International athletes competing in a triathlon in Scotland later this month are to be insured for up to £1-million (R12-million) in case of an attack by Nessie, the legendary Loch Ness monster.
British press reports said on Tuesday that an insurance company is providing the cover for more than 100 people who are taking part in the Visit Scotland Adventure Triathlon being staged at Loch Ness, near Glasgow.
Teams from Britain, France, South Africa, Italy and Germany are required to swim two laps of the notorious Urquhart Bay in Loch Ness — the scene of many of the most famous sightings of Nessie.
They will be protected by insurance company NIG in case the legendary beast makes an appearance.
NIG’s head of commercial insurance, David Parker, said: ”From an insurance perspective, this is a very unusual risk and a lot of insurers wouldn’t want to deal with it.”
He said the company is providing cover of up to £1-million in case any competitor sustains injuries that can be proven to be the result of an attack by the Loch Ness monster.
The event on July 23 includes a 1 500m morning swim in Loch Ness, a mountain-bike race and an evening run.
Organiser David Hart said: ”These competitors will all be very psyched up and very driven, so there’s going to be a lot of noise and a lot of splashing going on — just the sort of thing that might annoy a prehistoric lake monster.” — Sapa-DPA