Edinburgh Marathon

12 June 2005

Course

The 26.2 mile route on 12 June 2005 leads from Holyrood Park:

-   through the Old Town of Edinburgh

-   along Princes Street

-   past Meadowbank Stadium to Leith, then west to Silverknowes

-   returning along the shores of the Firth of Forth

-   to Ocean Terminal in Leith Docks

-   continuing along the Firth of Forth to Portobello

-   back to Holyrood Park

The route will be flatter than in previous years.  It will not include a circuit of Arthur's seat in Holyrood Park at the start, and will not include the climb up Silverknowes Road after ten miles. 

It is hoped that make the course faster, and that it will be easier for first-time runners and attract more high-profile runners.

Edinburgh Evening News   -   25 November 2004, p.17

More Contestants

So far, up to 11 December, the organizers report a 35% increase in entries.  They hope that more than 10,000 runners will take part in the event.

[The number of participants in 2004 has  been reported in the Edinburgh Evening News as being 'over 5000' (Dec 04), and '7,000' (May 05)]

Edinburgh Evening News   -   11 December2004, p.13
Edinburgh Evening News   -   9 May 2005,  p.4.

Football Mascots

The 2005 Marathon will include a race for football mascots.  Mascots from all of the Scottish Premier League football teams will be included in the race

The Metro:  19 May 2005, p.15.  This article was illustrated with a photo of the mascots training in Holyrood Park.

Result

There were over 11,000 contestants in the Edinburgh Marathon, 2005.

The winner by 11 seconds was Zachary Kihara, a 25-year old Kenyan, in a time of 2h 15m 26s, a record time for an Edinburgh Marathon.  This year the course had less hills, and did not include a circuit of Arthur's Seat.

Edinburgh Evening News  'Final Whistle'  -   13 June 2005, pp.1-5