Music & Atmosphere: Here at the Meadows Marathon we believe that running should be fun. That’s why we organise for musicians and performers to keep runners and spectators thoroughly entertained. We believe the festival atmosphere makes the event a much more enjoyable day all round

Personal Effects: As we do not have any permanent structures we will be unable to provide a completely secure place to leave bags, clothing and other personal effects. They can be left in the baggage area at Race HQ, which will be supervised at all times. Once participants have finished their run they will be able to collect their belongings by showing their number to the staff. We cannot take any responsibility for lost, stolen or damaged items. Because of this we advise you not to bring valuables like wallets and mobile phones if you can avoid it; these are obviously a lot more attractive to a thief than an old tracksuit and a banana. Only bring what you need!

Clothing and Equipment: Whether it’s sleek athletic wear or penguin suits we want you to run in whatever you feel is most comfortable – of course if you’re running for charity we wholly encourage you to try out the fancy dress! On a more serious note lease consider those running alongside you. If your outfit is bulky or potentially obstructive, we would ask you to contact us in advance so we can confirm that it will be safe. Also this is a family event so please keep the costumes suitable for before the 9pm watershed! Whatever you chosen fashion a pair of proper trainers or running shoes is essential. The likelihood of having an accident while running in unsuitable footwear is very high, especially when you are running such a long distance. No one will be permitted to run in unsuitable footwear for their own safety.

Weather: The Edinburgh weather in March can be anything from burning sun to drifting snow, but as we all know it is most likely to be cool with the threat of light rain… Make sure you check the weather forecast before the day and prepare accordingly. We will keep you updated by email on any plans in the event of forecast bad weather. It is essential that you keep warm before and after the race so be sure to bring something to wrap up in. There will be a limited supply of foil blankets for those who want or need them, but in order to keep costs down to a minimum and get as much money as possible to the people who really need it we predominantly ask you to take it upon yourselves to make sure you are equipped and prepared for the event. Thanks!

Race Completion Time Restrictions: Although for many of our participants this is not a competitive race, we cannot remain on the Meadows all day. We require runners to be able to complete the half marathon in less than 3½ hours. This means that your minimum average pace will have to be around 3.7mph – a brisk walk. If you have not finished by this time, we will not stop you continuing along the route (and hopefully you would finish eventually!), but will have to ask you to surrender your running number as we would no longer be able to take any responsibility for your safety.