Water of Leith Half Marathon 2026: 27 Years and Counting

Well, that’s another Water of Leith Half Marathon done. And that makes 27 of them.

On Saturday 26 September, 232 runners crossed the finish line after following the Water of Leith through one of Edinburgh’s most familiar and much loved running routes.

And if you were one of them, well done. Whether it was your first half marathon, your fastest half marathon or simply a Saturday morning run that got considerably longer than usual, you made it to the finish.

A little bit of Water of Leith history

The Water of Leith Half Marathon has been part of the Edinburgh running scene for more than two decades.

Blast Running took over the timing in 2020, with Andy Whitmey and Angus Thomson at the helm, before taking on the full event in 2021. Since then, we’ve been doing our best to keep the original feel of the event intact.

That community feel is something the race founder, Pat Smyth, remembers well.

Pat came up with the idea around 2001 or 2002 after spending plenty of time running along the Slateford and Balerno sections of the river. The idea was simple: join the different sections together and create a half marathon following the Water of Leith.

In those early days, the event was a rather more modest affair. Pat recalls being delighted if 15 runners turned up.

There was no entry fee. Instead, runners were asked to raise sponsorship for a charity of their choice. The course was marked out by Pat and his friend David, who would cycle the route the evening before putting out mile markers and a few direction arrows.

There was even a 10K option for those who fancied a shorter run before heading to the Shore for drinks afterwards.

Fast forward 27 years and things have grown somewhat.

This year’s event sold out in less than two hours, with 232 runners making their way across the finish line.

We could sell more places, but keeping the event relatively small is part of what makes the Water of Leith Half Marathon what it is. There’s something rather nice about seeing familiar faces on the start line and catching up with runners year after year.

A half marathon with a purpose

The charity element has remained an important part of the event too.

During Blast Running’s time looking after the event, the Water of Leith Half Marathon has raised more than £2,800 for the Water of Leith Conservation Trust and £665 for the Citadel Youth Project.

This year, runners raised approximately £540 for the Water of Leith Conservation Trust.

A huge thank you to everyone who donated. It all helps support the work that keeps this very special part of Edinburgh looked after.

And then there was the small matter of running 13.1 miles

First across the finish line was Neil Benzies, running his first ever half marathon.

Neil may have suggested that one half marathon was quite enough, but we’ll see how long that lasts. We’ll pencil him in for 2027 just in case.

The first three male finishers were:

1st Male: Neil Benzies

2nd Male: David Bray

3rd Male: Darren Main

The first three female finishers were:

1st Female: Kate Loughland

2nd Female: Jessie Caudron

3rd Female: Shona Stewart

These places are based on the order runners crossed the finish line rather than chip time.

Check out the full Water of Leith Half Marathon results.

It takes a lot of people to put on a half marathon

While 232 runners might be the most visible part of the event, there’s a much bigger team behind the scenes.

A huge thank you to Corstorphine First Aid for being on hand, just in case, and to our brilliant marshal crew who kept everyone pointed in the right direction.

A special mention too for Gill Menzies, our Chief Marshal, who joined the Blast Running crew for her first event with us.

And then there was tail runner Fraser G Christie, who was completing his 1,001st consecutive day of running while helping us out. Just casually adding another run to the streak.

Thanks also to Edinburgh Council for the licences and permits, the Water of Leith Conservation Trust for facilitating the water station, and Lind & Lime Distillery for providing the fantastic prizes.

And finally, thank you to James from Appin Video for capturing the day. You can watch the video on our social channels: Instagram and Facebook.

See you next year?

And Neil, we’re expecting you back too!