Race report by Jo:
When I signed up for this race back in September, I definitely wasn’t expecting to be running in tropical heat in Edinburgh. The day kicked off early with a 5:45am park‑and‑ride bus into the city.
The race started at 8am on Potterrow outside the University of Edinburgh’s McEwan Hall. After the first corner, I passed the Greyfriars Kirkyard statue, then crossed the Royal Mile with St Giles’ Cathedral on my right and Edinburgh Castle on my left. From there, the route dropped down the Mound into New Town before looping back up towards the historic Royal Mile.
We ran past the Scottish Parliament, with Arthur’s Seat and Salisbury Crags towering overhead, then headed out toward the coast and along Portobello promenade. By the time I reached Musselburgh, I passed the oldest golf course in the world and continued along the coastline past Musselburgh Racecourse for what felt like the longest out‑and‑back in history, finally finishing at Pinkie School.
The heat was relentless and only seemed to build as the miles went on, but three miles of downhill followed by ten miles of flat definitely helped. I crossed the line in 1:47:20—hot, tired, but happy with that time.
