Sundowner 5K Series: A Sunny Finale at Inverleith Park

What a way to finish!

On Wednesday, 9 September, we brought the Summer Sundowner 5K Series to a close at Inverleith Park, and after a summer of weather that has thrown pretty much everything at us, we couldn't have asked for a better evening.

Calm, blue skies, a lovely setting and 94 runners lining up for the final 5K.

This year's series has taken us to three different locations, starting with the wet and wild Leith Links in July, heading to foggy Fettes College in August and finally arriving at Inverleith Park for our grand sunny finale. Three events, three different venues and pretty much every type of Scottish summer weather thrown into the mix!

94 runners and some seriously speedy times

There was a brilliant mix of runners taking part on Wednesday, from those tackling their first ever 5K to some seriously speedy legs at the sharp end.

Chip times ranged from 16:50 to 39:25, showing exactly what we love about the Sundowner Series. Everyone gets to run their own 5K, at their own pace, with a great atmosphere along the way.

Taking the top spot was Eric Thorand, finishing in an impressive 16:50.

For the women, Annie Soane had a particularly special evening. She ran 19:21 to set a new female course record, taking six seconds off the previous best.

And here's the really exciting bit: Annie is a Junior. So, one to watch for sure!

Five new course records

Annie wasn't the only runner rewriting the record books at Inverleith.

A further three age category records were also broken:

V70M: Anton Roberts, 26:05
V40F: Morag McClelland, 19:52
U11F: Ellera MacFarlane, 23:42

A huge well done to all our new record holders.

And our Best Improver goes to...

Of course, the Sundowner Series isn't just about who crosses the finish line first.

We also wanted to celebrate someone who made a cracking improvement over the course of the series.

So, a special shout out to Mark Bordeau, our Best Improver of the Summer Sundowner 5K Series.

Mark improved his time by an impressive 3 minutes and 9 seconds between the first event and the final event.

Now that's what we like to see. Three events, a summer of running and a very satisfying chunk of time knocked off!

Thank you, thank you, thank you

Events don't happen without a brilliant team of people behind the scenes, so we'd like to say a huge thank you to everyone who helped make our Inverleith finale happen. including:-

Corstorphine First Aid - they were on hand to patch up a grazed runner, because apparently even a gentle summer evening needs a little drama.

Our wonderful marshal crew, Issy, Mandy, Lesley, Gill, Kuan, Ava, Graeme, Hilary, Charlie, Richard and Daisy, kept everyone pointed in the right direction and provided plenty of encouragement along the way.

FNZ - supporting the evening and, importantly, providing the post run scran. Homemade cakes and banana loaves, crisps and biscuits. We know our priorities.

Westwoods Health Club for helping to warm everyone up and for giving all competitors a complimentary day pass to try out their facilities.

Running for Earth in Common

The Summer Sundowner Series has also been about giving something back.

Across the series, we've been raising money for Earth in Common, a Leith based charity that began as a grassroots project founded by Evie Murray to help children connect with nature through urban food growing.

Since then, its work has grown across Leith, with environmental, social and educational projects helping people connect with nature, food and their local community.

We're delighted to have raised £466 for Earth in Common through this year's series.

That's a wrap!

And just like that, our Summer Sundowner 5K Series is done.

If you took part, the results are now available. They're a little easier to navigate on a laptop than a phone, but they're there waiting for you.

And if you missed the Sundowners this year, don't worry, there are plenty more Blast Running events in Edinburgh coming your way.

See you at the next one!