Organisers today announced that this year’s Lowe Alpine Mountain Marathon will take place in the area around Glenfinnan, in the western Highlands.
Competitors in last year's LAMM
The location is kept secret until the event, which takes place this weekend, is imminent. This prevents competitors making reconnaissance trips to the route. Previously, the LAMM’s organisers said only that the race would take place three hour’s drive from Glasgow and two hours from Inverness.
The LAMM is a two-day event in which pairs of runners and walkers compete to successfully navigate routes varying between 30km and 70km, with different classes for mixed abilities.
Previous routes have been run around Glen Lochay, Mull, Jura, Glenshee and the Black Mount.
A spokesman for the event said: “The map [for the LAMM] contains the usual collection of munros and corbetts that are typical for a LAMM area.
“So, as always, the LAMM is not a boggy moorland trudge, but a journey through real mountains – or up and over them. If the weather is good, the views from the high ground are astounding and some of Scotland’s best scenery and most famous peaks can be seen.”
Glenfinnan lies at the head of Loch Shiel, 25km (15 miles) west of Fort William, on the Road to the Isles, and Mallaig. Munros within striking distance include Sgurr nan Coireachan, Sgurr Thuilm and Gaor Bheinn. There are also at least nine corbetts in the area.
Glenfinnan was the place where Bonnie Prince Charlie – Charles Edward Stuart, landed to launch his Jacobite rebellion in 1745. A monument and the inevitable visitor centre now stand at the point he raised his standard.
Organisers warned competitors that the main A82 road north out of Glasgow along the shores of Loch Lomond will be busy with traffic heading to Fort William’s mountain biking World Cup event.
Full details of the mountain marathon are on the LAMM website.