTE
What the course asks of you
River Ness and the city centre
The race starts on Bught Road beside the River Ness and runs through the city centre, crossing Ness Bridge with views of Inverness Castle. Early miles are a chance to settle before the climbing begins.
Torbreck and Lochardil
The organiser describes a steady climb in the early miles and gently undulating sections through the middle towards Torbreck and Lochardil. This is where winter hill work shows. Run by effort on the climbs.
Back to the river and Queen’s Park Stadium
The course returns toward the city and the River Ness for a predominantly flat final stretch, then finishes with a lap of the track at Queen’s Park Stadium. Save something for that track lap; it is short but memorable on tired legs.
02 / BUILD THE BLOCK
How to prepare
Include steady climbs
The middle of the race is undulating after an early climb. A weekly hill session, or long runs with rolling terrain, prepares you better than flat-only training.
Build through winter
A mid-March race means most training happens in December to February. Keep easy running genuinely easy, protect the long run, and use high-visibility kit on dark evenings.
Rehearse cups and gels
Stations use recyclable paper cups, with a High5 gel station on route. Practise drinking from a cup and taking a gel in training so you are not learning on race day.
Keep the running and strength work in one place. Explore MaxMile for your Inverness Half Marathon preparation, or compare the levels of personal coaching.
03 / PUT IT INTO PRACTICE
Pace the race you have trained for
Start controlled along the River Ness and through the city. Do not chase pace on the climb towards Torbreck; run by effort and let the flat return to the river bring your pace back.
Use the water stations at 3, 6, 9 and 11.5 miles as checkpoints. If you still feel steady coming back to the river, build gradually into the Queen’s Park track lap. Keep the 3 hour 30 minute cut-off in mind if you are toward the back of the field; some roads reopen from 13:30.
04 / MAKE ROOM FOR TRAINING
When should your block start?
The 2027 Inverness Half Marathon is on Sunday 14 March. A 12-week half-marathon block would begin around Sunday 20 December 2026, so Christmas and New Year fall in the first three weeks. Agree a realistic minimum for the holidays. A 10-week block would begin around Sunday 3 January 2027.
Your longest runs and key hill sessions then fall in January and February. Taper over the final week or two in early March. Loch Ness Marathon in late September is a separate autumn goal if you want a Highlands double across the year.
05 / SORT THE PRACTICAL BITS
Kit and race-weekend planning
UK packs are posted in late February. Overseas runners collect from the Event Village at Bught Park between 08:30 and 09:45 on Sunday. An info desk is open from 08:30. Baggage drop is at Inverness Leisure from 09:30 to 10:45.
Optional finisher technical T-shirt, medal and giveaway are listed in the entry inclusions. Elite complimentary places have qualifying standards and an apply-by date of 1 March 2027. There is no wheelchair category in the half for safety and logistics reasons, according to the organiser.
