Edinburgh Marathon

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).

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.

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.