So you want to know about Marathons in Edinburgh, eh? Its taken me longer to write this than it took to run it... just.

For a 12th wedding anniversary gift, it is suggested that it be made of silk or linen. The other lesser known option is to enter a marathon. To please those who are vegan we opted to abstain from silk and linen is just OK bed sheets, so a run it was. Scotland is known for its hills and atrocious weather but wait….. Edinburgh marathon is rumoured to be flat (even a little downhill) and surely even in May the sun will be shining. One of these turned out to be true….. it rained quite a bit.

Travelling by car initially seemed ludicrous and returning after a good night’s sleep seems even crazier but actually it worked out cheaper and with stops at service stations we managed it without any issues.

So, on the 26th of May, Victoria and I met up with Ian (who had travelled by train) outside the University of Edinburgh’s neuroscience department where instead of getting our heads examined we prepared for the race. The organisation seemed spot on, although the repetitive recorded message and count-down became slightly annoying. We had our race packs so we cannot say how easy it would be to collect them, but I imagine it was easy. Toilet queues were not overly long and plentiful as they were along the course.

From our start point to the start line took about 5 minutes and then we were off. We very quickly ran along some familiar roads; Princes Street, past Greyfriars Bobby, Scott monument, along the Royal mile, past Holyrood House and Arthur's Seat and out through the Royal Park. The crowds were big considering the weather and water and toilet stops soon appeared as we headed down towards the coast.

We soon headed out of Edinburgh proper and headed along the coast past Mussleburgh racecourse and a very old golf course through the amusingly titled town of Prestonpans (or pressed on pants) and further along the coast and through what I’m sure was a beautiful public park (by this point, I was not so happy) before heading back past the racecourse to Pinkies Park for the finish.

Yes, I imagine it is a fast course, it was my fastest marathon, mainly because it was my first. The atmosphere was great at times. The last three miles were very windy and the medal and finishers pack was nice.

Good points: It’s not steep. It’s legendary fast. On-course facilities were good. Tartan-ribboned medal looks nice and t-shirt is reasonable. Plenty of water and gel points. There is the option of completing it in a relay.

Not so good points: If the weather is not great it can get chilly. Don’t buy the bus ticket suggested, it is cheaper to buy an all-day travel ticket and walk 25m down the road to the real bus stop and then you can travel around Edinburgh a lot easier. It’s quite a journey, spend a few days in the area. Train tickets are expensive (more expensive than aeroplane tickets) so plan a head. Accommodation prices ramp up so search hard.

So overall a great marathon for those who fancy a journey across the border to England’s largest county; Scotland. Would I do it again… I’m ok thanks I’ve got the medal but I would recommend that others definitely do it.