Marloe Watch Company is based just outside Henley-on-Thames, which is a very beautiful and quaint town on the banks of - you guessed it- the River Thames. Home to the Henley Royal Regatta, the biggest event in the rowing calendar each year, and the esteemed Leander club, Henley is renowned as the rowing capital of the world. There's no shortage of sporting talent or events around us, and we greatly enjoy partaking in some Pimms and bubbles on the riverside each summer, following these impressive athletes as they fight it out for the top spot across the globe - but it's a world of its own, populated by world-class athletes who have often trained daily for such events since they were barely out of nappies.
However, our on-the-water competitive dreams haven't sunk just yet. We have recently become aware of an event which looks set to invoke a similar level of merriment and competition as Henley Royal Regatta, without requiring Olympic-medallist credentials to enter or succeed. Monster the Loch is an all-inclusive water marathon on the world-famous, and possibly monster-occupied, Loch Ness. 100 teams made up of individuals and crews of up to 12 will enter into a race to travel the length of the Loch in whichever means of transport they see fit, as long as it's human-powered; from rowing boats and kayaks to pedaloes and Viking longboats.
Several World Records will most likely be broken, and several more will be set for the first time. There is, rather unsurprisingly, no World Record for the fastest pedalo crossing of Loch Ness - yet. While some entrants are competing to achieve such a record or to win the race, the majority are entering just for the sheer thrill and fun of it. The very first event of its kind, Monster the Loch are partnering with the Royal National Lifeboat Institution to raise money to save lives, encourage friendly competition and invite people from all over the world, of all levels of fitness and of all ages, to come and marvel at the natural beauty of Loch Ness and the Scottish Highlands.
Marloe Watch Company is so very excited to be the official timekeeper of Monster the Loch 2019, and we would love to invite our network to be a part of the event with us. The MWC team are going to be spending some significant time up in Scotland over the next couple of months, doing some top-secret watch-related things, while helping to make this event a truly special occasion.
If you're hearing the Monster's call, or you're looking for a reason to get training, reconnect with the wilderness, meet some great people and have a loch of fun while doing it (sorry, the puns won't continue) now is your chance to get involved. Entries must be submitted by 1st September 2019, and full details can be found on the Monster the Loch website. You can also follow along with the event on Facebook.
Over the next few weeks, you'll see updates from us as the 100-day countdown to the big day begins - along with some pretty astounding Loch Ness facts and figures. Did you know that the world's population of 7.5 billion people could fit into the Loch 15 times over? That would keep Nessie's appetite satisfied for a while...