Marathon
Type
Road but little time spent in city. 10K, Half and relay also available. Second largest UK marathon after London.
Course
Downhill for first 5 miles (90 metres in total) then basically flat as course takes you out of the city to Gosford House then back along the coast to Musselburgh. Potentially a PB course but if windy then it can be a difficult return.
Expo
Small – mainly for information purposes – numbers mostly sent out by post.
Start Line / Aid Stations
Start line has moved this year. Hard to find bag-drop – some distance from start pens. Queues for toilets. More signs needed. Aid stations have history of running out of water for back end of marathon. Showers on route supplied by fire stations. Support in built up areas with sweets and fruit on offer.
Medal/T-shirt/Goody Bag
Good quality medal, t-shirt.
Accommodation
Plenty in city but expensive and sells out on race weekend.
Restaurants
Advisable to book Saturday night restaurant.
Comments
The Edinburgh marathon suffers from the arrangements at the finish. There is a long uphill walk to buses that take you back to the city centre – traffic is bad and the journey can take an hour or more.
Top club runners and Good for age entries available.