Edinburgh Marathon 2027: a 12-week spring build to May 30, ready on your Garmin

Your training, timed for May 30

The plan lasts 12 weeks, starting on Mon, March 8. With more time, it can start on February 8 with 4 lead-in weeks.

1. Weeks 1–3

   Base

   Mar 8 → Mar 28

   Settle volume, wake threshold up

2. Weeks 4–7

   Development

   Mar 29 → Apr 25

   Marathon pace comes in, long runs get longer

3. Weeks 8–10

   Specific

   Apr 26 → May 16

   Long blocks at marathon pace, 2-hour-plus runs

4. Weeks 11–12

   Taper

   May 17 → May 30

   Two weeks to arrive fresh

From the Old Town down to the sea, then along the coast

The Edinburgh Marathon drops almost 90 m (about 295 ft) to near sea level, then follows the coast: the organizer describes it as flat and fast. The start is on Potterrow, by the university's McEwan Hall; the course passes Greyfriars, the Royal Mile, the Mound and Princes Street Gardens, the Scottish Parliament and Holyrood beneath Arthur's Seat, before reaching Portobello promenade and Musselburgh.

The second part heads east to the Gosford House estate, turns, and comes back along the coast to the finish at Pinkie Playing Fields in Musselburgh. Two things to watch: the early descent, which tempts you to go out too fast, and the run back from Gosford House late in the race, which needs something left in the tank.

Three sessions for a descent and a long coastal run

Running Workout's marathon plan covers the essentials; these three sessions target Edinburgh's profile. Ask your AI assistant for them: it builds them and sends them to your Garmin watch, with paces worked out from your MAS.

• — Controlled downhill: 15 min warm-up, 6 × 3 min on a gentle downhill at marathon pace, jog back up, 10 min cool-down, to get your quads used to the opening miles.
• — Flat marathon-pace blocks: 20 min warm-up, 3 × 3 miles at marathon pace (77–79% of MAS), 3 min easy jog between blocks, like the long coastal stretch to Gosford House.
• — Out-and-back long run: 2 h 15 with the last 40 minutes at marathon pace, on an out-and-back route, to rehearse the run back from Gosford House to Musselburgh.

A spring build

Late-May race: the 12-week version of the plan starts on Monday, March 8, the 16-week version on Monday, February 8. The days get longer as the build goes on; the longest run (2 h 30, including 45 minutes at marathon pace) falls in the week of May 3, and the rest of the month is for the taper. The 10 a.m. start is later than at many marathons: do a few long runs at that time of day.

Easter at the end of March, May bank holidays: if a week slips, your assistant reviews it from your Garmin activities, decides whether to repeat it or carry on, and sends the next one to your watch. If you're travelling from afar, plan to arrive a day or two before the race.

Entry and race day

Entries for 2027 have been open since April 20, 2026; they close once the race is full, which has happened every year since 2008 according to the organizer. Minimum age: 18 on race day. Cut-off: 6 h 30, counted from when the back of the field crosses the start line. No pacers. The half marathon starts the same morning at 8 a.m. Buses take runners and spectators from Musselburgh back to Edinburgh city centre.

Frequently asked questions