The Barrathon is an annual

half marathon A half marathon is a road running event of —half the distance of a marathon. It is common for a half marathon event to be held concurrently with a marathon or a 5K race, using almost the same course with a late start, an early finish or shortcu ...

which takes place on the Isle of

Barra Barra (; gd, Barraigh or ; sco, Barra) is an island in the Outer Hebrides, Scotland, and the second southernmost inhabited island there, after the adjacent island of Vatersay to which it is connected by a short causeway. The island is na ...

, which is the southernmost inhabited isle of the

Outer Hebrides The Outer Hebrides () or Western Isles ( gd, Na h-Eileanan Siar or or ("islands of the strangers"); sco, Waster Isles), sometimes known as the Long Isle/Long Island ( gd, An t-Eilean Fada, links=no), is an island chain off the west coast ...

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

. 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.

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 Castlebay ( gd, Bàgh a' Chaisteil) is the main village and a community council area on the island of Barra in the Outer Hebrides, Scotland. The village is located on the south coast of the island, and overlooks a bay in the Atlantic Ocean domi ...

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 Scottish Athletics, stylised as scottishathletics, is the Sport governing body, governing body for the sport of Athletics (sport), athletics in Scotland. Established as a limited company on 1 April 2001, it succeeded the Scottish Athletics Federat ...

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.

References

External links

* {{Authority control Half marathons in the United Kingdom Sport in the Outer Hebrides Athletics competitions in Scotland Road running in Scotland Barra Summer events in Scotland