Your plan in four answers
Set for May 30, 2027, about 31 weeks out.
- Distances
- 5K, 10K, Half marathon, Marathon
- Terrain
- Flat
- Taper starts
- May 12, 2027
Course
The Edinburgh Marathon course
The marathon starts on Potterrow beside the University of Edinburgh's McEwan Hall and tours the Old Town first: past Greyfriars Kirkyard, across the Royal Mile, down the Mound into Princes Street Gardens and the New Town, then back up to the Royal Mile, so there is a short climb early in the city. From the Scottish Parliament and Holyrood Park, with Arthur's Seat and Salisbury Crags above you, the route heads east to the sea along Portobello promenade and through Musselburgh, past the world's oldest golf course.
Read the full course notes
A long, flat coastal out-and-back follows to Gosford House, before you turn for home along the shore to finish in Musselburgh. With a drop of almost 90 m to near sea level, the organisers count it among the fastest marathon routes in the world.
- Terrain
- Flat
- Distances
- 5K, 10K, Half marathon, Marathon
- Weather on race day
- Late May on the Firth of Forth is usually cool to mild, around 10–16 °C at the 10:00 start, but the long coastal section is exposed and wind direction matters. A headwind on one leg of the out-and-back means a tailwind on the other, so run by effort into the wind and let the pace come back when it is behind you.
What to train for
A net-downhill course with a flat coastal second half is ideal for an even-split marathon, but the early descent tempts you to go out too fast, so practise starting long runs 5–10 seconds per kilometre slower than goal pace.
Build long runs to 30–32 km with the last 10 km at goal pace on flat, open roads.
Prepare your quads for the drop to the sea with some downhill running in training. Water stations come roughly every 5 km and gels at about 14.5, 26, 35 and 39 km, so rehearse your fuelling around that rhythm.
Sample week
A sample Edinburgh Marathon training week
A week from the middle of the build, about six weeks out. Your plan sets the real distances and paces from your own fitness and adjusts them every week as you train.
- Monday
- Rest, or 20 minutes of mobility
- Tuesday Key session
- Intervals: 5 × 1.5 km at 5K to 10K effort, easy jog between
- Wednesday
- Easy run, 10–11 km
- Thursday Key session
- Goal-pace run, 16 km with 10 km at race pace
- Friday
- Recovery run, 6 km, or cross-train
- Saturday Key session
- Long run, 26–29 km, the last 6 km at race pace
- Sunday
- Easy run, 6 km, then 6 relaxed strides
Your build to race day
Taper
Tapering for the Edinburgh Marathon
Start the taper two to three weeks before race day. Cut your weekly volume by about a third, then by half in race week, and keep a few short efforts at race pace so your legs stay sharp. The course is flat, so pacing decides the day: rehearse your goal pace in short segments during race week. With the race on May 30, 2027, your taper starts around May 12, 2027.
Also in Claude
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Add AthleteSpace to Claude once, then paste this prompt and put in your own numbers.
Build me a training plan for the Edinburgh Marathon on May 30, 2027. I run [distance] a week, [days] days a week, easy pace [pace].
Edinburgh Marathon training questions
How long should I train for the Edinburgh Marathon?
Most runners give a marathon sixteen to twenty weeks of focused training on top of an existing base. The plan above counts back from your actual race date, so if you have less time than that it builds the best plan the remaining weeks allow rather than pretending you have longer.
Is the Edinburgh Marathon course hilly?
Flat. The marathon starts on Potterrow beside the University of Edinburgh's McEwan Hall and tours the Old Town first: past Greyfriars Kirkyard, across the Royal Mile, down the Mound into Princes Street Gardens and the New Town, then back up to the Royal Mile, so there is a short climb early in the city.
What is the weather usually like at the Edinburgh Marathon?
Late May on the Firth of Forth is usually cool to mild, around 10–16 °C at the 10:00 start, but the long coastal section is exposed and wind direction matters. A headwind on one leg of the out-and-back means a tailwind on the other, so run by effort into the wind and let the pace come back when it is behind you.
When should I start tapering for the Edinburgh Marathon?
Start the taper two to three weeks before race day. Cut your weekly volume by about a third, then by half in race week, and keep a few short efforts at race pace so your legs stay sharp. The course is flat, so pacing decides the day: rehearse your goal pace in short segments during race week. With the race on May 30, 2027, your taper starts around May 12, 2027.
Do I need an account to get a Edinburgh Marathon training plan?
No. The plan above builds in your browser with no account, no email, and no card. Make a free account only if you want to keep it, log your runs against it, and have the coach keep adapting it as your training goes.