The World's Greatest Blog

The Great Run series, which was the brain child of British distance runner, Brendan Foster, continues next month with the fourth running of the Great Edinburgh Run on 3rd May 2009.

While online entries are due to close soon, The New Current is sending two representatives (myself included) and we’ll be providing a full review of the event for those of you planning on entering this, or another Great Run – such as the Great North Run – in future.

The Great Edinburgh Run is the ideal race for me, being over only 10 kilometers (approximately six miles) rather than the gut-busting half and full marathon events which take place in other capital cities around the world. I only began running at the start of last year, then stopped again for 9 months, only to re-start this January and actually maintain my effort this time.

As Edinburgh is now home territory for me, it will be interesting to see how the incoming runners handle the many hills around the city centre – here is how Great Run describe the Edinburgh course:

George IV Bridge – START
Bank Street
The Mound
Playfair Square (pedestrian plaza between the Galleries)
East Princes Street Gardens (path parallel to Princes Street)
Waverley Bridge
Market Street
Jeffrey Street
Canongate (Royal Mile)
Horse Wynd
Queen’s Drive (Holyrood Park)
Holyrood Park Road
St Leaonard’s Street
Pleasance
Cowgate
Grassmarket
West Port
Lady Lawson Street
Lauriston Place
Lauriston Gardens
Panmure Place
Brougham Place
Melville Drive
Marchmont Road
Meadow Lane
Melville Drive
Buccleuch Street
Chapel Street
Potterrow
Lothian Street
Teviot Place
Forrest Road
George IV Bridge – FINISH

Here is their diagram of the course (taken from http://www.greatrun.org/Events/Information.aspx?ctid=78&id=3):

You may notice the musical notes on the course – as everyone involved with The New Current are massive fans of music, I’m sure it will spur us on to have some loud music played at each of these “Bands on the Run” stations!

The New Current will be running along side the members of Joseph Pearce’s bar jogging group (a great little bar down Leith Walk if you’re ever in town!) who are kindly donating money to charity for every entry made by their small but friendly membership. Watch this space for our report after the race takes place – allowing for a little recovery time – on May 3rd.

I hope to see some of you there.