First held in 1982, the annual event has sold out every year for the last 17 years, and is the second largest marathon in the UK outside of London. Every year thousands of runners take part, with the Edinburgh Marathon Festival supporting a number of charities including Macmillan Cancer Support, Alzheimer Scotland, the British Heart Foundation and the MS Society. Here’s everything you need to know about the Edinburgh Marathon Festival 2025 - and how to sign up for the 2026 event too. Sign up today for our free breaking newsletters and get all of the biggest stories direct to your inbox Click here to sign up 👇 https://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/newsletter There are a number of races taking place over the weekend of May 24 and May 25, 2025. The full Edinburgh Marathon starts at 10am on Sunday, May 25 at Potterrow. The half marathon and relay also take place on Sunday, May 25, and are due to start at 8am and 10am respectively. The 10K race will start at 9am on Saturday, May 24, with the 5K race starting a couple of hours later at 11am. Both will take place in and around Holyrood Park. Holyrood Park will also host races for younger ones taking part in the weekend’s festivities. The Junior 5K, which is for racers aged 11 to 18, is set to start at 12pm on May 24, while the Junior 2K, for racers aged nine to 12, will begin at 1pm on May 24. And for littler ones, the Junior 1.5K, for those aged between six and eight, will start at 1.30pm on May 24, and the Kids’ Kilometre race, for tots aged three to six, will start at 2pm. The Edinburgh Marathon will start on Potterrow, with runners passing many iconic city centre sights along the route. Runners will make their way past Greyfriars Kirkyard and continue onto the Royal Mile before heading down the Mound into the New Town. Participants will see several Edinburgh landmarks as they pass through Princes Street Gardens including the Scott Monument and Edinburgh Castle. The route will then turn back up to the Royal Mile before departing the Royal Park and heading east towards the coast, taking in the sea air of Portobello promenade. People taking part will then head towards Musselburgh, running past the oldest golf course in the world where it’s documented that golf has been played as early as 1672, before heading further east to Gosford House. Runners will then head back along the coast, before reaching the finish line near Musselburgh High Street. Around 35,000 people take part in the Edinburgh Marathon Festival weekend, with the event also attracting around 100,000 spectators. And if last year is anything to go by, even the rain won’t stop thousands from cheering on the runners as the pound the streets. Edinburgh Council and East Lothian Council have yet to publish official road closures but as the marathon route is similar to previous years, residents can expect similar rolling road closures. An up-to-date list of road closures will be provided in the coming weeks. Road closures are expected in: Potterrow, Teviot Place, Lothian Street, Chapel Street, Hope Park Crescent, Bristo Place, Forest Road, Buccleuch Terrace, Gifford Park, Boroughloch, Meadowlane, West Crosscauseway, Windmill Street, Nicolson Street, Buccleuch Street, Charles Street, Nicolson Square, George Square, George Square Lane, Crichton Street, Brighton Street, Buccleuch Place, Marshall Street, Lauriston Place, George IV Bridge, Lawnmarket, Bank Street, North Bank Street, The Mound, Mound Place, Hanover Street, Cockburn Street, Waverley Bridge, Market Street, Jeffrey Street. Canongate. Abbey Strand, Meadowbank Road, Parsons Green Terrace, Wolseley Crescent, Restalrig Road South, Restalrig Avenue, Craigentinny Avenue, Fillyside Road, King’s Place, Seafield Road and Seafield Road East. This year’s Edinburgh Marathon hasn’t taken place yet, but that doesn’t mean you can’t already sign up for the 2026 event. The Edinburgh Marathon Festival 2026 is set to take place on May 23 and 24 next year, with the official marathon set to start at 10am on Sunday, May 24, 2026. The half marathon is also scheduled to start at 8am on Sunday, May 24, 2026, but timings for other races haven’t yet been released. Standard entry is available from £76.75, with charity entries also available. To sign up, visit the Edinburgh Marathon website.