Barrathon Explained

56.955°N -7.495°W The Barrathon is an annual half marathon which takes place on the Isle of Barra, which is the southernmost inhabited isle of the Outer Hebrides in Scotland. The Barrathon was initially a single event to mark the millennium, and a chance to raise some money for charity at the same time. The Charity was MacMillan Cancer Support.

Recent winners

Table of recent winners.[1]

YearDateFinishersTime (h:m:s)Men's winnerTime (h:m:s)Women's winner
200037 1:21:06 Simon Axon 1:42:09 Marsie Ewing
200146 1:25:51 Simon Axon 1:46:36 Heather McIntosh
2002641:18:08Terence Coyle1:41:46 Gillian Mckelvie
2003891:15:37Stuart Gibson1:33:07 Isobel Knox
2004871:16:23Graham Beal1:23:53 Janet Roxburgh
20052 July 981:22:16Brendan Bolland1:28:49 Megan Clarke
20061 July 1141:13:13Paul Freary 1:34:54Isobel Knox
200730 June 1291:14:25Jamie Reid1:35:52 Amanda Henderson
20081561:21:44 Benjamin Kemp 1:28:28 Michelle Hetherington
20094 Jul 1671:19:33 Graham Beal1:31:07 Marietta Beal
20101621:16:27Phil Mowbray1:27:52 Megan Wright
20112 July 2271:15:00Jamie Reid1:31:36 Gillian Carr
20122501:20:53Andrew Laycock1:32:17 Gloria White
201329 June 2421:13:13Neil Renault 1:30:10 Gloria White
201428 June 2411:18:28Ray Ward 1:27:12 Eilis McKechanie
201527 June 2491:17:12Ray Ward 1:30:14 Megan Mowbray
201625 June 2331:19:22Colin Doig1:31:49 Megan Mowbray
20171 July 255 1:11:49 Tom Martyn 1:30:07 Georgia Tindley
2018 30 June 271 1:13:24 Fraser Stewart 1:29:38 Zanthe Wray
2019 29 June 277 1:12:23 Cameron Milne 1:26:02 Jennifer Wetton

Route

The Barrathon route is a clockwise circuit of the island, following an undulating course, the lowest point being near sea level and the highest point being just under 350 ft.

The route starts in Castlebay at about 60 ft falling quickly to sea level before rising to 100 ft around the 1-mile mark. The next 0.5 miles is mainly downhill and then the course undulates between sea level and 50 ft until the 4-mile mark.

From mile 4, the course climbs gradually as the route starts to head east, peaking at around 170 ft just past the 5.5-mile stage. The next 1.5 miles see the route drop back to sea level as the 7-mile mark is approached.

From miles 7 to 9, the route starts to work its way round the east coast of the island over a number of short, small climbs ranging from 50 ft to 90 ft. This is quickly followed by a downhill 0.5-mile and a gently undulating course to the 10.5-mile mark. From here the route climbs steeply to 340 ft at the 11.5-mile stage.

The route offers some respite with a mile long descent followed by a short but sharp climb of approximately 40 ft before a fairly steady run to the finish point in Castlebay.

The course was officially measured in 2008 by a company on behalf of Scottish Athletics and meets the minimum distance for a half marathon. The official record is over the measured course.

Fun Runs

There is also a "Fun Run" which is 3 miles. Runners must be 11 or over. Additionally, there is also a "Junior Fun Run" which is approximately 1 mile. The Junior Fun Run is for runners aged 4–10.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Barrathon Results. The Barrathon. 3 September 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20160304225024/https://www.barrathon.org.uk/index.php/barrathon-data. 4 March 2016. dead.