Edinburgh MarathonHere's how RW members rated this race (1467 votes). 2010 race reviewed by: Nick Plant
 | | Overall score | | 60% | | Would you do it again? | | Maybe | | | | Details: | | Scenery | | 80% | | PB potential | | 80% | | Atmosphere | | 80% | | Organisation | | 40% | | Value | | 80% | | Beginner-friendliness | | 80% |
In short: Good race (bar the heat)...but the finish needs work
In full: Third marathon, with all PB potential spoilt by the weather. You can't blame the organisers for that and I thought that the water stations, showers etc were good along the way. Support along the route was very good around the start/finish, but petered out in middle. I actually enjoyed the out-and-back scenary, so I guess it is personal taste
PLEASE...bigger mile marker signs and much better signage at the end; when you are tired, you can't always see the signs 200m away!
Date of review: May 27, 2010
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2010 race reviewed by: johnzyboy
| | Overall score | | 80% | | Would you do it again? | | Yes | | | | Details: | | Scenery | | 60% | | PB potential | | 100% | | Atmosphere | | 60% | | Organisation | | 60% | | Value | | 80% | | Beginner-friendliness | | 80% |
In short: If you want a fast course this is the one.
In full: I had a great day. It was my first marathon and i made the mistake of setting off to quick and paid the price in the last four miles. The heat seemed very intence by mid day which i think also added to my demize. But i will be back next year for certan it is good to run in a large event like this. Thank you to everyone involved.
Date of review: May 27, 2010
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2010 race reviewed by: Elizabeth Halley
| | Overall score | | 20% | | Would you do it again? | | No | | | | Details: | | Scenery | | 40% | | PB potential | | 80% | | Atmosphere | | 40% | | Organisation | | 20% | | Value | | 40% | | Beginner-friendliness | | 60% |
In short: Terrible organisation, boring route, not enough water.
Date of review: May 27, 2010
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2010 race reviewed by: MarkHintNorth
| | Overall score | | 40% | | Would you do it again? | | Maybe | | | | Details: | | Scenery | | 60% | | PB potential | | 80% | | Atmosphere | | 60% | | Organisation | | 40% | | Value | | 40% | | Beginner-friendliness | | 60% |
In short: Post event rganisation - is vague too kind a word? Finish area not laid out by a runner!
In full: 2nd marathon, so was hoping for a new PB - the sunshine finished that plan off!
The medal was nice, the t-shirt worth having. The spectators were encoraging, friendly (if incomprehensible in places!) and their hosepipes were very welcome.
Now, about the organisation . . .
I felt the pre-race info was a bit late in coming out, and the info on the website not very precise until quite late on. For example, I'd planned to come up the day before to pre-register (as per London) and didn't click that it wasn't happening like that until about a month beforehand. The "countdown" emails were good though.
I know the mile markers were wrong - my gps told me that, but it seemed they were inconsistent, too. Some were almost right!Very odd.
The race was great - mostly. Marshalls and crowd good, even if the crowd was "patchy". Route was a bit non-Edinburgh after the first few miles, but pleased to discover there's a sea-side so nearby. And what was with the odd bit near the turnback where you're running along someone's not very well surfaced tracks? It was a bit of a challenge by then, since I'd thought it was a road race . . .
The finish was frankly, a joke. The mats - watched the guy just ahead of me trip on the plastic matting joints, and fall. (I dodged him . . . but did pause to check he was getting back up.) My wife saw more fallers and bloddied knees whilst waiting for me. You can get "locking" mats for racecourses - ask York what they use.
After the photo area, there seemed to be crowds of people headed inwards against the runners coming out - runners only area? I think not. I'm guessing it was supporters who couldn't get into the reunion area due to the crush around the gates, looking for their runners.
The park/school/whatever it was where gates into where the baggage buses and charity village were have already been mentioned. But why were there only 2 small gates open, for so many 1000's of people? I overheard a police officer saying on her radio "It's only padlocked. Can't we get some bolt cutters or something?" Or why wasn't it just unlocked? And there was a further gate inside too. The "Event security" guys were being unhelpful at this stage too - stopping people trying to get in/out and force them to go to to the other gate. Given those people had mostly just run 26.2 miles, I'm amazed there weren't more lost tempers.
The baggage trucks were a long way away from the finish, and in a bit of a cul-de-sac. And not many people returning bags so there was a scrum around each truck - no queueing, even (compare it with London where as I approached the truck someone shouted my number, and when I looked up my bag was being offered to me).
Macmillan were great - they made up for so many of the shortfalls of the finish up to that point. Thank you!
And the icing on the cake - the buses back to Edniburgh. The no 26 (public service) buses were swamped. Presumably with extra people who thought they were getting on the shuttle buses, as well as the rest of us. They weren't stopping, either because they were full, or because the empty buses which went by were just feeling that way out. Bus queue rage did strike - harsh words exchanged between runners around me, and the "exact money only" policy on the bus really didn't help. After a 1 hour plus wait, we got on a bus, but subsequently missed our train back to England - so not a cheap hobby, most of which I would say was attributable to poor organisation at the finish.
Date of review: May 27, 2010
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2010 race reviewed by: Steve Gray 9
| | Overall score | | 40% | | Would you do it again? | | No | | | | Details: | | Scenery | | 40% | | PB potential | | 80% | | Atmosphere | | 60% | | Organisation | | 20% | | Value | | 60% | | Beginner-friendliness | | 60% |
In short: Was expecting better
In full: Positives: Medal, T-shirt, hosepipes, lucozade energy stations, properly running straight after the mat.
Negatives:
1. Should be in Edinburgh. If you start and end in the same place, net zero climb/descent. comment made that event organisers making a fast course to attract more runners = more money
2. Start earlier. Aside from the heat, most of us finish after 4 hours which adding on shuttle buses, etc renders most of the afternoon gone. Not much fun for those who have come with you to watch. No time for a quick kip and out on the town for the night!
3. What happened to the water around Gosford House. Went from 16 miles, right up to over 20 miles before water (for me 30km was at 1pm)
4. Course too narrow, so walkers walking 2 abreast would almost block the route.
5. No displayed times at 10k, half and 30k
6. Missed numerous mile markers - in fact started to look for the ones written on the floor
7. Not a fan of out and backs. Its good to see good runners going for it, but it isn't the greatest uplifting experience. found myself asking when I start to turn back towards Musselburgh.
8. Stupid narrow gates to get into reunion area and then the 2nd marathon getting to shuttle buses. To be honest I reckon i could have got away without paying for this - no check was made.
Date of review: May 27, 2010
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2010 race reviewed by: Kevin Judge
| | Overall score | | 60% | | Would you do it again? | | Yes | | | | Details: | | Scenery | | 80% | | PB potential | | 80% | | Atmosphere | | 80% | | Organisation | | 60% | | Value | | 40% | | Beginner-friendliness | | 60% |
In short: My first marathon
In full: The first I heard about a bus shuttle service for this event, was a general complaint about it.
For this reason, I took a bike, parked in Musselburgh, and cycled in 9 miles to the start.
And as this was my first marathon, I learned so much from this, I felt I should have trained more and therefore done much better, in particular, which fuel gels to consume and when, don't carry a 2 litre Camelbak, apply sun lotion (even though it was raining at the start at the car).
So for this to be the 8th Edinburgh, surely the organisers should of learned from theirs by now.
Value for money is poor and (I agree) its hardly even in Edinburgh! Although it is very flat!!!!
Date of review: May 27, 2010
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2010 race reviewed by: Alex Hunter
| | Overall score | | 40% | | Would you do it again? | | No | | | | Details: | | Scenery | | 80% | | PB potential | | 80% | | Atmosphere | | 100% | | Organisation | | 40% | | Value | | 40% | | Beginner-friendliness | | 60% |
In short: Needs work
Date of review: May 26, 2010
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2010 race reviewed by: Ruth Bateman
| | Overall score | | 60% | | Would you do it again? | | Maybe | | | | Details: | | Scenery | | 60% | | PB potential | | 80% | | Atmosphere | | 60% | | Organisation | | 40% | | Value | | 40% | | Beginner-friendliness | | 60% |
In short: Generally ok, but needs work...was a good excuse to go to Edinburgh though!
Date of review: May 26, 2010
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2010 race reviewed by: william peter mitchell
| | Overall score | | 60% | | Would you do it again? | | Maybe | | | | Details: | | Scenery | | 60% | | PB potential | | 80% | | Atmosphere | | 60% | | Organisation | | 40% | | Value | | 60% |
In short: Hell started when the race finished
In full: At 65 I am new to marathon running, I did London marathon so I had really looked forward to this event,but by the time I had got to the macmillan tent I was in great distress and was was saved by kind help given by the team there. The orginisers have to take on board that they have got to understand what they are making people do after such a long race. The weather though they can't pick it they should consider it, how they would like to be presented with them conditions at the end of a very hot day or cold/wet if it had been. good points I really did like the medal, the support,and I felt everything else they had done was good
Date of review: May 26, 2010
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2010 race reviewed by: Sandra9203
| | Overall score | | 80% | | Would you do it again? | | Yes | | | | Details: | | Scenery | | 80% | | PB potential | | 80% | | Atmosphere | | 60% | | Organisation | | 80% | | Value | | 80% | | Beginner-friendliness | | 80% |
In short: Great race
In full: I had such a great day yes it was hot but I got a PB by beating my last marathon time by 18 minutes. I refused to let the hot weather worry me and paced myself took on as much water and lucozade as i could.
We camped at Drum Mohr campsite only a mile or so up the road from the racecourse which I can highly recomend they organised for mini buses to take us all into Edinburgh. Then we just walked back at the end perfect.
Thank you to all the marshalls and supporters all the way round we could not have run without your help.
My only grip - please please don't walk 3 or even 4 a breast while others are trying to keep going it's hard enough without having to dodge around other runners/walkers.
All in all I can't wait to come back next year
Thank you.
x
Date of review: May 26, 2010
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