We will be hosting the West District Hill Championship.

Entries open: 6pm Sunday 3rd March 2024

Race Date: 11th May 2024.
Race Time: 12pm (midday).

Race Registration & Start: The new registration & start line will be at the overflow car park, 0.5 km before Rowardennan, Loch Lomond.

Ben Lomond 2023 Results
Ben Lomond 2022 Results

Car park: Balmaha car park, with event mini-bus to Rowardennan. If you don’t use the event mini-bus the future of the race will be at risk.
W3W: https://w3w.co/caged.hubcaps.regular
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Parking at Rowardennan Forestry Commission car park will be impossible – it fills up early in the morning with hillwalkers. There is no parking at the hotel.

PLEASE CATCH THE EVENT MINI-BUS FROM BALMAHA. If you don’t do so the future of the race will be at risk.
There are no changing facilities, but you can have a free cold bath in Loch Lomond afterwards.
Competitors must take primary responsibility for their own safety on the hill.
Kit checks will be made at registration : no kit = no number. You must have the following minimum kit with you at all times during the race: waterproof jacket with hood, waterproof overtrousers, hat, gloves, whistle. This is the minimum kit requirement for this event, but you are responsible for carrying any additional items you consider necessary for your own protection given the conditions, or as the race organiser may dictate on the day. Failure to comply will mean automatic disqualification from the event. All of the above is for your own safety – hypothermia can be fatal.

If you sign in, we will assume that you intend to start. If you do not start, or if you retire during the race, you MUST inform the race start/finish officials. If you do not report in, we will assume you are still on the hill, and we will have to look for you. Failure to comply will mean automatic disqualification from future events, and will have resulted in a great deal of wasted time and effort for all concerned.

If you see someone in trouble: help them.

You will be sharing the hill with lots of walkers- please be courteous and respect them. If you do not, the race’s future will be jeopardised. Running the race does not entitle you to any special rights of way.

Please note that there is a time allowance of 45 minutes to the checkpoint half way up the hill. (This corresponds to an estimated finishing time of 2h 15m) Runners failing to reach the checkpoint in this time will be turned back. If you are unsure
of being able to meet these times, please do not enter.

Distance 12.6 km / 7.8 m
Ascent 960 m / 3149 ft

Record (M)  1:02:16 – John Wild (1983)
Record (F)  1:11:57 – Beverley Redfern (1990)

Download file: Ben-Lomond.gpx

History – Ben Lomond Hill Race

Ben Lomond is one of the oldest races in the calendar. It used to be run by Dumbarton AAC but all the effort involved in preparing and running this sort of race became a bit much for the organisers and they started to ask for assistance from other clubs including Westerlands CCC. However, even with the assistance of others, the race folded and was not held in May of 1995.

Westerlands decided to pick up the pieces and reintroduce the race on a trial basis in September of that year, on a much more low key basis than previously. This was reasonably successful, so it has continued in that vein, but back to the original May date.

John Donnelly was the Race Director until 2019, now acts as a consultant.