Edinburgh Marathon: 25,000 set to hit streets as runners gear up for race day

Published on Friday 21 May 2010 11:58

SPECTATORS will have to be up with the lark on Sunday to catch the start of the Scottish Half Marathon Championship which has been added to the programme for this year's Edinburgh Marathon and is expected to boost the overall numbers trotting around the Capital to about 25,000.

Competitors in the half, who include last year's full marathon winner Martin Williams and last year's third-placed woman, Edinburgh's Jenny MacLean, will set off east from London Road towards Longniddry at 8am following much of the route for the full race which follows at 9:50am, and finishing, as last year, at Musselburgh Racecourse.

Surprisingly, considering that much of this course was used for the 1970 Commonwealth Games and is believed by many to be ideal for fast times, there are few elite athletes and none with a genuine hope of achieving a 2010 Commonwealth Games qualifying standard which is a modest 2:19.00, compared to 1970 gold medallist Ron Hill's winning time of 2:09.28 and Scottish runner-up Jim Alder's native record of 2:12.04, with even seventh and eighth placed Scots Edinburgh Southern Harriers Fergus Murray (2:15.32) and Don McGregor (2:16.53) much faster than that.

The favourite will probably be Holmfirth Harrier Matthew Pearson, who has a best of 2:22.15, set in last year's London Marathon, though he could manage only 2:31.1 this year, or fellow Yorkshireman Jonathan Frost (best 2:25.03) or possibly the 2007 winner Ian Grime, best of 2:31.57, who is making a comeback to the event.

Scottish hopes may rest on Paul Raistrick (Highland Hillrunners) who is making his marathon debut on the back of a promising win in the Mull Half (1:10.02).

But a lot can happen in the second 13 miles, particularly if conditions are as warm and humid as the forecast suggests.

Capital hopes of a podium place probably rest on Issy Menzies, an Army PTI at Redford Barracks who has been showing up well for EAC in cross country and road races and hopes to go under 2:50.00.

Wigan's Gill Laithwaite, third in 2008, could be her main threat.

Tipton Anglo Scot Martin Williams, meanwhile, with two Commonwealth Games qualifying standards already tucked under his belt, though it is not certain he will target Delhi next October, can expect tough opposition in the half from David Webb, who has already been named for the GB marathon team for the European Championships in Barcelona in July.

Queen Margaret University post-grad student Niamh Devlin, who represented Irish Universities in last year's World University Games in Belgrade, is another local hope in the half, as is Karen Dobbie (EAC).

The 71-year-old Ron Hill, denied the chance of finishing again in Meadowbank Stadium, the scene of his Games triumph – Edinburgh AC is hosting a British National Junior League fixture there on Sunday – will at least be taking part in the Edinbrgh Marathon and has assured his fans that he will be wearing his famous 1970 string vest.

He will contribute a leg of the Hairy Haggis relay, and is assured of another great welcome following his recent appearance in the 10k Great Edinburgh Run.

But it would have been nice if he could have come up the same finishing straight again in front of a packed stand.