Edinburgh running scene

there are 10 athletic clubs within a 5 mile radius of Edinburgh

https://www.scottishathletics.org.uk/athletes/get-involved/club-finder/club-search-results/?city=Edinburgh%2C+UK&lat=55.953252&lng=-3.188266999999996&radius=5&searchType=location&club_name=

cheers

You can use the club finder here:

https://www.scottishathletics.org.uk/clubs/

Events calendar for road/track/xc

https://www.scottishathletics.org.uk/events/

Some areas of the country are better served by XC leagues than others - over in Glasgow they don't have one just a couple of one-off/invitation ones.

[quote]Can you run in a kilt? wrote:

I might have the opportunity to move to Edinburgh, Scotland, for work and I would like to learn a bit more about the running scene.

I’m in my late 20s and was an ok college athlete (4:05 miler). I’d like to get back into mile racing shape, so I was wondering if there are any training groups that focus on track running? Also, are there any track races in Edinburg or surrounding cities? How about cross country in the winter?

/quote]

Highlight is usually the (long course) national XC in mid-Feb at Falkirk (short train ride away). They also have a short course 4km XC championship race which is held in November and tends to be a bit more 'elitist' ie mostly strong club runners and middle distance track guys.

Edinburgh is my home town.

Obviously hard to be fully objective but I'd say it's a fantastic city for running.

It snowed yesterday morning so I put my Salamons on and ran the trails up and down and through Arthur's Seat. It was just incredible. If you're into the "proper" hills you've got the Pentlands which brilliant with a range of peaks and a yearly event called the Pentlands Skyline. The big hill running club is called Carnethy if you wanted to look them up.

In the city there is a big park called "The Meadows". Some of the local running clubs gather there on Mondays and Thursdays for club runs / interval sessions. It isn't a track but it is a smooth paved 1.4 mile loop. You'll see national level athletes training there all the time, e.g. I sometimes see Mhairi MacLennan (who's just been selected for team GB's World XC squad) zipping past me doing tempos!

There's also a canal which has a path running alongside it which is great for long training runs, i.e. no stops at junctions, not many people getting in the way, which you can run for miles out and back on.

Track-wise, you're in a bit of a rut at the moment as Meadowbank (the city's main athletics arena) is currently being rebuilt so that venue is out for now. However one of the city's best clubs Corstorphine AAC use a track in an area called Saughton which is ~ a mile or so away from Haymarket.

Thank you all for the responses. I found some information online, but it’s always great to hear from people from with firsthand experience.

T Funke thanks for the local’s insight. I’ll have to check out the Meadows. Sounds like a great place to do intervals. The canal route sounds perfect too. I’ve run in cities before and wasn’t a big fan of the constant stopping and going, so that sounds like a great route. Too bad about the track, but with the current running shape I’m in, I probably won’t be doing any track racing till 2020 so hopefully it will be completed then.

Thanks everyone and if you have more info/tips, keep them coming. I’m excited for the possible move.

I also live in Edinburgh.

Everything you said is accurate, I'd just like to add that there's a couple of different canals, both of which are good for running on. One is the Water of Leith track, which I've never personally ran on, but I've heard it's pretty, it's fast, and it's flat.

The other canal is the Union Canal. There's a lot of access points to this canal, I find the most convenient is in the Fountainbridge area. The only downside to this canal is that you get a lot of cyclists, and there's a 150m section that is super narrow right alongside a river, so it's often necessary to slow RIGHT down on that section. I got around this by just turning around when I reached that point, which still gives you a good 3-4 miles on the canal, but if you want to go further, it goes on to Glasgow past that point.

The only other route that I don't think has been mentioned is THE INNOCENT RAILWAY! This is really a fantastic route and not many know about it. It is right next to Arthur's seat, and runs through trees and forest for 6k before you hit the sea at Porobello and come back. It's downhill on the way to Portobello. It often makes a good long run in combination with Arthur's Seat. It also features a tunnel at the start that is just over 500m long that totally blocks the wind, and is always a nice temp regardless of the weather. I would recommend using it instead of a track, to be honest, as you have to pay like £5 whenever you use a track here.

The only downside to these routes are that, apart from the Meadows, most are on hard ground. I am yet to find a long, soft trail here. If anyone does, please let me know!

To the OP: I'm not anywhere near your speed, but if you do move, I'd be happy to run with you and show you some routes. It's a fantastic city outwith running, pretty much whatever your hobbies are you'll be able to hit here. I strongly recommend coming over here if you can.

The innocent railway sounds cool! Thank for the advice! Sounds like the different canals are great options too.

As for joining you on some runs, I might just take you up on that offer. I’ve been injured a lot so I’m nowhere near my college prs. I hope to get back to that level though. I’m about 75% certain this move is happening. My wife works for the same company as me, so we’re trying to figure out if she can continue to work in Edinburgh too. I also have a European passport so visas aren’t an issue.

Thanks!

If you do end up moving, bump this thread and I'd be happy to run with you. Good luck with your training!

Middle aged Edinburgh hobby jogger here, although I've got kids who are running track and xc with their clubs, so I do have a bit of insight into the competitive side of things.

There's not much of a senior track scene, but if that's your focus then Edinburgh AC is the club to go for, although they don't currently have a track and are using the excellent East Lothian facility at Meadowmill for competition.

Monument mile classic at nearby Stirling University proved popular in its inaugural year last year - evening of 1 mile track races seeded by time. Fastest time last year was 4:10.48 in the 12th and final race.

District championship meets take place in nearby Grangemouth or Aberdeen and attract the best athletes from the entire East of Scotland. National championships are usually the other side of the country in Glasgow.

There are a few high quality road races in Edinburgh:

Silverknowes 5k, incorporating Scottish 5k championships, won in 14:46 last year and with a course record of 14:17 set by Callum Hawkins in 2015.

https://www.runandbecome.com/race/edinburgh-5k-040518

The same team from Run and Become, led by Adrian Stott, also organise a summer series of weekday evening meets at The Meadows offering flat and fast races over 1 mile, 2miles and 5k on IAAF certified courses.

https://www.runandbecome.com/edinburgh-races/past

Also popular with competitive runners is the annual New Year's Day Portobello Promathon, a fast and flat certified four mile road race along the promenade on the outskirts of Edinburgh. The winner this year ran 18:35 (yes, you read that right), course record is 18:27 male and 19:59 female (the latter set by Yvonne Murray in 1987).

XC scene is fairly good. Scottish East district run a league of three races plus a championship event, although you need to be prepared to travel a bit. Deep field at this year's championship race saw Commonwealth marathon bronze medallist Robbie Simpson only managing to secure 5th place.

There's a series of 8 races held in the Scottish borders to the south of Edinburgh and, as mentioned previously, the national championships held at nearby Falkirk attract the best distance runners in Scotland and have seen the likes of Callum Hawkins take the win in past years. This year's event was won by Adam Craig who last year returned from the states and has been laying down impressive times since (sub four indoor mile, 13:45 road 5k). Coincidentally, he also won the Scottish borders series at 18 years old.

Finally, can't mention running in Edinburgh (or the UK) without mentioning Parkrun - there are two in Edinburgh, at Silverknowes and Portobello with course records of 14:31 and 15:21 respectively.

More generally, Edinburgh is a fantastic city to live in, stunning architecture and beautiful surrounding countryside. Strongly recommended - I'm not a native but have lived here for 20+ years and haven't ever come across a place I'd rather live in the UK.

Thank you so much for all this info! I had a hard time finding details on the competitive running scene, so this is exactly what I was looking for. Sounds like there are a lot of options when it comes to racing and those course records aren’t too bad either. It might not be a track racing Mecca, but the variety of races sounds pretty exciting.

Because of injuries, I am nowhere close to my college prs, but it doesn’t take me crazy long to get into the 4:20s mile, mid 15s 5k range and it sounds like I’ll definitely have some people to train with. I’ll check out those links you provided.

I’ve only been in Edinburgh once for a week, but really liked the city. I grew up in Europe, so I kinda know what I’m getting myself into.

Thanks again!!

One more run worth mentioning in the context of Edinburgh running:-

www.seven-hills.org.uk

Any runner living in Edinburgh must undertake this challenge at least once! An absolute nightmare where you must hit the peak of Edinburgh's Seven Hills including going over the top of Arthur's Seat AFTER ~ 12/13 miles! I finally did this a couple of years ago and it was harder than any marathon I've ran.

Following. Taking a trip to Edinburgh for the first time this summer.

I am not a 4:05 miler, but I routinely run 4:05Ks in training ;-)

Hey T Funke - apologies for the thread hijack - but my wife and I are visiting EDI this summer, and I would value any input you have to give: things to do, food, touristy stuff, stuff that only locals would know to do... history, castles, hikes, attractions, and the like.

And thanks so much for the running info you have already provided!

And same to Embra and HM Guy :-)

Just to clarify- the Water of Leith is a river rather than a canal so it's not as fast or flat as the Union Canal . It's very scenic as you go out towards the Pentlands and mostly gravel. I've been lucky enough to spot deer and kingfishers on the route.

Aside from the Water of Leith, if you are looking for a long trail (mostly gravel/dirt road) then the Dalmeny estate from the Cramond Brig to South Queensferry is a good route. You can keep going towards Blackness Castle and beyond if you want to run long. It's part of the John Muir Way so just follow the signs.

I have no intention running any marathons haha, but a 14miler with 2200 feet of ascent/descent I can get behind! I’ll start training for the 2020 edition when my achilles is recovered.

@theJeff, no worries about the thread hijack. Im sure my wife and I will want to check out the touristy stuff too.

I jumped in a workout with the Edinburgh AC while on vacation there a couple of summer ago; seemed like a pretty chill group and they had some decent runners - definitely worth emailing the coach and checking out when you get there. Very cool city, btw.

Ah, this is my field! Brace yourself TheJeff, a wall of text is coming:

When precisely are you planning on arriving? If you're arriving between August 3rd - 28th, there is an absolutely ENORMOUS arts festival called the "Fringe". I mean so vast that it entirely takes over the center of the city with a carnival-like atmosphere, and there are literally thousands of music gigs, theatre productions, stand-up comedy shows, "alternative" events, etc. Almost all are cheaper than £15 (not sure what that is in dollars), and many are free (although it's considered very bad courtesy not to give something at the end, I'd say worse than not tipping a waiter in the US).

Now, whether this is a good thing or not depends entirely on your appetite for that type of stuff. Personally, I love it, and performing in, and experiencing, the Fringe is actually a huge reason I came here. However, if it's not your scene, or if you aren't a fan of crowds, it's best avoiding the center altogether throughout this time. With regard to running, the Meadows is basically impossible to run on during the Fringe, it would be like trying to run through a mosh pit.

Now, tourist stuff! I work as a tour guide, so this is my jam. There's the Edinburgh ghost tours, which can genuinely be an interesting way to see a bit of the city, and could be a huge amount of fun (or totally terrifying) for the children. However, get a walking tour rather than one from a bus. You can also do straight history tours or walking tours. On a similar note, there's the Edinburgh Dungeons, which can be fun for an immersive Middle Ages Scottish horror themed hour. Both the Dungeons and the tours are typically led by very good guides, as opposed to a tourist rip-off (mainly because Edinburgh has a wonderful acting scene, and a lot of the participants moonlight as guides). However, if you're here during the Fringe, avoid doing a walking tour during the day. It ends up as an elongated fight against people-traffic.

As well as a good running route, Arthur's Seat is an unchallenging walk that offers great views of the entire city. There's also the Pentlands, and if you're a hiking fan, it's definitely worth going to Loch Lomond for a day, or even further north to the Highlands for a little longer.

The Castle (at the top of the Royal Mile) is a little expensive to enter, but I think it's worth it. It's a great little snapshot of history.

There is also the Scottish Parliament building at the other end of the Royal Mile, which is open to the public, and you can sit in on live debates. Also, in the 18th century, the 4-minute mile was broken by men running down the Royal Mile from the Castle to where the parliament now stands (it is, obviously, a downhill route).

There's also a number of old cemeteries (Canon's Gait Kirkyard, Greyfriars Kirkyard, and the Old Calton burial ground) in which there's a number of cool-looking monuments and stories of historical figures such as the economist Adam Smith, or the philosopher David Hume. If anyone had children into Harry Potter, there's the names of several of the characters on the graves in Greyfriars - JK Rowling wrote the first novel in Edinburgh, and took their names. On a related note, there's Harry Potter tours also running throughout the year.

I could type all day on this topic, but I don't want to wear my fingers to stubs, and I have work to do. However, if anyone has any questions about life in Edinburgh, I'd be more than happy to answer. I hope you enjoy your trip!

theJeff wrote:

Hey T Funke - apologies for the thread hijack - but my wife and I are visiting EDI this summer, and I would value any input you have to give: things to do, food, touristy stuff, stuff that only locals would know to do... history, castles, hikes, attractions, and the like.

And thanks so much for the running info you have already provided!

You don't need local knowledge to find history, castles, hikes, attractions and the like in Edinburgh.

There's a bloody great castle on top of an extinct volcano in the centre of the city; a larger and more impressive extinct volcano within parkland about a mile from there (Arthur's Seat & Holyrood Park) and no shortage of tourist business trying to sell their attractions.

Local advice would be not to come in August, unless you are coming specifically for one of the festivals. It's unbearably busy in August, and very busy for the rest of the summer. Late spring and early autumn (fall) are better for tourists. Just don't be a big fat American stereotype and you'll be welcomed by the locals.

If you come you absolutely must go to Parkrun, without doubt the best thing to have come from the UK this century. Two to choose from, better to be here for two Saturdays and do both. If I had to choose I would go for Portobello, but I stay in Porty so I'm biased.

Awra best