Knockburn Loch has been transformed from marshland it once was, into one of the top triathlon venues in the country.

 

When Bert McIntosh purchased the Aberdeenshire site in 1998, there were no facilities and no loch, but there was potential. Over the years Knockburn has experienced a series of developments, the latest of which happened earlier this year.

 

Excavation work began in 2001 and one year later there was a loch. This was followed by volleyball courts, a house with garages, changing rooms, conference centre and a football pitch.

 

The site was officially opened in June 2007 and has since been used by a number of local clubs in various sports; football, running, cycling, sailing and triathlon, as well as being a popular venue for team-building weekends and Duke of Edinburgh trips. 

 

The latest developments, completed late in 2015, have seen the addition of a 650m tarmac cycle track, an extension to the loch and the construction of a Sport Academy building. The track allows cyclists to ride in a traffic-free environment and is already being used regularly by clubs and individuals for training and children’s cycling sessions. The loch has been extended to create a 750m loop for triathlon events and includes a purpose-built shallow area for coaching open water swimming.

 

Since the developments Knockburn has been used for cycling and open water swimming coaching and there are many other events lined up. Fleet Feet Triathletes have a number of events on the horizon, Scottish Swimming and triathlonscotland are hosting open water sessions, The Beast race comes in September and October sees the Scottish Cyclo-Cross