Edinburgh Marathon Festival

ENTRY BENEFITS

• Wicking finisher’s t-shirt
• Accurate chip timing
• Tailored training plan
• Great finisher’s medal
• Race recovery pack
• Fantastic running experience

Start line: Our Dynamic Earth, Holyrood Road, Edinburgh EH8 8AS

Marathon:

Starting on Potterrow in the grounds of one of the oldest Universities in the world, this incredible city centre start takes you through the very heart of Edinburgh. As you pass Greyfriars Bobby on your left, you also take in the National Museum of Scotland on your right, before heading over the High Street and down The Mound. Don’t be surprised if you see a few shoppers stop and cheer as you then run past the Scottish National Gallery and into Princes Street Gardens, with the iconic Edinburgh Castle as your backdrop.

The route then takes in the ‘Gothic Rocket’, otherwise known as the Scott Monument, as it meanders down the historic Royal Mile, heading towards and past the somewhat controversial Scottish Parliament building. Here you can look up and take in the spectacular Arthurs Seat & Salisbury Crags, as well as the Palace of Holyrood, before departing the Royal Park and heading east towards the coast. As you reach Musselburgh, you’ll run past the oldest golf course in the world, where it’s documented that golf has been played as early as 1672, before heading further East on the flat to Gosford House, an imposing neo-classical mansion which was one of the last great architectural commissions of the celebrated Scots architect, Robert Adam.

As you turn and head back along the coast, you’ll see the beautiful finish line ahead, one of the greatest sights for any marathon runner! With a descent of almost 90 metres to near sea level, we believe that this is the fastest marathon route in the world.

Half Marathon
Starting on Potterrow in the grounds of one of the oldest Universities in the world, this incredible city centre start takes you through the very heart of Edinburgh. As you pass Greyfriars Bobby on your left, you also take in the National Museum of Scotland on your right, before heading over the High Street and down The Mound. Don’t be surprised if you see a few shoppers stop and cheer as you then run past the Scottish National Gallery and into Princes Street Gardens, with the iconic Edinburgh Castle as your backdrop.

The route then takes in the ‘Gothic Rocket’, otherwise known as the Scott Monument, as it meanders down the historic Royal Mile, heading towards and past the somewhat controversial Scottish Parliament building. Here you can look up and take in the spectacular Arthurs Seat & Salisbury Crags, as well as the Palace of Holyrood, before departing the Royal Park and heading east towards the coast.

As you reach Musselburgh, you’ll run past the oldest golf course in the world, where it’s documented that golf has been played as early as 1672, before heading further East on the flat towards the historic village of Preston Pans before turning and heading back towards the beautiful finish line within the vast playing fields of Pinkie School.

With a descent of almost 90 metres to near sea level, we believe this is the fastest half marathon route in the world.

Marathon Relay:

The EMF Hairy Haggis Team Relay is an opportunity for a team of 4 runners to take part in the Edinburgh Marathon Festival. The 26.2 miles is split into 4 legs, each runner will run one leg. The approximate distance of each leg is shown below:

Leg 1: The Royal Leg – 8.3 miles: Starting on Potterrow in the grounds of one of the oldest Universities in the world, this incredible city centre start takes you through the very heart of Edinburgh. As you pass Greyfriars Bobby on your left, you also take in the National Museum of Scotland on your right, before heading over the High Street and down The Mound. Don’t be surprised if you see a few shoppers stop and cheer as you then run past the Scottish National Gallery and into Princes Street Gardens, with the iconic Edinburgh Castle as your backdrop.

The route then takes in the ‘Gothic Rocket’, otherwise known as the Scott Monument, as it meanders down the historic Royal Mile, heading towards and past the somewhat controversial Scottish Parliament building. Here you can look up and take in the spectacular Arthurs Seat & Salisbury Crags, as well as the Palace of Holyrood, before departing the Royal Park and heading east towards the coast where runners reach the first relay changeover at Fisherrow Links, Musselburgh.

Leg 2: The Cock & Pan Leg – 5.5 miles: The route then crosses the River Esk and past Musselburgh Racecourse and then continues beyond Prestongrange Mining Museum, Prestonpans, the site of the 1745 Battle of Prestonpans, Cockenzie and Port Seton where reaching the second relay changeover at Port Seton Links.

Leg 3: The Gosford Leg – 8 miles: It then races on to picturesque East Lothian, along Scotland’s golf coast which boasts 22 courses including some of the world’s oldest and most admired like North Berwick, Gullane and Muirfield. The route passes the village of Longniddry then enters the grounds of Gosford House before looping around and heading back to Port Seton and the final relay changeover.

Leg 4: The Glory Leg – 4.4 miles: Now in the home straight the route passes through Port Seton, Cockenzie and Prestonpans back past Musselburgh Links, the famous golf course officially recognised by the Guinness Book of Records as the oldest golf course in the world. The marathon finishes in playing fields at Pinkie St Peter’s Primary School. Well done hairies!

10K:

Starting and finishing near the EMF Hub at Dynamic Earth, this beautiful, scenic route takes place in Holyrood Park in the heart of Edinburgh. The route offers stunning views of Edinburgh Castle and panoramic views of the city.

Runners start on Queens Drive with a 200m downhill section before heading past the steep sides of Arthurs Seat on your right and Dynamic Earth, The Scottish Parliament and Holyrood Palace on your left. Continuing on towards the 1km mark you will pass St. Margaret’s Loch before starting the ascent around the east side of Arthurs Seat. As you continue the clockwise route around this famous old volcano, you will pass Dunsapie Loch at around 2.5km. Now on the far side of Arthur’s seat at 3km runners can enjoy spectacular views of Duddingston Loch below and across the southside of Edinburgh and beyond towards the Pentland Hills. Approaching the 4km marker you will enjoy a panoramic view of the City. The route then doubles back on itself along Duddingston Low Road at 5km and through Duddingston Village at 6km. The route joins the Innocent Railway Road through 7km and 8km and then heads back up onto Queens Drive. Passing the 9km it’s now downhill all the way, back through the Start Line again and the final 250m dash to the cheering crowds and the finish line on Holyrood Gait.

5K:

Starting and finishing near EMF Hub at Dynamic Earth, this beautiful scenic route takes you around Holyrood Park in the heart of Edinburgh. The route offers stunning views of Edinburgh Castle and panoramic views of the city. Runners start on Queens Drive and after 0.5km the route passes St. Margaret’s Loch before starting the ascent around the east side of Arthur’s Seat before you pass Dunsapie Loch at around 2k. On the far side of Arthur’s seat and approaching the halfway point, runners can enjoy spectacular views of Duddingston Loch below and across the southside of Edinburgh and beyond towards the Pentland Hills with the knowledge that the rest of the route is flat and downhill! As the route continues down the West Side of this famous old volcano you can enjoy the views of the steep slopes on your right and in the distance the cheering masses at the final turn. The last 250m section runs back through the Start Line and then turns left onto Holyrood Gait and the Finish Line.

9:00 am - 10K START, Half Marathon START

10:00 am - Marathon & Marathon Relay START

11:00 am - 5K START

How and when do I receive my race number and timing chip?
All entrants registered with an address outside the UK, those who have not received a race number in the post or those who require a replacement number for any other reason will need to visit the EMF Event Hub at Dynamic Earth (112-116 Holyrood Gait, Edinburgh EH8 8AS) to collect their race number. The Event Hub is open on the event weekend on Friday from 12noon until 8pm and on Saturday from 8am until 4pm. On Saturday evening, the Help Desk will move to the Teviot Building, EH8 9AJ and will be open from 6pm - 9pm.

Can I take part wearing headphones?
Yes. UKA rules state ’The wearing of headphones, or similar devices, (other than those medically prescribed), is not permitted in races on any single carriageway road that is not wholly closed to traffic. This restriction does not apply to races held on dual carriageways provided that there are clear, structured separations between the separate carriageways. Competition Providers of races held entirely on roads closed to traffic may apply this condition where appropriate to local circumstances.

Can I take part in fancy dress?
Yes of course! As long as your outfit doesn't include any thing which could impede other participants.

If you plan to take part in a group fancy dress outfit joining runners together please contact us using the form below to check that your costume meets health and safety regulations

There will be a spectator's pack that will become available from the beginning of May on the EMF hub. You are welcome to share this with your friends and family who want to support you on the day - it holds all the information they will need to enjoy watching you run.

Our Event Team are vital to the success of every single one of our events. Whether you are doing it to gain experience, build up your CV, raise money for charity, raise funds for your club or just to have a really great day, we really appreciate you being there and supporting the event and the runners in this way.

Event Team roles are numerous and varied, no particular experience is required to join the team, we are just looking for groups of people who can help to deliver a truly memorable event for all involved and ensure that all runners have a fantastic event experience.

From cheering on our marathon runners to running one of our local groups, there are so many ways for you to volunteer. Join us today!

In the EMF Hub (at Our Dynamic Earth) you will find:

• EMF Help Desk Friday – 12noon – 8.00pm Saturday – 8.00am – 4pm. On Saturday evening, the help desk will moved to the Teviot and the opening hours will be from 6pm – 9pm.
• Merchandise – Get Kitted Out! If you want to buy EMF merchandise you can visit the merchandise tent managed by Run 4 It, who’ll have experts on hand to give you advice on all things shoes and clothing! Please note, the merchandise tent will only be available at
• Dynamic Earth and will not be moving to the Teviot on Saturday evening.
• Charity Stands – inside Dynamic Earth Saturday – 8am – 2pm
• Charities A-Z Meeting Point – outside Dynamic Earth

Over the weekend of the event please visit the EMF Hub in person if you require information. It is not possible to contact the EMF Hub via telephone. Please do not call Dynamic Earth as their staff will not be able to assist you and your call cannot be forwarded to the EMF Hub.