UPDATE:

Just a quick update on the plans for The Great Scottish Triathlon Challenge, due to ongoing restrictions that are in place that does not allow leisure facilities to open I am not getting in any swim training and this has been the case for some time now, I am not hopeful of getting back in the water before the end of March so that would give me three months to get swim fit for attempting to swim the length of Loch Ness which in reality just isn’t going to work!

So with this in mind I have taken the decision to substitute the swim for a stand up paddleboard (SUP) of Loch Ness, I have increased the distance to 28.5 miles which will take me right into the canal and up to the campsite for the night.

It’s possibly not as challenging as the swim but it’s the only way to get things moving this year and it also gets round the water safety cover needed for swimming which was always going to be difficult whilst there ae COVID restrictions in place.

I will just have to tick off the swim at some other time in the future!!

I am also away to start the fundraising campaign and I did not want to change the challenge after receiving donations where possible, so this also had to be factored into things.

COVID 19 is trying to stop me but I am not letting it this year!! this challenge was meant to take place on in 2020 has been delayed until July 2021, so this all meant more preparation time which isn't a bad thing.

As a bit of background I have been taking part in triathlons after getting the bug for it back in 2005 eventually working my way up to the iron distance races which I have now completed 7 off, these races consist of a 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike and a 26.2 mile run.

In March 2020 I turned 40 and I guess I am having my mid life crisis!! As I can’t afford a stupidly fast car I wanted to do something for charity and challenge myself at the same time, the problem is I have done a lot of big events so just saying I am raising money by competing in an Ironman just didn’t seem right! Don’t get me wrong an Ironman is an almighty challenge in itself but I wanted to really push it. Just for the record I am not some super fit triathlete who is in contention all the time, I am middle of the pack which I am happy with as I do it for the enjoyment and to keep fit not to win.

After thinking about possible events / challenges to do I started thinking about Loch Ness, could I swim loch ness? I have no idea, its 10 times further than I have ever swam before but with some training I might just manage that, it has always been a place I have loved as we used to take the boat down though it every year on holiday to the west coast, many moons ago my dad even water skied the length of it for charity so that would be a good fit.

Another option would be the North Coast 500!! Now there is another great challenge, could I do it continuously without stopping!! Ha ha no chance, it would need to be at least over two days and that would be a push so more likely three but that would be good and I would get to see such a lot of the beautiful scenery Scotland has to offer.

Another great one would be to run the West Highland Way which there is actually a race for that so there’s an option although running 95 miles in one stint seemed a bit far outside my comfort zone 😊

Then in dawned on me if I swam Loch Ness I would end up in Inverness which is the start of the NC 500 then if I done that I could keep cycling to Fort William which would lead me onto the West Highland Way, I would need to run that in the opposite to the preferred south / north direction but that’s OK. Combining thee of the greatest challenges Scotland has to offer into one multi day event would be epic and I am a triathlete after all!!

This challenge is not to be underestimated as taking on any one of the three disciplines would be a challenge in itself but training and completing all three back to back will be a monumental feat both physically and mentally.

So the challenge will consist of the following,

SUP– Loch Ness – 28.5 Miles

Cycle – The North Coast 500 + some more!! – 585 Miles with 9,800 meters of climbing

Run – The West Highland Way – 95 Miles with 3,388 meters of climbing

There is lots of planning to be done and off course the training side of it, but I have done the initial maps and outlined a plan for each day. which can all be found in the route section of this website.

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