Edinburgh Marathon 2012

Neil Mac: Talking to some others the drop out rate was extremely high for a marathon. Someone mentioned the rough figures on here earlier but these are the most accurate ones I can find:

12,635 starters (from the official website)

Last place: 8077 (from a list of full results - in 8h01m so well done to them for sticking it out!)

So that's a DNF rate of 36%

Wow!  If those figures are right, it makes me feel better for not quite achieving my time.

Cheers Ro616! Yep, looks a fairly high DNF rate. Take it the full listings are now available.

Top effort from all who completed, incl whoever it was that took 8hours, poor blighter.

FRC - I had a Zero tab in my carry and then just water from there on...Also had 4 GU gels which I used up until the first energy station, then used the ones supplied...My problem was'nt lack of energy so much as being unable to get rid of the excess heat I think.

Legs only a bit sore now, but 2 toenails hanging by threads  Is it best to just pull them off?

23-minute PB for me so chuffed with that. It was hot!  Garmin was off at the start but spot on by the finish I set off conservatively, lads of people passed me in the first 5 miles but by mile 16 I was still running and a lot of people around me were walking.  Slowed a bit going round the estate - the chippings felt hard work after miles of tarmac - picked it up a little towards the end with my last mile only 3 seconds slower than my first.  Brilliant day

How do you pick up quotes? Anyway I wanted to comment on the mile markers - my ipod started going skewy around 19 miles and I ended up doing over nearly 28 miles...! (it may have something to do with the over enthusiastic water sprinklers!). Incidentally I am also Nikki Bailey 4 - I think there are gremlins at work on my profile page!

Nikki, hover over the bottom right of the post you want to quote, the 'quote' button appears, then click on it. When you go to do your post, click on the wee 'quote' icon on the toolbar (the one with the " on the very right hand side) and the post you want to quote will appear in yours.

If that's wrong, don't quote me on that.

I actually just checked my Garmin, I was wrong in a previous post, it was actually showing 26.26 miles at the end, I'd say that is as spot on as you'll ever get.

The drop out rate is not as high as 36%. The number of 12635 is the number of people who registered not the number of people who actually started. With all marathons, there are always a number of people who do not start even though they registered (illness, injury etc). I was around the 7800 person to come in and they announced that there were still around 500 people still to come in meaning that a few hundred people did not finish, not a few thousand.

Shorn Sheep.. you would use the zero tablet well after you'd started.. not at mile 0.. to replace salts lost in sweat. Your gels probably had electrolytes anyway so dubious. As for the excess heat, the previously mentioned buff on head & down neck and pouring water over kept me so cool.. I honestly wasn't affected by the heat.. felt like 10-12 degrees. And I'm rubbish in heat too, sunburnt to pieces before wedding abroad.. Also factor 50 suncream. 

Nikki Bailey, Iphones are notorious for sometimes jumping their GPS, particularly if you leave wifi going. Even then odd behaviour since they are A-GPS, phone mast assisted..

Pal did 76 miles at Liverpool marathon, since his phone jumped to Stoke & back coming out of the Mersey tunnel .. we laughed.

Evening all, had a couple of days to mull over my first marathon experience and although im still a bit dissapointed at my efforts I'm not feeling quite as bad. In fact I've had the urge to get out running as I now feel ive got something to prove to myself. Thinking about Liverpool or Amsterdam now as i cant wait till next year.

Ive got the GNR in September so that would sit nicely in my plan.

My Garmin came in at 26.25 and the splits were going off fairly acurately give or take a few yards, like the thought of a mara coming in at 76 miles

FRC..might have to invest in a buff, as my head was burnt (probably cos i didnt put any sun cream on the top of my head!)

Fit-Running-Cat wrote (see)

Nikki Bailey, Iphones are notorious for sometimes jumping their GPS, particularly if you leave wifi going. Even then odd behaviour since they are A-GPS, phone mast assisted..

Pal did 76 miles at Liverpool marathon, since his phone jumped to Stoke & back coming out of the Mersey tunnel .. we laughed.

Mine was an ipod not phone - its a small squarish thingy that connects to a lozengy thingy in my shoe - my shoes got steadily soaked as I plodded through the lovely shower puddles so I suspect it had something to do with the mistiming. Also I think that it's dependent on pace - I set it to run but as I walked quite a bit it might have got confused (just like me!).

On the number of drop outs - did the overall number of 23K+ runners include those who entered the half marathon?

Thanks for the tip on quoting Neil Mac!

Does anyone have an idea of what the temperature reached on the day? Sorry if it's on previous threads, but the reports said 19c, which sounds like in the shade and still conservative! I was thinking more around the 23c mark, plus the glare of the road and the fact that after mile 19 it felt hotter as the wind wasn't in our faces (whatever wind there was).

So much better than last year though in terms of the organisation - especially the finish. It was also great to see so many runners helping other runners in trouble, especially towards the end - truly made you feel part of something special.

I was adamant at the start line I wasn't going to run another marathon ever again.  Even with the heat, I got my sub-four time (just 3.56) and enjoyed it so much that I'm now feeling tempted to see if I could have gone faster if it was less hot as I definitely slowed down after we lost the wind on the return 7 miles!

Good organisation, I ran it in 2008 and was fairly disheartened by the loop on lyers road which wasn't there this time!  The course was pretty good, the support was excellent (much gratitude to those with hosepipes, they were sooo appreciated) - the only bad part was the trek in a field between miles 17 and 19.  I didn't enjoy that -especially not the smell!! Appreciated the additional water station though. Would have appreciated some lucozade on the way round but I did carry my own on my belt so it wasn't strictly neccessary!

T-shirt was fantastic, medal was ok - and the end area was pretty good, felt very festive to me!! 

Also enjoying the lack of sore legs this time - a quick dip in the sea on monday seems to have prevented any aching!!

Congrats to everyone - that was a seriously hot day!!  I can't imagine how hot it felt after 5 hours, it must have been seriously intense. 

oh, and also, endomondo on my phone was spot on the mile markers and had 26.27 as the final distance. 

As close as you can get I imagine!

This was my 5th marathon and definately my worse. I got to 17 miles and bonked totally. Really hard after that, was sick three times and clocked just over 5 hours. Disaster, my slowest ever time.  So disappointed in my performance, I think it was solely down to the heat. It felt like I had trained in Scotland then been transferred to the Sahara to actually run it! Ouch.

Never mind, there's always the next one...

Stay Alive!

Hearty congratulations to all who finished the course. Sitting in my west coast garden on Sunday temperatures rose steadily all morning and I could only imagine how this would be affecting runners.  To have completed it in such arduous conditions is a great achievement. While I fully understand the disappointment of not managing PB performance (in some cases!) no one should underestimate the varying effects of heat on the body which of course would no doubt increase exponentially with time. (And therefore don't be hard on yourself!!!) 

Fastest recovery from a marathon yet for me (this was my 6th), did 7.5 miles on tuesday and felt fine enough, got in another 8.6 last night and will do a good 10 or so tonight! No idea why I've recovered so much faster; I'm usually having to take 3 or 4 full days off.

Thanks John P for reminding us how damaging heat can be to a performance. I'm still disapointed with my time but at least realise it wasn't too bad a performance all things considered!

Suja, I'm also glad they got rid of the infamous 'finger of hell' this year!

Mannfred - my car thermometer said 22 degrees when I got in to it. I think that was about 2 O clock. Felt like it was at least that round the Gosford loop

My Garmin said 26.25 miles too - spot on

Good to hear folk seem to be bearing up well after Sunday.  I've scheduled a full 7 days off so my next 3-4M run should be on Monday but I might bring it forward a day.  My legs were progressively on the mend this week.

Went for a sports massage today - my first one.  I felt like a Kenyan as I laid there and got the elite treatment!  My legs are pretty sore now though, I winced a couple of times but managed to grin and bear it to the end!