The Edinburgh Marathon Festival is the second biggest running event in the UK after the London Marathon. Over its 16-year history, it has had a £30 million economic impact on the city of Edinburgh. It has also raised £75 million for hundreds of charities. This year, 30,000 runners came to the city as part of a great summer of Scottish athletics which will end with August’s European Championships in Glasgow.One of those runners was Jamie Rumbelow. Jamie is a postgraduate student at the University of St. Andrews, where he will take a Master’s degree in philosophy. Jamie has been running for several years. Edinburgh, though, was his first half marathon. The charity of his choice was the AKU Society. Realising how little support there is for patients with rare diseases like AKU, Jamie wanted to do something to help.Jamie started at 8am on May 27th. His route was fast and flat – indeed, the Edinburgh half marathon route is thought to be the fastest in the world. Starting on Potterrow in the grounds of Edinburgh University, he ran past the city’s greatest sights: the iconic Scott Monument in Princes Street Gardens, the historic Royal Mile, the Scottish Parliament building and the ancient volcano known as Arthur’s Seat. Before long, he and the other runners were heading off towards the coast. Their path took them through Musselburgh, past the world’s oldest golf course, and towards the village of Preston Pans. Finally, after more than 13 miles of running, they finished in the grounds of Pinkie School.
Jamie was the 4027th runner to finish. As 10,533 runners completed the Edinburgh half marathon, this put him comfortably in the top half of finishers – not bad for his first time. His run took 1 hour, 56 minutes and 21 seconds. We believe that this pint was well deserved.
Thanks to the generosity of his friends and family, as well as that of the AKU community, Jamie raised £363.85. Donations like these allow the AKU Society to support patients who are struggling with the disease. In particular, Jamie helped fund travel grants for April’s International Workshop in Liverpool. This meant that patients from around the world could afford to get to our two-day session and receive important advice.
Jamie said:
“I’m very proud to have run the Edinburgh half marathon for the AKU Society. My legs weep but my heart swells. AKU is a dreadful disease, which is too often ignored because it’s so rare. I’m so glad I did something to help.”