Edinburgh Half Marathon, 28 May 2023
It was an early start as the race began at 8am and we had to get on the shuttle bus to the start at 6am! There was quite a wait for the start once we got to the city centre so I had a wander about and had plenty of time for a warm up in the park nearby.
Karen Harland
The race started in the centre of the city, near the castle, quickly heading downhill towards the train station. The start was quite narrow so it was hard to get past people to gather speed but once we hit the downhill section, it started to open up and I managed to overtake a lot of people.
The route wound through the city, before heading to an out and back section next to Arthur’s Seat which made for some beautiful scenery. We then headed to the coast, where we reached the half way point. The first half had gone very well, gathering speed on the downhill sections made me two minutes ahead of schedule. However, I found the second half more difficult, some steady inclines and not many downhill parts.
I kept up my target pace as we ran along the coast and picked up a gel at around 8.5 miles as I knew I’d need it for the last few miles! I reached 10 miles and told myself it’s only a Parkrun to go but it was a struggle. It was another out and back section and I could see people coming back on the other side of the road but couldn’t see the turnaround point. I could see my pace getting slower and it felt like a never ending road! I reached the turnaround point and there was about a mile and a half left. I kept looking at my watch, willing the distance to go down more quickly! I hadn’t seen the finish line on the way out so wasn’t really sure where it was. Suddenly there was more noise from the crowds so I knew we must be close. I turned a corner and could see the finish line. I ran as hard as I could but unfortunately, just missed my target of 1 hour 30 by 19 seconds!
Overall, I thought it was a nice course, beautiful scenery and good support from the crowds, although not quite as good as the Great North Run!
Sarah Hunter