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☰
Edinburgh Marathon Runner Comments
Back to Edinburgh Marathon Information & Reviews
Course 3.9 
Organization 3.2 
Spectators 3.8
Number of comments: 97 [displaying comments 1 to 11]
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G. H. from Paris, France
(10/5/2023)
"Scotland's biggest marathon deserves better" (about: 2023)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Edinburgh Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 The course itself is quite unique with a sprint downhill for the first 2.5km (going primarily downhill for the first 8km), a nice long stretch along the coast before returning to the mid-way mark of the marathon. It would be nice if the race returned to the centre of the city (where it starts), but it is still a pleasant course. The biggest gripe of this race was echoed in previous comments - the fact that all participants must walk 30-45 minutes after running the full marathon to the bus shuttles (which is not included in the registration price and must be paid separately). | |
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B. B. from Pittsburgh, Pa
(6/12/2023)
"Don't Pay to Ride the Bus" (about: 2023)
50+ previous marathons
| 1 Edinburgh Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 An overall good marathon. Many have complained that the course does not include much of the city, but with those hills in the city, I understand the course design. I thought that the course was generally scenic, but very narrow in spots and that required me to alter my pace and to weave through traffic. The most common complaint from past years remains-the harrowing walk to the race sanctioned buses. I paid my money, but discovered that for half the cost, I could take readily accessible public buses without walking to the race bus terminal. These buses also dropped me much closer to my hotel that the race buses would. Lesson learned, please don't make the same mistake. Take a credit card and jump on public transport instead. The rest of the race was fine. There was nothing extraordinarily good or bad about the rest of the race in my opinion. Edinburgh is a breathtakingly beautiful city and I was glad that I chose it as my first international marathon. Innis and Gunn Brewery is a great choice for post race hydration. | |
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R. C. from Florida
(6/12/2022)
"Just okay-would NOT do this one again." (about: 2022)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Edinburgh Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 2 Having run over 30 marathons in the U.S. and Europe, this was NOT one of my favorites. While the course was mostly flat and quite picturesque, the fan support was just okay, and the support for runners was awful. No electrolyte drinks were offered along the entire course. In the US, most marathons offer water AND Gatorade every 2 miles or so. In Edinburgh, we were given a 10 Oz water bottle only every three miles and a few liquidy High-5 gels late in the race. There is no shade along the course, and ours was a very sunny day. After the race, all we received was another small water bottle and a single granola bar! Really?! There were a few food trucks (better bring your credit card&the food is not free). Once you finish, you have to walk another mile and a half to buses that drive you another 40 minutes back to the city. The logistics here are terrible. They should design an out and back course so the buses are not necessary. | |
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J. F. from FL
(7/13/2018)
"Change the Course!" (about: 2018)
50+ previous marathons
| 1 Edinburgh Marathon
COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 5 The initial 3-4 miles through historic Edinburgh are truly amazing. Once you leave the city and run east, it gets quite dreary. The weather was damp and misting, but the spectators were out in numbers and were quite supportive. There is no expo so if you forgot something, you are out of luck. At the finish, you cross a large metal flooring mat so make sure that you pick-up your feet because if you don't you could trip and end up with a gash. There is no food at the finish! They hand you a box with the shirt and medal in it and a bottle of water. There was not a banana, not a bagel, nothing! There were food trucks charging an exorbitant price for food, but I did not run 26.2 miles with money in my pocket. Hey organizers, charge an extra pound or two and give people some food! Overall, I'm glad that I ran this race as it was my first international marathon. Edinburgh is unbelievably beautiful and a must see for all. | |
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R. W. from London
(6/1/2015)
"Great Race...but keep in mind..." (about: 2015)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Edinburgh Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 Yes this is one of the fastest courses in Europe; however at the end of the day it's still in Scotland, so keep that in mind. The weather is completely unpredictable and all of my training was for naught when faced with 25mph headwinds and gusts up to 40mph. I'm not going to dwell on the weather since that can't be helped. I might even do this race again and just hope for less-than gale force winds on race day. However, there are two things that runners of this race need to keep in mind before they toe the line. 1) There are no clocks on the course. I don't run with a watch since I get 'too into my head' calculating mile splits. Instead I prefer to get splits via clocks on the course, 10K, half, 30km, etc... There was nothing from start to finish which I found highly annoying as I had no idea how I was doing time-wise. I would have run with a watch if I'd known this would be the case. 2) Do not pre-pay for the shuttle!! Right outside the post-race bag pickup area were a group of X17 (I think) busses, full of runners, advertising trips to Regents Street for a pound. The very nice driver informed me that the pre-paid shuttle area that I had booked through the EMF race registration was a '15 minute walk away. Just head to the roundabout and then walk uphill'. This is *not* what my crippled body wanted to hear. If I'd had a pound on me I would have just gotten onboard. Overall, it was a good race with good support and decent fan support. The course is fast and flat with most of the course run along the coastline. Train hard, aim for a PR and keep your fingers crossed for good weather. | |
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D. S. from South coast, England
(6/24/2014)
"Good, fast flat course but poor customer care" (about: 2014)
6-10 previous marathons
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 I had a great run in 2014 - a PB! - but I acknowledge and agree with the comments that have been made about the long trek back to the buses on tired, Marathon legs. This is not one for spectators. My partner saw me off near the start and due to the course being run eastwards out of the city, was there near the finish with no chance of seeing me en route. My main gripe is with the poor customer service pre-race. It is impossible to speak to the race organisers or the office. There are no phone numbers and the only way to contact is by emails - which are never answered! Sorry! they eventually answered one but when I again repeated my initial query, I never heard back. As a consequence, I purchased useless bus tickets and wasted quite a bit of money doing so. A helpful conversation would have been nice! All being said, the course is flat and fast with lots of support. But I won't be back. | |
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Mueller Walter from Switzerland
(6/2/2014)
"Categories only until F/M60!!Traffic logistic bad." (about: 2014)
50+ previous marathons
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 3 In all continental marathon races categories go at least until F/M 70, recently until F/M 80+. The logistic of the transport back to Edinburgh has the quality of - I'm sorry to say that - nations which are less developed ...! I accompanied friends to the marathon. I myself had to give forfait because a injury. | |
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D. W. from Glasgow, Scotland
(5/25/2014)
"Should be renamed the Forth Coastal Marathon" (about: 2014)
11-50 previous marathons
| 2 Edinburgh Marathons
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 5 I first ran this race circa 2005 when it started and finished in Holyrood Park next to Arthur's Seat. Now this route wasn't perfect - I remember the finishing stretch as pretty grim - but it gave a nice blend of Central and maritime Edinburgh with standout sections up the Royal Mile and along Princes Street. Now the course is like an arrow pointing directly away from the city. It felt more like Brighton or Blackpool with it's mainly coastal route. If I had been a visitor from abroad I would have found it very disappointing, talk about not playing to your strengths. Distinct lack of sports drinks this year, in fact I saw none - only gels which I hate Why no free programme in your goodie bag? This is the only marathon I've run (out of 28) which doesn't offer this. The bus farrago described by many is still happening - a half hour walk through busy streets to find the bus home after running 26 miles. Why can't the council enforce a bus lanes only policy around the finish for one measly afternoon? Edinburgh is usually obsessive about this so it's a mystery. Mile markers were well out in terms of accuracy and many around me measured the course as over the 26.1. Pluses - the crowd/helpers. Quick time text afterwards, pretty flat. That's it I'm afraid,, a disappointment for my countries flagship marathon. | |
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N. G. from N Ireland
(12/7/2012)
"Hot!!!" (about: 2012)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Edinburgh Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 Plus points - Flat, well organised, plenty of support, good water stations. Minus points - Too exposed to the elements, little shade when running in 28 degree heat, difficult to get back to city centre, not really the Edinburgh Marathon as very little of it is actually in the city. | |
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R. H. from Durham NC, USA
(6/7/2012)
"NO RESULTS PUBLISHED" (about: 2012)
50+ previous marathons
| 1 Edinburgh Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 4 This is a rarity - a marathon that neither publishes its results nor responds to e-mails. Yes, you can find out your time and overall place, but you cannot find out how many were in the race, your gender, your age grooup, so you may have been 42nd of 2000 or last place - there is no way to tell and they will not respond. Pick a different race if you want to see how you did! |
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