Every year this festival weekend raises millions of pounds for a wide range of charities. The 5K is one of the first events of this exciting weekend of running and many runners will be running for charity with a 'charity place'.
The Edinburgh 5K follows a picturseque route around Holyrood Park with stunning views of the city and Edinburgh Castle.
Every year this festival weekend raises millions of pounds for a wide variety of charities. You too can get a guaranteed place in the event and make a positive difference at the same time by running for charity. Whether it's your first or fiftieth 5K event, you can use your miles for good.
Charities buy places in this event, then give them to runners who agree to raise money for the charity – these are called charity places. Charity places are a great way to support a cause you're passionate about and use your miles for good.
Committing to raising money for charity gives you motivation to get outside and run, plus all of these extras which will elevate your event experience:
Charities know that raising money is all part of the challenge, which is why they provide advice, branded materials and a personalised online fundraising page to help the donations roll in. Think eye-catching videos for social and traditional collection tins too. You'll smash your target in no time!
Many charities provide training guidance, plans, an online training zone plus access to expert coaches and elite runners too, who can provide exclusive tips for your preparation and help you improve your time.
When you show up in Scotland's capital, people need to be able to see clearly that you're supporting a charity. Charities will give you a branded and often personalised t-shirt or vest to wear with pride at the event, and often a training top too so you look and feel the part.
When you're part way through your run and your energy is flagging, what you need is a boost from cheering squads to keep you moving. Many charities set up a cheer station along the route, keeping an eye out for you to send up a huge cheer as you jog past!
Refreshments and an indulgent post-race sports massage are often provided by charities for their runners. This is the perfect way to recover alongside other people who have run for that cause.
You won't be the only person running for that charity, so it's well worth meeting other runners through the charity's invite-only social media pages! You can organise to meet up for training runs, chat with the charity's expert coaches and share tips and stories with each other to keep the motivation levels running high. You won't be alone in central Edinburgh!
5K runs and charity fundraising go hand-in-hand - which of these charities will you run for?
Dynamic Earth
Holyrood Road
Edinburgh
Edinburgh
EH8 8AS
UK
Click to open in map
The Scottish capital is renowned for its heritage and culture, with medieval architecture and cobbled streets helping to create a spellbinding atmosphere. It's the perfect setting for an active festival of running, with each route taking full advantage of its stunning location.
The Edinburgh Marathon Festival offers an ideal opportunity to explore the historic streets on closed roads and enjoy a Bank Holiday weekend in the Scottish capital.
Starting and finishing near EMF Hub at Dynamic Earth, this beautiful scenic route takes you around Holyrood Park in the heart of Edinburgh.
The route offers stunning views of Edinburgh Castle and panoramic views of the city. Runners start on Queens Drive and after 0.5km the route passes St. Margaret’s Loch before starting the ascent around the east side of Arthur’s Seat before you pass Dunsapie Loch at around 2k.
On the far side of Arthur’s seat and approaching the halfway point, runners can enjoy spectacular views of Duddingston Loch below and across the southside of Edinburgh and beyond towards the Pentland Hills with the knowledge that the rest of the route is flat and downhill!
As the route continues down the West Side of this famous old volcano you can enjoy the views of the steep slopes on your right and in the distance the cheering masses at the final turn.
The last 250m section runs back through the Start Line and then turns left onto Holyrood Gait and the Finish Line.
The cut off time for the 5K is 45 minutes (from when the back of the race crosses the start line).
This event is committed to minimising the impact it has on the local environment, implemented in the following ways:
Wondering whether to run for charity but unsure how to fundraise? Charities are experts in this topic and will provide the reassurance you need but here are some tips get you started:
Starting your fundraising early gives you the best chance of smashing your sponsorship goal.
Keep talking about your fundraising target to your friends, family, colleagues, social media followers - everyone!
Seize the chance to make it your own: sell unwanted clothing online, hold an afternoon tea, host a ticketed dinner party, wash some cars, shave your beard; be inspired by the many ideas at our fingertips!
... I really enjoyed the event. It was well organised and I liked the course which started up by the university and then had a 5 mile downhill run through the city to the coast, followed by an out and back coastal section which was pretty flat.
Really enjoyed this run. Beautiful settings and a fantastic atmosphere.
It's true that this is a perfect race for chasing PBs - I got one today and I hadn't trained as much as I should have.
Couldn’t have picked a better location for my first marathon! Amazing atmosphere with super helpful marshals and wonderful support from spectators especially the welcoming locals who utterly emmersed themselves in the event and were out in their hundreds. Topped off by lovely finish crew who didn’t mind being hugged and sobbed over ecstatically!! and the most beautiful medal and lovely (perfectly fitted) finishers shirt!
The route itself took you through lovely historical parts of the city and then out across the gorgeous coast before returning to the city for a rapturous welcome (despite the crazy headwind along the final four miles!). Terrific choice of route and I bet an experienced marathoner could get quite a pace as it’s relatively flat. A most excellent event and definitely one to recommend!
Reviews thanks to RaceCheck
