Edinburgh Marathon Festival
Edinburgh, United Kingdom
- Marathon, Marathon Relay, Half Marathon, 10K, 5K, Kids Run
- Road (Paved)
- Official race website
Fast & flat, the Edinburgh Marathon course was voted the fastest marathon in the UK by Runners World, ideal if it’s your first marathon or you are looking for a PB. Enjoy a fantastic all-encompassing route which takes in some of Edinburgh’s most iconic landmarks as well as offering picturesque … MORE
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Another Sunny Race
I needed to fly from Paris to Madagascar the Wednesday after this race so I decided to go to Europe early and see what races I could find that would … MORE
I needed to fly from Paris to Madagascar the Wednesday after this race so I decided to go to Europe early and see what races I could find that would be easy to get to from Boston and then easy to get to Paris after and this race fit the bill. I took a direct flight from Boston to Edinburgh Friday evening and arrived Saturday morning. I stayed at the Hotel Indigo in Edinburgh which was pretty convenient for everything. Edinburgh is a nice city to explore for a short trip like this. Much like Vancouver I was looking forward to running in cool, grey weather and got stuck running in a heat wave. Although it was beautiful for exploring the city. For the race, UK citizens have their race kits mailed but international participants have to pick them up. There is race day packet pick up but I got it the day before to avoid stress. It was pretty easy but there really wasn’t an expo or anything. It’s fine with me as I don’t buy much race gear though I do find international expos interesting. Packet was just bib and the rest is picked up after you finish the race. The start of race morning was pretty easy. The half starts at 8am and was less than a mile from my hotel so I just walked. It is set up well with different corrals by color and was well marked. There was both porta potties and some indoor restrooms. The lines were long but not longer than usual. I was in the last corral. This race had a 3:15 time limit from the last runner which is more generous than a lot of European races though not as generous as some other UK races. While I can run under 3 hours, I appreciated the extra 15 minutes in the heat as I didn’t have to push myself like Vancouver. I still hung near the front of the corral but didn’t make sure I was right at the front as I knew I didn’t need to worry about the time limit. Race started on time and it took about 30 minutes for everyone to cross. Edinburgh is a very hilly city but the race course is well set up to avoid hills. The first few miles are through the main part of the city and pass by Edinburgh castle and other historic sites and is downhill with minimal uphills. You also pass some pretty green area and go through some neighborhoods. There are a few uphills but much more downhill than uphill in the first half. Then the second half is flat with a lot by the beach including going past a fun beachy town and some neighborhoods with an out and back at the end. It is a nice mix of different scenery and an enjoyable course. In normal weather it would be really fast but it was of course a heat wave. I took it a bit easier than usual given the heat and figured I would finish a few minutes over 3 hours which is what I did. My favorite part about the course was all the spectators. There were so many spectators and many were giving out gummy candies and other treats which was helpful as I forgot to bring additional nutrition. I also loved an animal shelter brought some pets including a cat to pet. The spectators were very encouraging even for the back of the pack. Production was overall quite good at least for the race. It was well marked. There were mile markers and there were water stations. The water stations were spaced a little further than usual and just had water in bottles with no electrolytes but this seems somewhat typical of the UK. I had a handheld water bottle and normally think the bottles at aid stations are wasteful but it was so hot I pretty much need to fill it with most of the bottle and poured the rest on me. I don’t believe there was any nutrition on course but there was plenty from spectators. The course was a very easy elevation profile. Other than the unusual heat, the only difficulty was the roads themselves. Some were cobblestone and even the non-cobblestone roads weren’t in the greatest shape with lots of potholes to avoid. Another reason along with the heat to take this slower and go at more of a party pace. I was fairly happy with my party pace. This was not my fastest half but I didn’t feel sick at the end which was good as the end was brutal. At the end you get the rest of your swag. The medal is okay and it spins and I was going to call it my best European medal but it broke so I’m not sure there are any good European medals. You also got a shirt and a drawstring bag with a nutrition bar. The shirt is pretty nice and I will wear it. There was a festival area with food vendors and drinks but they had pretty long lines and I hate standing still in line after races (more on that). At this point I was happy with the race and was planning to give it 5 sneakers but since the race is point to point you need to get back to the start and this is where things started to fall apart. To get to the downtown area you need to purchase a reasonably price shuttle pass or find your way back. I did the shuttle pass but it was over a mile walk to a bus stop. Then you had to wait about 45 minutes in the heat for the bus (what did I tell you about how I felt about standing in line after a race). I thought about just wasting the pass and ordering an uber but I had no reception so had no choice. Then the bus took close to an hour due to traffic. Then I still had to walk 3/4 miles to my hotel. It took almost as long to get back to my hotel as it took to run the race. This was one of the worst planned transportations I have seen and it dropped it a sneaker. It also killed my plans as by the time I got back I was so exhausted I didn’t want to do anything and I didn’t plan on it taking 2-3 hours to get back. Oh well, other than the awful ending this was a really good race and Edinburgh was a really cool city well worth visiting. It is also an easy place to fly to from the Northeast and the race is typically on Memorial Day weekend so easy way to knock off or run another race in Europe.
An amazing reason to visit Scotland
The course is gorgeous going through the historic parts of Edinburgh and then out to the coast through Musselburgh. The aid stations are well stocked and lots of spectators are … MORE
The course is gorgeous going through the historic parts of Edinburgh and then out to the coast through Musselburgh. The aid stations are well stocked and lots of spectators are giving out jelly candies. The shuttle back to town is definitely worth the extra expense.
Fast race in Scotland !
I love Edinburgh. The atmosphere, the castle, the pubs, the stories, the archictecture, it's christmas market, so running the half marathon was always on my bucket list. The event is … MORE
I love Edinburgh. The atmosphere, the castle, the pubs, the stories, the archictecture, it’s christmas market, so running the half marathon was always on my bucket list.
The event is well organized, the expo is small, you have to check in your bag at departure as the finish area is quite far from the center, they organize shuttles to bring you back to Edinburgh.
I like the secnery, it starts in the historic city ( which can be challenging to run on the stoned streets) and then go into a more residency area ( where a lot of people cheers, some offered whiskey shots, other tea and biscuits). A great portion of the race brings you near the sea and offer a different scenery. The first part of the race is all downhill, and the rest is flat which make it a great event to go for a PB. It was my first sub 2 half and I will always remember it for this !
I highly recommend this event in a great city !
Foggy chilly and windy race!
Edinburgh Marathon Festival (emf) is the biggest running event in Scotland. Runners can choose between 26.2 and 13.1 miles (and some shorter distances). I ran the half marathon. Start is … MORE
Edinburgh Marathon Festival (emf) is the biggest running event in Scotland. Runners can choose between 26.2 and 13.1 miles (and some shorter distances). I ran the half marathon. Start is in downtown Edinburgh. The course takes runners out of the town quite fast down to the sea. Finish is in Wallyford close to the beach. The course is very scenic and because of the fact that it only has flat and downhill parts it´s good for a pb. Unfortunately weather conditions were quite poor this year. Sunshine was forecasted, but it was foggy, cold and quite windy. At the finish every runner got a medal and nice box including a finisher T-Shirt, a bottle, a silver foil keep warm and a cute 13.1 key chains. A free shuttle brought runners back to the city of Edinburgh. The weak points of the race: no expo on Saturday evening. Runners from UK got their bibs via mail and international runners had to pick the numbers at the help desk in downtown. So we did not get any race-bags. I should have known before. There were only few toilets at the start as no portable toilets were used – only the normal public toilets around. The way to the shuttle bus was around 1.5 miles from the finish – yeah!!! So it took quite a while to get back. I was very happy that I rebooked my flight to the later flight.