Great Edinburgh Run
Encyclopedia
The Great Edinburgh Run is an annual 10-kilometre road running
event which takes place in early October in the city centre of Edinburgh
in Scotland
. Part of the Great Run series of competitions, it attracts top level runners and also features a 5K race for fun run
ners.
The event was first held in 1993 under the title of the Great Caledonian Run. The race was moved from Edinburgh to the Balmoral estate in Aberdeenshire
in 1998 and was hosted there for seven years as part of the Balmoral Road Races, a collection of race from 3 km to 10 km. The Caledonian run became more of a national level competition in its stint in Balmoral as the 5-mile race. The race in Balmoral was voted as the nation's most scenic run by Runner's World
magazine in 2004. The competition was financially supported by Scottish Enterprise Grampian in a partnership to promote tourism in north-east Scotland, but after the BBC
decided to stop televising the event the decision was made for it to return to Edinburgh in 2005. During the seven-year period that the run was not held in the city, a separate and unrelated competition was held there under the title of the Capital City Challenge 10K. The Great Edinburgh Run acquired its current title in 2006.
Since 2005 the Great Edinburgh Run has been held on a course within the city centre. The course has a double-looped format and starts in Holyrood Park
. The route heads southwards through the park for the first two kilometres then heads north, passing The Pleasance before heading west at Cowgate
. Just after the halfway point it enters The Meadows
and loops back northwards, going across the George IV Bridge
. It passes through the grounds of Edinburgh Castle
and the route turns eastwards at the National Gallery of Scotland
. The finish point is near Holyrood Palace
.
The men's course record for the 10 km (28:03 minutes) was set by Martin Mathathi
in 2011, while Florence Kiplagat
is the women's course record holder with her time of 32:10 minutes from 2010. At the second edition in 1994, amateur runner Dave Lewis won the men's race ahead of Olympians John Treacy
and Gary Staines.
Road running
Road running is the sport of running on a measured course over an established road . These events would be classified as long distance according to athletics terminology, with distances typically ranging from 5 kilometers to 42.2 kilometers in the marathon. They may involve large numbers of runners...
event which takes place in early October in the city centre of Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
in Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. Part of the Great Run series of competitions, it attracts top level runners and also features a 5K race for fun run
Fun run
A fun run is a friendly race that involves either road running or cross country running with participants taking part for their own enjoyment rather than competition. A fun run will usually be held to raise funds for a charity, with sponsors providing the revenue to cover organisational costs...
ners.
The event was first held in 1993 under the title of the Great Caledonian Run. The race was moved from Edinburgh to the Balmoral estate in Aberdeenshire
Aberdeenshire
Aberdeenshire is one of the 32 unitary council areas in Scotland and a lieutenancy area.The present day Aberdeenshire council area does not include the City of Aberdeen, now a separate council area, from which its name derives. Together, the modern council area and the city formed historic...
in 1998 and was hosted there for seven years as part of the Balmoral Road Races, a collection of race from 3 km to 10 km. The Caledonian run became more of a national level competition in its stint in Balmoral as the 5-mile race. The race in Balmoral was voted as the nation's most scenic run by Runner's World
Runner's World
Runner's World is a globally circulated monthly magazine for runners of all skills sets, published by Rodale Press in Emmaus, Pennsylvania, in the United States...
magazine in 2004. The competition was financially supported by Scottish Enterprise Grampian in a partnership to promote tourism in north-east Scotland, but after the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
decided to stop televising the event the decision was made for it to return to Edinburgh in 2005. During the seven-year period that the run was not held in the city, a separate and unrelated competition was held there under the title of the Capital City Challenge 10K. The Great Edinburgh Run acquired its current title in 2006.
Since 2005 the Great Edinburgh Run has been held on a course within the city centre. The course has a double-looped format and starts in Holyrood Park
Holyrood Park
Holyrood Park is a royal park in central Edinburgh, Scotland about a mile to the east of Edinburgh Castle. It has an array of hills, lochs, glens, ridges, basalt cliffs, and patches of whin providing a remarkably wild piece of highland landscape within its area...
. The route heads southwards through the park for the first two kilometres then heads north, passing The Pleasance before heading west at Cowgate
Cowgate
The Cowgate is a street in Edinburgh, Scotland, located about 5 minutes' walk from Edinburgh Castle, within the city's World Heritage Site. The street's name is derived from the fact that cows were herded down it for Edinburgh's market days in previous centuries .The street is part of the lower...
. Just after the halfway point it enters The Meadows
The Meadows (park)
The Meadows is a large public park in Edinburgh, Scotland, just to the south of the city centre. Largely consisting of wide open grassland crossed by tree-lined paths, the park also has a children's playground, a croquet club, tennis courts and cricket pitches...
and loops back northwards, going across the George IV Bridge
George IV Bridge
George IV Bridge is an elevated street in Edinburgh, Scotland. Measuring 300-metres in length, the bridge was constructed between 1829 and 1832 as part of the Improvement Act of 1827. Named for King George IV, it was designed by architect Thomas Hamilton , to connect the South Side district of...
. It passes through the grounds of Edinburgh Castle
Edinburgh Castle
Edinburgh Castle is a fortress which dominates the skyline of the city of Edinburgh, Scotland, from its position atop the volcanic Castle Rock. Human habitation of the site is dated back as far as the 9th century BC, although the nature of early settlement is unclear...
and the route turns eastwards at the National Gallery of Scotland
National Gallery of Scotland
The National Gallery of Scotland, in Edinburgh, is the national art gallery of Scotland. An elaborate neoclassical edifice, it stands on The Mound, between the two sections of Edinburgh's Princes Street Gardens...
. The finish point is near Holyrood Palace
Holyrood Palace
The Palace of Holyroodhouse, commonly referred to as Holyrood Palace, is the official residence of the monarch in Scotland. The palace stands at the bottom of the Royal Mile in Edinburgh, at the opposite end to Edinburgh Castle...
.
The men's course record for the 10 km (28:03 minutes) was set by Martin Mathathi
Martin Mathathi
Martin Irungu Mathathi is a Kenyan long-distance runner, who competes in track, cross country and road running events. Mathathi won the bronze medal in the 10,000 metres at the 2007 World Championships in Osaka. He represented his country in the same event at the 2008 Summer Olympics...
in 2011, while Florence Kiplagat
Florence Kiplagat
Florence Jebet Kiplagat is a Kenyan long-distance runner. She is a two-time world champion having won at the 2009 IAAF World Cross Country Championships and the 2010 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships....
is the women's course record holder with her time of 32:10 minutes from 2010. At the second edition in 1994, amateur runner Dave Lewis won the men's race ahead of Olympians John Treacy
John Treacy
John Treacy is a former Irish athlete and Olympic medalist, who represented Ireland at four Olympic Games between 1980 and 1992.- Career :...
and Gary Staines.
Past winners
Key:| Edition | Year | Men's winner | Time (h Hour The hour is a unit of measurement of time. In modern usage, an hour comprises 60 minutes, or 3,600 seconds... :m Minute A minute is a unit of measurement of time or of angle. The minute is a unit of time equal to 1/60th of an hour or 60 seconds. In the UTC time scale, a minute on rare occasions has 59 or 61 seconds; see leap second. The minute is not an SI unit; however, it is accepted for use with SI units... :s Second The second is a unit of measurement of time, and is the International System of Units base unit of time. It may be measured using a clock.... ) |
Women's winner | Time (h Hour The hour is a unit of measurement of time. In modern usage, an hour comprises 60 minutes, or 3,600 seconds... :m Minute A minute is a unit of measurement of time or of angle. The minute is a unit of time equal to 1/60th of an hour or 60 seconds. In the UTC time scale, a minute on rare occasions has 59 or 61 seconds; see leap second. The minute is not an SI unit; however, it is accepted for use with SI units... :s Second The second is a unit of measurement of time, and is the International System of Units base unit of time. It may be measured using a clock.... ) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 1993 | 28:37 | 33:37 | ||
| 2nd | 1994 | 28:56 | ? | ? | |
| 3rd | 1995 | 28:48 | 32:27 | ||
| 4th | 1996 | 29:11 | 33:16 | ||
| 5th | 1997 | 29:05 | 32:43 | ||
| 6th | 1998 | 22:52 | 24:54 | ||
| 7th | 1999 | 28:25 | 32:26 | ||
| 8th | 2000 | 25:28 | 29:26 | ||
| 9th | 2001 | 33:16 | 37:46 | ||
| 10th | 2002 | ? | ? | ? | ? |
| 11th | 2003 | ? | ? | 37:25 | |
| 12th | 2004 | ? | ? | ? | ? |
| 13th | 2005 | 28:22 | 32:42 | ||
| 14th | 2006 | 28:38 | 32:25 | ||
| 15th | 2007 | 29:14 | 32:53 | ||
| 16th | 2008 | 28:59 | 32:20 | ||
| 17th | 2009 | 28:13 | 32:38 | ||
| 18th | 2010 | 28:46 | 32:10 | ||
| 19th | 2011 | 28:03 | 32:28 |