Inverness all set to host Lindsays Scottish Half Marathon Champs
A record 5100 participants have signed up for the sold-out 2026 Inverness Half Marathon & 5K.
The 41st edition of the event takes place on Sunday (March 8), with the Highland capital set to welcome runners from as far afield as Germany, Chile and the USA.
Taking place on International Women’s Day, this year’s event will welcome its highest ever percentage of female entrants, accounting for 50 per cent of entries.
Inverness Half Marathon 2026 will also host Lindsays Scottish Half Marathon Championships and North District Championships for the fourth consecutive year.
Enhanced measures for the 2026 event are in place to improve the experience and safety for participants, spectators and other road users.
The Half Marathon route remains unchanged however sections of the route will now be subject to single lane closures, and some roads will now be fully closed for a period while the event passes. The event will start at an earlier time of 11.30am to allow roads to be re-opened earlier.
Organisers are working closely with Highland Council and Police Scotland to minimise any inconvenience to local residents, businesses and visitors.
Photo by Paul Campbell
‘We are excited to welcome our largest ever contingent of participants to Inverness this Sunday, ‘ said Malcolm Sutherland, CEO of Caledonian Concepts, organiser of Inverness Half Marathon.
‘As always, we rely on our fantastic partners and volunteers to ensure the event runs smoothly and participants receive a warm Highland welcome, so I’d like to extend a massive thank you to everyone involved.
‘The event is also an important fundraising opportunity, with hundreds of thousands of pounds raised for charities across the Highlands and beyond again this year.
‘Good luck to everyone taking part on Sunday, from our youngest participants in the 5K to our most experienced runners pushing for PBs in the Half Marathon.’
Official charities for the 2026 event are Alzheimer Scotland, Highland Hospice, Mikeysline, SAMH (Scottish Action for Mental Health) and The Archie Foundation.
Taking place as part of the event, Lindsays Scottish Half Marathon Championships are open to scottishathletics members and North District Championships are open to scottishathletics members in the north of Scotland.
Mike Johnston, Convenor of the scottishathletics Road Running and Cross Country Commission, said: ‘We look forward to hosting the Lindsays Scottish Half Marathon Champs at Inverness.
‘Lindsays has sponsored our Cross Country season for more than ten years and is now supporting road race championship events, too. Inverness is, in fact, the first event under its banner. We know the popularity of the event and there have been some top-class performances in recent years
‘Over 5000 entrants this year reflects well on the event organisers and there is always a special atmosphere for runners racing in the Highland capital. ‘We look forward to presenting individual and team national medals and North District Championships, too.’
A top-class field will take part in the half marathon distance. Among the hopefuls this year are:
Charlie Sandison, Fife 65.28 PB (2.15.28 marathon)
Hamish Hickey (Central AC) and Lewis Rodgers (Fife AC) bronze and silver medalists from 2023.
Local boy Angus Smith (Corstorphine AAC) running his second Half Marathon
Cameron Smith of Cambuslang and Alastair Marshall (Fife AC) race their half marathon debuts after very successful cross country seasons.
Teams – Fife AC; Central; Cambuslang; Metro may contest
Women
Last years gold and silver medallists: Nancy Scott of (Edinburgh AC) and Naomi Lang (Carnethy HRC) have entered
Nynke Mullholland Stummer and Rosa Donaldson also return to Inverness. Cat Gillen and Yvonne McNairn return to the roads after successful cross country seasons. Half marathon debut for Eve Mackinnon.
Zoe Bates of Aberdeen; Helen Leigh of Inverness (W40); Chelsea Cook and Claire Bruce (bronze medalist from 2024 and 2018) of Metro
Further information on Inverness Half Marathon & 5K can be found at https://invernesshalfmarathon.co.uk/.
Details of road closures can be found here.
Invernes Half Marathon and 5K
Jamie Crowe wins the Inverness Half Marathon in a time of 1:05:19 pictured with 2nd placed Sean Chalmers (left) and Ryan Thomson who finished 3rd
Photo: Paul Campbell
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