City marathon 'to run live on TV for first time'

Up to an hour of coverage from the Evening News-sponsored marathon will be screened on terrestrial television, with Channel 4, Channel 5 and the BBC among the broadcasters who have been approached.

And the entire event will be screened live on a satellite channel, with a final deal expected to be tied up by the end of February.

Organisers are delighted at the news, with television coverage a major part of their plans to expand the national and international profile of the race.

Sponsorship revenue could also be increased because of the extra exposure, which in turn will help secure the long-term future of the event.

And if the weather is good and the race is close it could attract thousands of new competitors to the event in coming years.

This year’s marathon is already going to be one of the busiest ever, with around 10,000 competitors expected to turn out.

And a line-up which could include some of the biggest international stars has been credited with helping attract the interest of television companies, as well as new competitors.

The course has been altered this year to make it slightly flatter and faster, which organisers believe will attract more high-profile runners to the event, as well as encouraging first-time competitors to take part.

Geoff Sims, chief executive of the Edinburgh Marathon, said this was a crucial year for the event, and securing television coverage was a great boost for the marathon.

"When the marathon was held in the 80s it went for five years, but the number of people taking part got smaller each year, which is why it did not last."

He added. "We are in our third year of growth now and this is a crucial year for us.

"Television coverage was always part of the long-term plan for establishing the event as one of the most attractive for athletes, and we have been very pleased with the way negotiations have gone so far.

"While we are still to finalise a deal, there is no doubt the event will be televised. We have employed a company to help us maximise the sponsorship potential from this, and that could help secure not only the status of the event but its long-term future as well."

The event is already the UK’s second-largest marathon, and organisers hope to make it one of the ten most popular races in the world within five years.

Entries for this year are up by 50 per cent, with the only places left going to international runners or people competing for charities.

And Mr Sims said further promotion in the UK and abroad would help attract even more people in the years to come. "Over the next year we expect most of the growth to come from within the UK, and we know there are a lot of interested runners in Wales and England," he said.

"That is where we will be focusing, although we want to use Edinburgh’s prestige as an international venue to help attract athletes from around the world."

The new, flatter route will avoid Arthur’s Seat for the first time, allowing a greater number of runners of all abilities to take part.

The trek up Silverknowes Road after ten miles has also been cut, as the number of runners was already pushing the width of the road to its limit.

The route now takes runners on to Marine Drive, making it flatter and also accommodating more competitors.

Runners will still take in the Royal Mile, Princes Street and Portobello, with the finishing line at Holyrood Park.

The relay has also been made easier, as people will be asked to enter teams of five to complete the 26.2 mile course, instead of last year’s teams of four. It is expected that the route changes and the professional runners will see the record winning time of two hours, 21 minutes and 45 seconds beaten this year.

The event is being held in June and more details can be found on the website, www.edinburgh-marathon.co.uk