Edinburgh MarathonHere's how RW members rated this race (1467 votes). 2011 race reviewed by: Shellbo
 | | Overall score | | 40% | | Would you do it again? | | Maybe | | | | Details: | | Scenery | | 60% | | PB potential | | 60% | | Atmosphere | | 40% | | Organisation | | 40% | | Value | | 60% | | Beginner-friendliness | | 60% |
In short: Come on Scotland - you can do better than that !!!
In full: I was really looking forward to this race my first Marathon, but left feeling somewhat disappointed.
The start area in London Road was good, although not enough toilets. The race should have used more of the city really, what about the Royal Mile, Princes Street etc.. it would have been amazing. The first 10 miles were reasonably interesting, then it got pretty dull really. Was there any thought or planning put into the finish area ? What a complete shambles. Once you fought your way through the spectator crowds and finally got to the reunion area, you were then faced with a 2 mile uphill hike to the Shuttle Buses (do they know how hard a marathon is ?).
Goodie Bag was nice though, decent medal and a great t-shirt.
The race distance was accurate. Throw your Garmins in the bin, they're known for not being very accurate. My new Nike+ TomTom GPS Watch said 26.22 miles, spot-on.
I'll definately come back to Edinburgh one year, but not for this race - more to see the sights of the City.
Date of review: May 26, 2011
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2011 race reviewed by: Amfumu
| | Overall score | | 80% | | Would you do it again? | | Yes | | | | Details: | | Scenery | | 100% | | PB potential | | 80% | | Atmosphere | | 60% | | Organisation | | 40% | | Value | | 80% | | Beginner-friendliness | | 80% |
In full: I managed to achieve a personal best and finish in 3.25 minutes as such I encountered a minimal amount of problems after crossing the line due to amount of other runners finishing fast than me. I do agree however that the finish area leaves much to be desired in terms of the location of the meeting point, showers and buses but due to reading previous reviews I knew exactly what to expect so I prepared myself for the worst and decided to skip the bus traffic and get a train back to Edinburgh instead.
There are obviously a lot of unhappy runners posting negative feedback on this race but I have to say it get the most out of travelling to new places for a race you have to do your research to know exactly what your letting yourselves in for as such you should at least know precisely where the route of the marathon is going before you enter.
The most important part of the race for me was the absolutely stunning coastline which was nothing short of stunning and glorious especially when the the sun came out to play. I was so in awe at some points I almost felt like stopping and taking a few pictures.
In summary I also agree that the organisers should change the name to reflect the fact that it is not a City race but a 'Coastal Marathon' however I will definitely do this run again because Edinburgh alone is such a wonderful place to visit and who knows I might be in with a shot at an even better PB!!
Date of review: May 26, 2011
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2011 race reviewed by: Jogalongway
| | Overall score | | 60% | | Would you do it again? | | Yes | | | | Details: | | Scenery | | 80% | | PB potential | | 40% | | Atmosphere | | 60% | | Organisation | | 40% | | Value | | 60% | | Beginner-friendliness | | 60% |
In short: Very good potential but organisation could be improved
In full: This is the second time I have done this race and both times with extreme weather conditions and both times I have felt more knocked about than I have done after completing other marathons. So I do not think this is really a very good pb course unless you are a fell runner.
Organisation of hotels was a fiasco. First they could not get the days right and to say it was near the finish when it was two miles away was pushing it.
Medal could have had year on it and there were no tee shirts at the finish on such a cold and windy day.
Results should also be broken down into Gender and Age and Gender positions
Date of review: May 26, 2011
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2011 race reviewed by: cougie
| | Overall score | | 80% | | Would you do it again? | | Yes | | | | Details: | | Scenery | | 80% | | PB potential | | 80% | | Atmosphere | | 80% | | Organisation | | 40% | | Value | | 80% | | Beginner-friendliness | | 60% |
In short: Great race marred by a poor after finish area
In full: The race has got slated but the only bad thing I found was that the post finish area was too small and as such badly organised.
If they move it back to the racecourse it should be perfect.
I found the route fast and scenic - a bit windy but this is Scotland.
Drinks stations were plentiful. It was marshalled well. There was a small stretch of broken road at the country house but the rest of the route was in great condition.
Buses back to the start were a bit of a walk from the finish but we were told that. There was no queue for me so I was on the bus and away before too long.
I didn't bring any spectators with me but there wasn't much for them at the finish as it was. If you have spectators - maybe look for another race unless the finish is rearranged.
The start was well organised in the city centre so easy to reach - a short walk from the main railway station.
Teeshirt was nice and a technical one too - so that's better than London. Medal a little dull but that's not important for me.
I would definitely go back.
Date of review: May 26, 2011
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2011 race reviewed by: Cameron Little
| | Overall score | | 60% | | Would you do it again? | | Maybe | | | | Details: | | Scenery | | 60% | | PB potential | | 80% | | Atmosphere | | 60% | | Organisation | | 40% | | Value | | 40% | | Beginner-friendliness | | 80% |
In short: There is little more I can say that hasn't already been said by others.
In full: School report would say “good effort but must do better!!”
I agree with everything that Katarina Darcy and other have said - Finish was shocking. Organisers need to improve and take a look at races like Loch Ness, Dunfermline or GSR for tips. I'm still waiting for a response to my email query it been 7 weoking days now!!
That said I'm happy with my new PB.
Date of review: May 26, 2011
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2011 race reviewed by: Katarina DarcyChtaibi
| | Overall score | | 60% | | Would you do it again? | | Yes | | | | Details: | | Scenery | | 60% | | PB potential | | 80% | | Atmosphere | | 60% | | Organisation | | 40% | | Value | | 40% | | Beginner-friendliness | | 80% |
In short: having always loved this marathon this year's has been quite a downer!
In full: There have always been a few tweaks required for the marathon but this year's has proved that a lot more need to be sorted out especially if runners are to trn up next year! I've said that I would run in it again, I have my reasons, but certainly not for the organisation etc.
The Good Bits.
The goodie bag.
The colour of the t-shirt.
The road finish to ensure a sprint finish and not a slippery board over the race course.
The selection of Lucozade.
Helpful marshals.
The views around the chicken farm and the chickens themselves.
Receiving the race number before flying to Scotland (it was 'pushing it' the last couple of years).
Baggage was not as far from the finish as last year.
The Bad Bits.
Why were some marathon runners being given half marathon finisher t-shirts and medals?
The t-shirt's front design was 'boring' and should have been replaced by the back design.
No programme or race information or bus ticket was sent with the race number as in previous years - we paid a lot of money for this marathon and yet we were expected to print these off ourselves.
The 'contact us' box on the website is a joke. Last year's and this year's my queries have been completely ignored despite stating that a reply will be made around '2 days'.
No telephone number provided to contact - I had to google to find a telephone number.
Despite the help desk at the Hub giving me a direct email address - this has also been ignored.
The Hub was not in Edinburgh - why move it from last year's position? There were no additional stands and so the Hub could easily have been put in the central location again.
Were all of the mile markers out?
Not impressed with the medal this year - much prefered the ones in previous years.
Spectators banned from the finish area so after everyone's hard work to actaully run the marathon it was kind of dead at the end.
Having compared distances over Garmins etc it appears that it was more than 26.2 miles.
Squeezing out onto a path after baggae etc was tight and not much fun trying to get to the reunion area - nobody was walking anywhere, it was gridlocked.
The screen wasn't on when I looked at it - was it working at all?
All the food and drink queues seemed to interlink, did anyone actually know what they were queueing for?
Not a lot going on in the charity area, except massages.
No toilet roll in the portaloos - did anyone use their number as an alternative?
over a mile and a bit walk to the shuttle buses. Queuing for ages and no signs to show which bus to queue for.
The weather - obviously this is the bit that GSI cannot help with.
Date of review: May 26, 2011
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2011 race reviewed by: Simon Berrman
| | Overall score | | 60% | | Would you do it again? | | No | | | | Details: | | Scenery | | 80% | | PB potential | | 80% | | Atmosphere | | 100% | | Organisation | | 20% | | Value | | 20% | | Beginner-friendliness | | 80% |
In short: Great to run my forst 26.2 miles, awful treatment of runners
Date of review: May 26, 2011
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2011 race reviewed by: stephen pollock
| | Overall score | | 40% | | Would you do it again? | | No | | | | Details: | | Scenery | | 60% | | PB potential | | 60% | | Atmosphere | | 60% | | Organisation | | 20% | | Value | | 20% | | Beginner-friendliness | | 60% |
In short: Nearly tripped over chicked and Gosford!!!!
In full: and it was not a headless organizer.
Date of review: May 26, 2011
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2011 race reviewed by: duncan Howie
| | Overall score | | 20% | | Would you do it again? | | No | | | | Details: | | Scenery | | 80% | | PB potential | | 100% | | Atmosphere | | 80% | | Organisation | | 20% | | Value | | 20% | | Beginner-friendliness | | 100% |
In short: Shame, Shame, Shame.
In full: Not to flog a dead horse but I am embarassed to be from Edinburgh. This was my 7th marathon, and my third Edinburgh marathon. The organisation was apalling at the finish line. The lack of T shirts fraudulant after the high entry fee. I have had no response from the organisers to my email requesting a Tshirt. The organisers clearly are not marathon runners.
Date of review: May 26, 2011
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2011 race reviewed by: williambloke
| | Overall score | | 40% | | Would you do it again? | | No | | | | Details: | | Scenery | | 80% | | PB potential | | 80% | | Atmosphere | | 40% | | Organisation | | 40% | | Value | | 60% | | Beginner-friendliness | | 60% |
In short: A bit of a mess, & a bit of a disappointment
In full: Take a good race, 'tweak it', and watch the complaint levels rise... You put your 'festival hub' on the edge of the city, making it awkward for those who wished to visit; your 'big city marathon' only spent approximately 3 miles in your city; the part of the course that ran through Gosford House wasn't on a decent road surface; don't even get me started on the way that the relay runners were allowed to just charge out into the race, straight into the marathon runners; you prevented the crowds of supporters from being at the finish line, ensuring that you went from a caucophony of noise to a relatively muted few, resulting in a bit of an anti-climax; the walk to the medals & water was a fair old traipse after a 26 mile run; on a day that had produced high winds & cold rain there was no foil blankets handed out, the medal must rank as one of the most imaginative on record (just 'EMF Marathon' really doesn't cut it after 4 months of training, especially when the ribbon states'jnr, 5K, 10K, team relay, half marathon, marathon), the baggage reclaim was a shambles (for some reason all the higher numbers were offloaded first, leaving the elites & faster runners standing around in the cold waiting for their bags); the runners village & reunion area was a disaster, putting everything at the bottom of a field, further away from the baggage area & even more further away from the bus pick-up points, and consisting of very little by way of facilities; and finally, do you really think that it is acceptable to expect people who have just completed a marathon, people who are stiff, cold, exhausted, hungry etc to then walk over a mile to catch a bus back to the centre of town, especially when those self-same people have to then probably cover another few miles to get back to their hotels etc???
Date of review: May 26, 2011
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