The inaugural Islay Single Malt Marathon was an incredible success, even though it competed on the same day as the London Marathon and the Masters golf tournament. A stiff breeze blew from the southwest, pushing runners through the half-way mark, and kept the temperatures low for ideal running weather. A Scottish mist fell, off and on, and clouds hid some of the scenery but couldn’t block out many of the sights: several whitewashed villages, gently-rolling single track roads (sometimes shared with meandering sheep), and vistas of waves crashing into rocks on the beach.
The second half, up and down moderate hills, went through Highland moors, over streams, past farmhouses with views to Loch Indaal below as well as stacked peat piles in fields near the road. Warm food, hot soup, and runner camaraderie followed in Ramsay Hall, adjacent to the finish line. Each participant earned a unique medal, a Laphroaig whisky bottle filled with barley and signed on a label by the student who assembled it name, age, and village. The evening ceilidh, an ancient Highland tradition, featured a mouth-watering array of potluck dishes, Gaelic singing, bagpiping, and Highland dancing, making this marathon one of the most memorable. Please join us on Islay, Queen of the Hebrides, one of Scotland s jewels. Without question, the Single Malt Marathon is one of the world s most scenic and culturally fascinating marathons.
Run with us on September 20, 2015, in Scotland! www.lordsoftheisles.com