Scotland’s biggest running event, the Edinburgh Marathon Festival, celebrated its 10th anniversary this year. A record-breaking 23,000 runners took part from all over the world, representing hundreds of different charities and causes.
The marathon itself is a beautiful course stretching 26.2 miles from the heart of Edinburgh to the leafy Musselburgh. Setting off from Regent Road with a perfect view of Edinburgh Castle, the course weaves around Holyrood Park, up to Portobello, along the promenade, and all the way out to Gosford House before curling back on itself for eight or so miles to the finish line.
We thought we’d give it a go.
In glorious sunshine and rather uncharacteristic Scottish heat, supporters turned out in their thousands to cheer the runners on and make a proper day of it. It was lovely to have so many people clapping along the route, especially with the odd one shouting “Go Greenpeace!” as they saw my t-shirt.
Mentally, I found the heat rather cruel – our training runs had all been mildly chilly. But you can’t complain when it brings out such a fantastic party atmosphere in everybody and so much music and dancing. Plus my mum had come from Manchester to watch, so it was nice that she could enjoy Edinburgh at its best.
This was my first marathon. I ran the first 18 miles reasonably easily, without pain or struggle, and without particularly noticing. I was enjoying the atmosphere, the music, the dancing, the supporters, the scenery, and being with so many other runners.
And then it hit me that I was running a marathon.
The mile markers got further and further apart. The wind died down. It got hotter. My hips were sore. My legs decided that they’d had enough. But I never for one second entertained the idea that I wasn’t going to finish the race. In my experience, negative thoughts like that are based on mental weaknesses more than physical ones. I hoped so, anyway.
One mile later and I was still running, but slowly. Another mile after that, most of the people around me were walking. At 21 miles, the pavement started to blur a bit. I jogged along very much in my own world until I heard a sudden shout from a familiar voice “... there she is! ANNA!! GO ANNA!!!!” Some local volunteers from the Edinburgh Greenpeace group had cycled back around to see us at a different point in the race. It spurred me on.
I crossed the finish line just after 3pm, five long hours after I started. Five minutes later, I decided I’d do it again. It was a wonderful thing, to be a part of the Edinburgh Marathon, and to raise money for Greenpeace. Definitely worth the effort!
Thank you so much for everyone who came out to support us, and of course, to all who donated so generously on our Just Giving page.
https://www.justgiving.com/Sam-Austin-and-Anna-Thorley
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