Race previews

04 April 2014, 7am

Distance Running 2014 Edition 2 > Race previews > Edinburgh Marathon Festival

2014 will be an epic year of sport in Scotland, with the Ryder Cup at Gleneagles and the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. But kicking it all off will be the Edinburgh Marathon Festival.

Edinburgh Marathon Festival

Edinburgh Marathon Festival
Sat 24 May 2014

When the starting gun goes on 25 May it will signal the greatest year of sport Scotland has ever seen. The Commonwealth Games begins in Glasgow in July, with some of the finest athletes in the world converging to compete across 17 disciplines. Then in September the focus switches to historic Gleneagles for the 2014 Ryder Cup, the first time the contest has taken place in golf’s homeland since 1973.

Before you put your feet up to cheer on your sporting heroes, you can play a part in what promises to be a memorable year for Scottish sport by taking part in the Festival. There are 10km, 5km, junior races and an International Breakfast Run on Saturday 24 May before the half and full marathons take centre stage on Sunday 25 May. If the full distance seems too much, you can run the marathon as part of a relay team.

Neil Kilgour, Edinburgh Marathon Festival director, said: “Scotland is preparing to welcome the world in 2014 and we look forward to delivering an outstanding Edinburgh Marathon Festival. Make 2014 your year – the earlier you sign up the better, both to guarantee a place and give yourself time to get into peak condition on the big day. There couldn’t be a better time to plan a trip to Scotland.”

With its flat route, the Edinburgh Marathon Festival is one of the fastest around and a perfect choice for runners chasing a personal best. In 2012 it became the first race in Scotland to be awarded an IAAF bronze label, putting it among the top 75 IAAF-listed events in the world.