Glasgow to Edinburgh Ultra

Event overview

The Glasgow to Edinburgh Ultra is a point-to-point ultra running event on Saturday 10 October 2026. The official distance is 57 miles with 231 m of elevation and a field limit of 750 places. The route starts at Riverside Museum in Glasgow and finishes at Edinburgh Athletics Track (Saughton Sports Complex). The course follows canals, river paths and towpaths, including sections of the Forth and Clyde Canal, Union Canal and the Water of Leith, and passes landmarks such as the Falkirk Wheel and the Antonine Wall. The terrain is mainly canal towpath, tarmac and concrete. The event uses live GPS tracking and chip timing for official results.

Logistics, checkpoints and rules

There are multiple manned checkpoints along the route. Checkpoints 1 and 5 provide water only; other checkpoints offer drinks, sandwiches, snacks and vegetarian/vegan options. Participants must visit every checkpoint and have details recorded; enforced cut-offs apply and failure to meet requirements may result in withdrawal. Qualifying criteria require entrants to be at least 20 years old and to have completed at least a marathon-distance event prior to the race. Mandatory kit must be carried at all times, including a waterproof coat, a long-sleeved base layer, minimum 1 litre water capacity, a charged mobile phone, a foil blanket, a primary headtorch (min 75 lumens), a backup torch, a whistle and the issued GPS tracker. Random kit checks take place and missing items may lead to disqualification or time penalties. No pacers or support runners are permitted. Support crew access is restricted at some checkpoints and generally limited to one vehicle per runner. Finish facilities include separate changing rooms and communal showers; dogs are not permitted at the finish. Medal tiers are awarded by finishing position. Earlybird entry fee is £109. Visit the organization's website for the most recent information.