Aberdeen had never hosted a half marathon of its own until this weekend — and by every account, it was worth the wait. The inaugural Hydrasun City of Aberdeen Half Marathon took to the streets on Saturday 18 July, with thousands of runners setting off from Duthie Park on a brand new 13.1-mile route through the heart of the city.

A Sold-Out Debut

The scale of the demand caught even the organisers by surprise. Entries for the new event sold out in just six days, and rather than turn runners away, organisers released an extra 1,000 places — taking the field from an initial 2,000 up to 3,000 runners. Race director Steve Gray said the day “exceeded every expectation,” and coverage from the Press and Journal and Evening Express throughout the weekend backed that up, with both papers running live blogs, photo galleries and reporter dispatches from the course all day Saturday.

The Route

Runners set off from Duthie Park at 10am on a closed-road course designed with speed in mind. The route headed out along Riverside Drive, crossed the Bridge of Dee, and continued along South Deeside Road before turning back over Milltimber Bridge and finishing along the traffic-free Deeside Way. It’s a predominantly flat course — the kind that’s genuinely built for personal bests, whether this was someone’s first half marathon or their tenth.

Robyn Pinder was first woman across the finish line, and full results are being published by the event’s timing partner as they’re finalised — worth a look if you were out there and want to see how your time stacked up.

After the Finish Line

The celebrations didn’t stop at the finish chute. Shiprow Village hosted the official afterparty, packing out with runners swapping race stories over food and drink once the medals were on. Between the atmosphere on the course and the turnout afterwards, it’s easy to see why some outlets were already calling it Europe’s coolest summer marathon by Sunday morning.

Ran It? Here’s What to Do Next

If you were one of the 3,000 out there on Saturday, the next 48-72 hours matter more than people think. Easy walking, gentle movement, hydration and sleep do far more for recovery than anything fancy — and if you’re carrying any niggles from the race, our Recovery Planner is a good place to start working out what’s tightness and what’s worth getting looked at.

And if watching this weekend’s race left you thinking “next year, that’s me” — there’s no better time to start planning than now. Our Pace Calculator and Training Zones Calculator can help you set a realistic target and structure the training to get there over the next twelve months.

Reporting on the Aberdeen Half Marathon drawn from coverage by the Press and Journal and the Evening Express.