Edinburgh Marathon
Photo: Moyan Brenn

Edinburgh Marathon 2018/2019

Edinburgh Marathon
The marathon in Scotland’s capital Edinburgh is one of the younger races.

The Edinburgh Marathon has over this relatively short time span managed to grow to a significant size regarding the number of participants, onlookers and the amount raised for charity. In the 2011 version of the race more than 100,000 spectators watched 30,000 runners participate in the Edinburgh Marathon Festival and raise a substantial amount for charitable causes.

Since 2007, the Edinburgh Marathon has featured a fast and flat course called the fastest Marathon route in the UK, as the former course had become infamous for its hilly appearance. The start is placed on a fairly high level, and the course has an overall elevation drop of 50m. The route is thus both flat and nice and scenic, and it manages to attract both elite runners and runners with less ambitious goals than winning. Another move made to appeal to top runners is the chance for a free entry if you can run a marathon below 2:40 (male) or 3:00 (female).

The start is situated at Regent Road. From here the course heads down the historic streets of Edinburgh, through hilly, loch-filled Hollyrood Park and all the way to the coast of the Firth of Forth dropping quite a bit in elevation along the way. Once the course hits the coast, the runners will turn eastward and continue along the waterfront through picturesque fishing villages Cockenzie and Port Seton, before rounding the imposing Gosford House and turning back towards the finish area in Musselburgh Racecourse.

If you don’t feel up to 42km of hardcore running, you can sign up for the Hairy Haggis Team Relay and split the distance between yourself and three fellow runners. Hopefully, the relay race won’t be as nauseating as the sound of the traditional Scottish dish that it gets its name from (hairy haggis is sheep’s heart, liver and lungs boiled in the animal’s stomach for an hour). 

For further information and registration for Edinburgh Marathon 2015, please follow this link to the official Edinburgh Marathon website here.