No half measures in marathon

SUNDAY'S Edinburgh Half Marathon promises to be better than ever, boasting a record entry of around 4,500 runners who look likely to tackle the 13 miles in the milder conditions which co-organiser Mike James had hoped for when the race was moved from its previous late-March slot.

While the basic route from Meadowbank to Musselburgh Racecourse, via Portobello and Prestonpans, remains the same, a slight change has been made.

"We're starting inside Meadowbank Stadium this time instead of outside on London Road, which was difficult to manage from a traffic point of view," explained co-organiser and race commentator John Martindale. "It's far easier and far safer this way."

An unwillingness to pay large appearance fees means there will be no elite foreign athletes in action on Sunday, thus giving local club runners a welcome opportunity to shine.

Musselburgh's own Niamh Devlin finished third last year, and the Irishwoman could easily go two better this time, especially as illness prevents 2009 champion Toni McIntosh from attempting to defend her title.