Running through the Capital, one street and path at a time
After moving from the countryside to the city, Paddy Cuthbert found his passion for running fading. Until the 34.2 mile Ultra Tour of Edinburgh piqued his interest
“Asihaveaverypoor sense of direction and even weaker map reading skills I was instantly encouraged”
Ihad been a keen trail runner for years, loving the challenge of upping the training miles and entering races both on and off the road, day and night. About three years ago things changed. I moved from East Lothian and my regular outings on the quiet coastal paths, farm tracks and woodland trails, back into Edinburgh where I had to avoid the heavy traffic whilst treading the unforgiving Tarmac. I had definitely fallen out of love with running and would have to force myself to get out there.
Then I heard about the Ultra Tour of Edinburgh, the new 34.2 mile urban ultra run being staged by Rat Race Adventure Sports on 22 October. They had billed this as the ultimate guided tour of Scotland’s capital, an iconic journey showcasing the legendary heritage of the city centre along with the natural beauty of the outlying countryside.
I was intrigued to find out more in the hope that this citybased event, with the promise of mixed terrain might reinvigorate my enthusiasm for urban running and give me a renewed purpose for getting my trainers on.
I decided to go direct to the boss, Jim Mee, who set up Rat Race Adventure Sports in Edinburgh in 2004 when the company brought urban adventure racing to the UK for the first time. Rat Race is now the UK’S leading operator of mass participation, wilderness adventure challenges, half of which are staged in Scotland – “urban and wilderness playgrounds of the highest quality.”
“Unlike other more extreme wilderness ultra marathons the Ultra Tour is a fully waymarked and fully supported event that both starts and finishes in the centre of the city, making it extremely accessible for both runners and spectators,” Jim told me.
As I have a very poor sense of direction and even weaker map reading skills I was instantly encouraged by Jim’s opening gambit.
“Edinburgh is one of the few cities in the UK where you can stage the perfect urban ultra run. It allows for a multi-terrain journey through the city that includes historic urban landscapes and evocative landmarks together with parks, hills, rivers, cycleways, old railway tunnels, canals and coastal waters. It truly is a tourde-force of world renowned Edinburgh sightseeing all wrapped up into an ultra distance running format.”
Jim also explained the route in a bit more detail. The Ultra Tour kicks off from St Giles Cathedral with a Braveheart style charge down the Royal Mile and finishes inside the BT Murrayfield Stadium, where runners will be rewarded for their efforts with a hot meal and a cold beer.
The route takes runners through the cobbled and Tarmac streets and alleyways of the Old Town, the New Town, Stockbridge and the Dean Village. Uphill sections include Corstorphine and Blackford Hills as well as the steep climb up the rocky path of the Radical Road at the edge of the Salisbury Crags set against the backdrop of Arthur’s Seat. At one point it takes a sojourn totally off road to “enjoy” the hill summit views of three of the Pentland Hills in the west before heading to sea level and the harbours of Newhaven and Leith in the east.
It also passes many iconic capital monuments, museums and attractions, such as the Scottish Parliament, the Palace of Holyroodhouse, Craigmillar Castle, the Royal Observatory and Edinburgh Zoo.
For those unfamiliar with what an ultra marathon is – it’s any race longer than the classic marathon distance of 26.2 miles. Most ultras are on trails and in spectacular country locations so the Ultra Tour is unique in the fact that it is based in a capital city. Ultras vary in length drastically. The 30 to 50 mile races are infinitely more achievable than