Race news: Rock ‘n’ Roll Edinburgh Half Marathon - Sunday April 15, 2012
With just over a month to go until the UK’s first ever Rock ‘n’ Roll Edinburgh Half Marathon on Sunday, 15 April, organisers have announced the line-up of bands that will be performing along the race route.
Indie band Kassidy will be headlining the event’s post-race concert with a host of up-and-coming bands performing at mile points along the course to keep runners entertained and energised.
Shannon Davis, Event Marketing Manager, said: “We had an overwhelming response to our call out for bands to perform at the UK’s inaugural Rock ‘n’ Roll Edinburgh Half Marathon and we’ve got a great line up of performers that will keep our runners, volunteers and supporters entertained along the race route. You can expect to hear everything from hip hop and indie to reggae, rock ‘n’ roll and country boogie – it really will be an uplifting soundtrack to the race.”
Photos: Red Hot Chilli Pipers, Liz McColgan and Nieve Jennings. Keep to the rythm!
An eclectic line up of local up and coming bands will be rocking out at each mile point along the route including Hitchcock Blonde, Millsyeck, Homework, The Detours, Red 2 Red, Japan Four, Cow Cow Boogie, Jacky Forty Feet, The Deadly Winters, Robbie Reay and The Killer Cats, The Asps, hip hop act and Mobo Unsung nominee Stanley Odd and American indie band Dolalay.
Davis added: “We wanted to support up and coming UK talent, therefore we have some of the best artists in the UK performing– the fusion of high energy music and running will create an electric atmosphere unlike that of any other race; and the excitement will continue when Kassidy takes the main stage at the Finish Line Festival. We’re delighted to have Kassidy headlining our post-race concert - they’ve had an incredible two years since their introduction to the music scene in 2010 and 2012 is going to a big year for them.”
“We’re also really excited about Edinburgh based band The Asps – they’re about to start work on their first album which is being produced by legendary rock producer Ron Nevison who has worked with The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, The Who, Bad Company and Kiss.”
David Treasurer, Programme Controller for media partner Real Radio, said: “Real Radio is proud to be a media partner for the UK’s first Rock n’ Roll Half Marathon in Edinburgh this year. This looks set to be a great event and we can’t wait to get along and join in the fun on the day.”
Kassidy, along with all of the other upbeat and enthusiastic selected bands will have the opportunity to perform on course for thousands of runners from over 30 different countries, including countries as far as the USA, Australia, Brazil, Finland, Greece, France, Germany, Italy, Lebanon, Norway, New Zealand, Portugal, Singapore and South Africa to name a few. Their music will give the 20% of participants visiting from outside the UK a glimpse at true Scottish talent; and further enhance the picturesque route.
The Rock ‘n’ Roll Edinburgh Half Marathon, which has been likened to a 13.1 mile block party, replaces the ADT Edinburgh Half Marathon and a new city centre route has been created in anticipation of runners travelling to the city for the first time. The race will start and finish in Holyrood Park, making a loop around the city centre in contrast to the ADT Edinburgh Half Marathon which started in Meadowbank Stadium and finished in Musselburgh.
Photo: Bryn Williams, Miss Scotland Jennifer Reoch and Bob Forrester
Mike James, formerly of the ADT Edinburgh Half Marathon and now Race Director of the Rock ‘n’ Roll Edinburgh Half Marathon, said: “We’ve designed the route to show off the very best of Edinburgh - lots of our runners will be in the city for the first time and we wanted to incorporate its most scenic views.”
The new race route offers runners a chance to take in some of Edinburgh’s most scenic views including the Meadows, the Mound, the Queen’s Palace at Holyrood, and the Scottish Parliament building. The final stretch travels down the Royal Mile with a glimpse of Arthur’s Seat in the background. Runners will also enjoy views of Edinburgh Castle while running throughout the city centre, and the Firth of Forth as they pass along the seaside stretch on Portobello Promenade.
The Rock ‘n’ Roll Edinburgh Half Marathon will also support a number of charities including Action Duchenne, Alzheimer Scotland, Friends of the Earth Scotland, Make-A-Wish Foundation UK, When You Wish Upon A Star, Stuart Andrew Lawtie Memorial Fund (KIS), The Royal Zoological Society of Scotland, the Gail Wilson Memorial Trust, the Anthony Mundell Memorial Fund and The Stroke Association.
The Rock 'n' Roll Marathon Series was founded by The Competitor Group, one of the world’s largest event organisers, in San Diego in 1998. The race concept fuses music with running to create a high energy series of events that annually attracts more than 450,000 runners a year, both serious and those looking to have fun, and has raised over $257m for charity since its launch.
Registration is available through 8 April at uk.competitor.com/edinburgh/register
For more information on the Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon Series, please visit www.competitor.com
