Edinburgh Marathon
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Edinburgh Marathon is a marathon race that has been held each year in Edinburgh, Scotland since 2003, usually in June. It is run over the traditional distance of 42.195 kilometres (26.219 mi).
The marathon officially supports seven charities - Children's Hospice Association Scotland (CHAS), CLIC Sargent, Guide Dogs, Hope for Children, Macmillan Cancer Support, Maggie's Cancer Caring Centers, and the RNLI.
The 2008 race will be known as the Albert Bartlett Edinburgh Marathon for sponsorship reasons.[1]
[edit] History
It was on 15th June 2003 when the first marathon in seventeen years was held in Edinburgh. 3,000 took part that year.
The following year saw over 5,000 take part; many of whom raised money for charity. In 2004, over £2m was raised for 150 different charities. The 2005 marathon was watched by 75,000 spectators along its course.
The 2006 race was marred with financial difficulties and was nearly cancelled at the last minute but for assistance from Edinburgh City Council. Even so it attracted around 11,000 runners and 100,000 spectators. In 27 degree heat the race was won by Kenyan Joseph Mbithi in two hours sixteen minutes - just outside the race record. Angela Howe was the first Scot to win the race, being the first woman to finish.
